a martha stewart find

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birthdays and shopping skills

Aldo & Pia Fact: Our birthdays are 1 day apart -- Aug. 20 and Aug. 22. We've always joked about making our wedding date Aug. 21 to save on gifts, and to remember it easily. But now that it's slowly becoming a reality... a new date will be much better, plus an excuse to celebrate in september would be fun too. Hehehe.

This year, Aldo got me a new yoga outfit for my birthday! (Talk about getting the right motivation to continue losing weight.) I so love this guy... girly stuff don't make him uncomfy. He's one of the few guys out there who do not stand in the middle of the lingerie or make-up section looking at the nearest exit. When we were in a MAC store, I actually got an answer when I asked him if the lipstick I tried on looked ok, rather than a it's-ok-let's-pay-for-it-and-leave-now sort of answer.

In hindsight, that was definitely easier than asking him if he prefers a barong or a suit for the wedding.

points to ponder on

Posted by Hello

Interesting points in lululemon's manifesto:

Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.

Communication is complicated. Each person is raised in a different family with a different definition of each word.

Dance, sing, floss and travel.

88 days to manila

I'm officially starting my goodbye-bangkok-countdown today -- I only have 88 days til I move back to Manila!

Things at work are pretty much clearer now than it was 2 months ago -- I already have a replacement coming in November, and my boss said I don't have to stay til December... which means I can look forward to running around Manila doing immigration paperwork earlier.

Speaking of the paper trail... my mom found the church where I can claim my confirmation certificate -- since there is apparently a 6-month validity to it, I have to go back sometime in March to claim it. Good thing the churches where Aldo was baptized and confirmed are not that much of a challenge to find.

After 88 days, I'll be waiting in Manila for our papers (hopefully while working) , preparing for our church wedding, and counting the days til Aldo and I will not have to convert the time/date and currency.

certificate of freedom to marry

Speaking of church requirements... my mom says to anchor our church reservation, we need to submit a Certificate of Freedom to Marry since Aldo and I are not based in Manila. I tried asking if such as certificate exists in the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok -- but they seemed to be as puzzled as I was. Apparently, the MTQ office needs a certificate from both our parishes -- uh-oh, better find a simple way of explaining this to the Ruam Rudee Parish in Bangkok.

I'm hoping this isn't an odd request. Most catholic churches here in Bangkok aren't really that strict with marriage requirements -- our friends Barbara and Marcel were married here and the priest even provided for the flowers! Argh, I wonder why churches in the Philippines make it more complicated -- maybe it's to test your endurance as a couple. Hehehe.

our church

Mary The Queen
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Mary the Queen tops all the other churches in Manila (for us that is) simply because we want to get married in a church that is special to us (or either one of us for that matter). Aldo literally grew up beside this church (and met a few girls from ICA here too LOL), and received his sacraments here.

Not too long ago, during a Days With The Lord anniversary mass, I fell in love with this church too. We placed candles along the aisle, and in true Days tradition, shut the lights for the procession of crosses. The Days anniversary was beautiful and solemn, and the acoustics of the church was a perfect compliment (mental note: perfect for an acapella choir).

When my mom and I went to Mary The Queen last April to inquire about weddings, the church was empty save for a few birds flying aimlessly inside (thank God there were no stray cats!) -- it was even more solemn than I had remembered. Since our wedding will be in Sept. 2005, the girl in charge said it was way too early to make a reservation, and that making it at the end of the year should be fine. She did give me a long list of requirements to submit though -- I never realized they needed so many things!

So ok I'm impatient and I can't wait til December so as of yesterday (thanks to mom), we're tentatively booked for Sept. 10, 2005, 10:30am. I'll keep my fingers crossed and pray that no one else takes this slot away!