Saturday, January 31, 2009

The Honeymoon Part 2

by: Bryan

Last November, niregaluhan kame ng kaibigan namin na si Sherly ng advance wedding gift, two-day-one-night hotel accommodation sa Days Hotel sa Tagaytay. Sinabi namin na December 28 yun date para saktong hotel hopping kame after the wedding. Unfortunately, fully booked na ang hotel for that day. So she gave us a choice for Kuala Lumpur. We choose the Chinese New Year dates since it is a two-day holiday in Singapore. She got a reservation at Sunway Lagoon Resort and Spa for January 26-27. After the wedding, we plan for our trip, Second Honeymoon!!! We asked some information from our friends on how to get to KL. We had different choices from cheap and faster to cheapest but slower… lolz… either via air with Jetstar, via bus with travel agency or via train with Malaysian KTM.

I booked one way ticket for two with Malaysian KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad) while return ticket is with Transtar Travel via their coach or bus.

Since medyo matagal daw ang traveling time via train (around 8 hours!), we choose to travel at night. We can sleep during the travel, so we chose a sleeper coach at Superior night class. The name of the train is Senandung Malam. Instead of usual seats, it has a double deck bed. Supposedly, I will be using the upper deck but since spacious yun bed, nagtabi na lang kame ni Bhy sa lower deck. The train departs at Tanjong Pagar station at 10PM of January 25.

Around 30 minutes later, we alight at Woodlands station for SG Immigration checkpoint. We already checked by Malaysian immigration at Tanjong Pagar. After the immigration, we board again the train and continue the journey. Medyo hilaw ang tulog since maalog ang train at maya’t maya, nagigising si Bhy lalo na may kakaibang tunog ang train. We arrived at KL Sentral station around 6:30AM of January 26. Isa sa napansin ko sa location, parang hindi city… at that time, konti pa lang ang sasakyan sa labas pero ang daming fly-overs at expressways.


Pagbaba naming ng tren, kumain muna kame ng breakfast sa Mcdo. Then, sumakay kame ng LRT to KLCC to go to Petronas Tower. Nabinyagan agad ako kasi nawala ko ang ticket ko sa LRT, so nagbayad ulit ako ng amount katumbas ng ticket ko which is RM1.60 from KL Sentral to KLCC. After taking some pictures sa harap ng tower, we looked and queued for the tower's skybridge visit. 9AM nun umakyat kame sa skybridge. Then nagpicturan lang for around 10 minutes tapos pinababa na kame… nag-ikot ng konti sa mall then sa KLCC park. Then, bumalik kame ng KL Sentral station para sumakay naman sa KTM Kommuter train papuntang Subang Jaya where the Sunway Resort is located.

Pagbaba naming ng Subang Jaya Station after around 25 minutes travel from KL Sentral we either to take taxi or bus to Sunway Pyramid mall. Medyo kakatawa kasi I am expecting a bus similar to city bus in SG parking at the station pero yun nakita namin, isang ordinary lang na bus, maganda pa nga yun ordinary bus sa Pilipinas e… tapos nagpuno pa… as in may pasaherong nakatayo then isa lang ang pinto… walang sinabi yun ordinary bus na punuan sa Manila. Since Medyo nag-alangan pa kame sumakay pero since first time... hala sige.. sakay!!! nakarating naman ng ayos sa mall. Kung naglakad lakad lang sana kame ng konti pa sa may Carrefour, nakita namin un bus na ineexpect ko... Anyway, at least nasubukan namin lahat ng sasakyan, except pala sa city bus ng KL.

Then after we dropped off in front of the SunWay Pyramid Mall, we looked for good resto. We checked Fridays but medyo hindi type ang pagkain at presyo, we end up sa isang Chicken Buffet, ayun… eat all you can! After the lunch, we tried checking in na sa hotel. Noon una, akala namin, dun sa Sunway Lagoon Hotel, when we reached the concierge and looked at our voucher, dun pala sa sunod na hotel which is Sunway Pyramid Hotel – Resort Suite. We allowed to check in kahit na 4PM pa dapat. Nagpahinga lang nang konti then nagpasyal na kame sa Sunway Lagoon theme park.

Maganda sa Theme park, ang theme nya: combination sya ng Splash Island, Enchanted Kingdom, with zoo (hindi Manila Zoo), extreme park at Bahay ng Lagim! Since ayaw ni Bhy ng most of the parks, sa wildlife kame napunta(zoo). Eto yun iba't ibang parks sa loob:

* Extreme park

* Amusement park

* Water park

* Wildlife park

* Scream park


In all those five parks, sa Wildlife kame napadpad ni Bhy. Because, if you check the rates, there are some packages need to choose. Since takot si Bhy sa amusement park, ayaw nya sa roller coaster, sa pirates revenge(parang anchor's away ng Enchanted Kingdom), lugi kung ako lang sasakay e bayad din sya. Takot din sya sa scream park, lalo na sa extreme. Sa water park, di naman kame nagdala ng madaming damit. So sa Single park na package kame at sa Wildlife kame napadpad. Picture picture ng mga hayop, nanood ng korny na animal show, sumakay sa safari train.

After around 2 hours nang paikot ikot sa zoo, lumabas na kame, nagpahinga sa room. Nagdinner sa Pizza Hut. Sobrang mura ng pagkain sa KL, halos same value ng SGD pero Ringgit ang currency. Yun inorder namin sa Pizza Hut, total is RM22.00 pero sa SGD, almost SG$30.00 na yun, given na ang conversion is SG$1 = RM2.30. Not bad!! Matagal na rin kaming di nagpi-pizza kasi mahal sa SG yun e.. hehehehe...

Nagtake out kami sa Subway ng pang almusal namin kinabukasan since malayo pa dadayuhin namin coming from Sunway at baka wala pang bukas na kainan during that time. After that, nagaya si Bhy na magdessert so pumunta kame sa Starbucks, nag-order ng chocolate bliss at usap-usap.

Since pagod na din kami by that time, bumalik na kame sa room to rest. Hayyy ambilis ng araw... uwian na.

The next day, gumising kame ng 7AM, kumain ng almusal sa room then around 820AM, nagcheck out na kami, kumuha na ng taxi from the hotel to the Kommuter station just in time to catch the 836 schedule. Maaga kame uuwi ng SG kasi na-rebooked yun bus namin sa Transtar. I booked for 3:30PM Premium class coach online. But when I confirmed it via phone, the seat was already taken by someone who booked over the counter but in the internet, it was still vacant. So the agent upgrade our booking to a First class coach for FREE!!! so ayun, naging 11AM yun trip namin so kelangan 1030AM nasa Pasar Rakyat terminal na kame. Goodthing at hindi kame sa Puduraya which is known for Quaipo and Cubao-like places. Since bago lang daw yun Pasar Rakyat... nasa liblib pang pook, kelangan pa namin hanapin. So niresearch ko na agad yun place, roads nearby at nearest monorail station.

Upon reaching the KL Sentral terminal, lumipat kame ng monorail station. We drop off at Bukit Bintang station. Nilakad na lang namin papuntang Pasar Rakyat. Buti na lang, medyo naalala ko pa yun mapa. Di naman kame naligaw.

Agad kameng nagcheck-in sa bus counter. Saktong 11AM, umalis ang bus. Nasa kahulihang seats kameng dalawa. Spacious ang seats, may massager pa at may own LCD TV. Mabilis din ang biyahe...Almost 5.5 hours na biyahe... Di rin kasi namalayan kasi maraming choices na entertainment like VOD (video-on-demand) movies, computer games and music. Grabeng haba ng highway... I am expecting dadaan kame ng villages or city gaya sa Pilipinas pero wala kameng dinaanan kundi kalsada lamang... nakadalawang stops kame for toilet break.

Around 4PM, nasa Tuas Checkpoint na kame, una munang bumaba kame sa Malaysian Immigration then after crossing the Tuas Causeway, bumaba ulit for SG immigration. Sa may Golden Mile Complex sa Beach Road kame bumaba. Dumeretso kame ni Bhy sa Suntec para magmeryenda. Then sa bahay na kame nagdiner. Pumasyal pa sa amin si Pio at nagluto ng fettucini.


Monday, January 5, 2009

Supplier's Ratings

by: Karen

Our wedding day was a success!!! Thanks to our suppliers who, from my point of view gave their outstanding performance.

Below is our supplier's ratings:

Grade:
5 - Malufet!!!
4 - Magaling!!!
3 - Pwede na!!!
2 - Medyo may kulang pa!!!
1 - Kung gusto mong mamroblema sa kasal mo!!!


1. Church - National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Rating - 4

The church is very strict when it comes to requirements and along with it came other rules such as no unity candles, no personal vows, etc. We didn't had the chance to talk to the church choir personally for the songs which I think led to the mismatched songs played but anyway, the strictness paid off come wedding day and everything was properly laid out. Even the "manangs" were there on the altar to usher and to assist us. A note of improvement: it would also help if the personnel in the church office would slightly tone down their "masungit" factor.

2. Reception - Dusit Thani Hotel
Rating - 4


Dusit hotel is where we had our preparations and reception. Everything was followed. Although prior to the event we had a hard time coordinating with them since they changed frequently the banquet sales manager; however they still managed to organize everything and no problems was seen during the wedding day. They even offered us free meals for the kids and unlimited drinks for the guests! We got their string quartet package, minor thing we noticed was that "medyo pumipiyok yung mga singers nila". But the good thing was that they were able to follow the song list we gave them! The waiters were very accommodating and extremely nice. Very attentive and fast to work! The cake was okay and the bridal car came in right on time.

3. On the Day Coordinator - Events By The Friday Club
Rating - 5

Despite us just getting an on the day coordinator; Liza was superbly professional to attend to our on the spot inquiries. Being an overseas bride, it was really hard to manage all the wedding details so I had to delegate some of the foot work to my mother. Thankfully, Liza was very cooperative, easy to talk to and full of ideas and advice that helped us achieve a very successful wedding. From major to minor details they were able to handle and her team was very efficient and very helpful all the way. I was so calm during my wedding day because I knew they will be able to handle everything.

4. Photographer - Redefine Weddings by Jayson Arquiza
Rating - 5


As if I could not praise this supplier enough! Two words I would remember them by Asssteeeeggg and Happing Happy! Jayson, Joanne and their team was so easy to work with. Despite the last minute changes it was such a miracle that they were available during our wedding day to think that they are the most in demand photographers for weddings! Anyway, everybody loved them from me, to my parents, to the groom, to the entourage and the guests... everyone liked their work attitude; they were so accommodating, talented and down to earth and their work?? Superb! The onsite avp was excellent; we never grew tired playing it over and over again. I'm still waiting for the final output and pictures which I bet is another great masterpiece!

5. Hair and Make-Up - Irene Manigo
Rating - 4

I so love the hair and make-up done to me by Irene and Ava. Prior to the wedding, I gave them a template of the hairstyle I wanted and they were able to follow it exactly. I cried, danced and all but the hair and makeup was very much intact. One slight problem was that the mothers didn't like that much their hairstyles; they expected a more stylish approach. My mom's hair looked like she will go on her sweet teens and not as the bride's mother :-) Anyway, the make-up done to them and my entourage was still great and long lasting. They used the most quality makeups and provided retouch just when we needed it.

6. Coutourier - Mia Barlaan
Rating - 5

I love the gown created by Mia and so did the guests! They didn't scrimp on the beading and they were very quick to make the last minute alterations. The entourage and mothers' gowns were simple but exquisite. We also had to get an additional on the day assistant, Clements for the fitting of the gowns which we weren't informed initially so we had to pay extra. It was worth it since Clements was very prompt in assisting us and had the needle and threads for last minute alterations. All in all everything was great!

7. Secondary Sponsors and Flower girls Gown - Aling Violy
Rating - 2

This is the one and only supplier that gave me major headache during the wedding preparations. There was so many mistakes and misunderstandings. First, the cloth that should be used for accent was used for the main body. Second, the designs were all wrong and not followed. Third, we specifically told her to make a template or first lining first so we would not waste any materials just in case adjustments are to be made but she didn't follow it; and instead went with finishing the gowns and as expected she had to redo most of the gowns. Fourth, she was so hard to talk to. She would say different information to different persons so in the end we all got confused as to which is which. It's a good thing she was able to finish the gowns on time and they looked okay, nothing special just enough for a person to wear and so ends my nightmare.

8. Flowers - Mang Boy Mahusay
Rating - 5

Now I can really say "Mahusay talaga si Mang Boy Mahusay!" The flowers came in just in time on the hotel and they efficiently setup our flowers in the church right after the other wedding. My bridal bouquet was great! I so love the color and it stayed fresh even until the next day! I had no problems with coordinating with this supplier. They were easy to contact and didn't forget all the last minute reminders.

9. Emcee - May Ramos
Rating - 4

Even though we were not able to meet personally with May and despite the last minute program changes she was still able to carry out the program spontaneously.She was very eloquent and nice; although I was slightly hoping she would throw in more jokes and funny expressions here and there to lighten up the mood especially since some of the guests were somewhat dismayed on the delayed lunch proper.

All in all, these suppliers did their best for my wedding day and each of them played an essential role in making it successful. I can't thank them enough for being there during my wedding day for making it such a memorable event. Kudos to you guys! Hope to still bump into you one of these days! Keep in Touch!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Ang Paglilipat - Some Post-Wedding Traditions

by: Bryan

In Batangas, the reception was always done at the Bride's residence. And the wedding always starts in the morning, normally, 8-9AM so that the reception will not pass noontime, because there is a tradition that the bride needs to go to Groom's residence by noontime to get more prosperity. The transfer of the couple from wedding reception to groom's residence is called lipatan. In this tradition, all the things used in the weddings, which is normally from groom's relatives, are packed and the reception is being cleaned thoroughly.

Though this can be done in our wedding, we decided to stay at Dusit after the wedding because of some complementary stuff provided by Dusit Hotel as included in our package. So we had our instant honeymoon at the Hotel and just went to Batangas the next day.

Initially, we planned to just commute to Batangas, because Karen wanted to go to Tagaytay for some sight seeings and to have our lunch. Dennis, one of our entourage, volunteered to drive us home on his car since he's to stay at Manila after the wedding. So he agreed to pick us up at the Hotel around 10AM of December 28. Jodel, also one of our entourage, was with Dennis. And since we got a car, we decided to take all of our the wedding dresses(Karen's gown, my Barong and all wedding stuff like arrhae, cords, veils) and let them be washed at Batangas. We left Dusit around 11:30AM


On our way home, we caught traffic at Tagaytay, and since originally we want to have lunch at Tagaytay, we just stopped over at Max's Restaurant at the restaurant junction. We had our lunch around 2:30PM due to a very long queue of traffic. After having lunch, Karen and I had some picture taking at the rooftop of Leslie's Resto. Here are some pictures:




We arrived at our house around 5:30PM.

Also, one tradition of wedding is to open the gifts. And since we asked monetary gifts from our guests, we received only two gifts, one from Ate Del and one from Jules.

We already opened and counted monetary gifts at Dusit Hotel. hehehe... In Batangas, I think, the couple needed to wait at least two days before opening the gifts. But since it is monetary... we already opened and counted them.


A second celebration was held in my hometown, in Real, Calatagan last December 31, 2008.
On our way to Real.

This is for my Mom's relatives who was not able to attend in the reception. My Grandma gave us one whole pig to be our "handa". They also prepared a mini-presidential table for us and one buffet table with all the food: Menudo, Caldereta, Puchero, Sago, Leche Flan. When we arrived, my Grandma told us to pick coins from a bilao(flat basket made of bamboo) with rice grains and flowers. This is another tradition which the coins we gathered will be our first money as a couple. Both of us must pick as many coins as we can. We' were not able to count them but we placed it inside my hanky, and placed it together with our wedding dresses and stuff.





This was supposedly a reunion with Mendez family but my uncle from Pangasinan(father of one of my flower girls who was not able to attend the wedding) still didn't make it due to his wife medical emergency.

In general, our wedding was a very successful and memorable one. And we wil treasure all the happenings until we get older and we will show all of these to our kids.

The Couple

My photo
Philippines
The Sweet Silent SQL DBA meets the one-of-a-kind girl of his life. A wish come true...