Romansha : A Teaser

Romansha.
They now call him by that nickname, but he doesn't mind at all.

Source:  Zimbio from an article by Pinoy Ambisyoso 

He's our city's lone representative who has a very long list of impressive accomplishments under his belt.  She's the lovely member of the second district of the Valenzuela City Council since 2004.

When news broke out that Cong. Roman T. Romulo and Councilor Shalani Soledad were already dating, I knew that it wouldn't take long before they got engaged.  And I was right.  Last January 22, 2012, the eve of the Chinese New Year, Romansha --- a monicker for the two --- sealed the deal and made it official in front of family and friends at the St. Benedict Ayala West Grove in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.  Reception was held at the dockside of the nearby Nuvali Evolving Center.

It's been seven days since they tied the knot, but the Romulo-Soledad nuptials still remain a hot topic in the blogosphere as well as in social networking sites.  Too bad, I didn't catch the news when the TV stations showed their wedding.  It's a good thing I saw the photos from the internet such as this one from Yahoo, and some scoops about the wedding details from PEP magazine.  Lovely, elegant details!  Shalani must have been stressed a bit about the preps, but juding by the photos, it was so, so worth it.

Want more pics?  Here are more of the couple's lovely prenup BTS shots courtesy of Jay Jay Lucas of Chestknots Studios.  The styling was of course, by the Jay Jay's lovely wife Feliz and her team.  Here's wedding teaser of the prenup shoot that the people from Chestknots had with the boys from Mayad Studios.

Shalani and Roman Trailer from Mayad Studios on Vimeo.

Patricia Evangelista shot and edited this two minute and ten second video of the couple.  The scoring was by Malek Lopez. 

Congratulations and best wishes, Mr. and Mrs. Roman T. Romulo!

Why I chose Noel

While Mr. M and I are not exactly photogenic subjects, I want to remember my wedding day by looking at photos that are vibrant, classic, fun, stylish, quirky, timeless, and clean.  You got to have a very good and skilled photographer to get those, and this is why I chose Noel Salazar of Imagine Nation Photography.

Looking at these shots by our future main photographer, I'd say I'm one very, very excited bride-to-be:

All photos were lifted from Noel Salazar's website and Imagine Nation portfolio.
You may shoot Noel an email at noelsalazar86@gmail.com for info and details.

Request revisited

Source:  Before I Do Pre-wedding Workshop

What qualities of your partner are the most important to you?  

Back when I was so much younger and definitely single, I wrote a very long list of qualities my future husband should possess.  Boy, was it long!  I think I filled up an entire notebook's page with all the adjectives and accompanying descriptions and explanations.  Funny, but it's true.  Talk about being specific.  Some time later, I figured out this might be being too much of a perfectionist, and I know I am far from being perfect.  So I decided to trim them down to just five, the five qualities that are the most important to me.  I asked God to give me a husband who -

(1) is a committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, but not necessarily from my own church; 

(2) is a responsible man who will provide well for our future family; 

(3) is an intelligent and engaging conversationalist; 

(4) is a kind-hearted guy; and 

(5) is one who is highly competent in the kind of work that he does and excels in his chosen field.

I must have been twenty years old at that time --- crazy, young and not knowing anything about love and romance.  My head was full of expectations and fantasies.  My long list looked like a tall order, but I believed with all of my heart that nothing is too difficult for God.  He can give me (and is actually willing to) more than what I could ever ask or imagine, so I said, why not make it the sky's the limit, right?  I need to ask so that I can receive.  So I also threw in the following optionals or negotiables (or in wedding parlance, the nice-to-haves):

(6) is taking up a Master's degree or has plans of doing so (I just like guys who keep on studying!);

(7) knows how to play a musical instrument; and

(8) knows and plays at least one sport.

For many years, I held on to that thick journal of mine where I wrote the list of qualities of my future husband which I fervently asked God for.  I never had a boyfriend, but I did have suitors.  They would have most of the qualities I listed, but none would have all five, much more the additional three which I appended to my original request.  My heart ached, but no husband in sight.  I knew deep down inside that God would have me get married, but the wait was killing me.

So I decided to pray differently this time.  Instead of praying for a lifetime partner and whatever his qualities would be, I asked God to make me the perfect match to this one person He had in mind for me.  I told God that He would have the first place in my life, and the spouse would have the second only.  After that, I felt so much peace.  The desire to get married didn't die or go away.  I still wanted to get married.  But I no longer obsessed over when and who I would end up with.  I left such details to the Lord.  By God's grace, I developed more patience for my love life to take shape according to how God designed it.  I felt like I had played the role of the pursuer of love, instead of being the one who gets pursued by my man.  It was a great relief and rest from years of trying to tweak my life to what I want it to be, and so I finally understood what it meant to fall in love with Jesus first before giving my heart to the man He had prepared for me.  Still and all, no man in sight.  No boyfriend to call me his own.  No marriage proposal to say yes to.

Fast forward to 2007.  I joined an all-women, inter-denominational but Bible-based class called Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) in Makati.  They were expanding the class to another location to comprise a young adult class for both male and female, and I was drafted into the leadership.  I prayed for it, and prayed about how and to what extent will I be involved in it.  In my quiet time, the Lord was telling me to say yes to the leadership and serve Him in that capacity.  So I said yes.  And with that yes came the answer to one of my life's greatest request: Mr. M.

     

My fiance and I had repeatedly met in mid 2007 because of this Bible study class were were forming in the Ortigas / Quezon City area.  But it was only in March 5, 2008 when we began talking with each other lengthily.   

By the time we started the Bible class in 2008, I had already spent a considerable amount of time with Mr. M.  The Bible class for young adults was doing well, and it actually ran for about four months from June to October of that year.  When it finally folded up because we could not meet the required number of members, Mr. M and I were as close as the pages in a book.  We were about to close the Bible class when he left for England for further studies.  I guess God decided that since it already accomplished the purpose of bringing the two of us closer together, it was no longer necessary to continue the study.  I hope I don't sound selfish with that analysis, but you know what, I couldn't help but think that way because almost all the ladies who joined that class eventually found another similar Bible study group in almost the same area.  The same thing with the men.  Isn't God amazing?

Ours is a simple love story but one we like to tell again and again.  To paraphrase a Christian writer, it is the story of how God led this boy to meet the girl whom he's also been praying for.  It's the story of how God still answers prayers --- and stuns us with the fantastic outcomes only He could have planned.  It's the story of keeping quiet hearts and laying before Him our petitions and deepest desires, and leaving it up to Him to fulfill at the right time.

Today, at 223 days before our altar date, I just had the sudden urge to write this post and revisit my request which I asked from God years ago when I was much younger. I said I wanted one who is

(1) is a committed follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, but not necessarily from my own church;

(2) is a responsible man who will provide well for our future family; 

(3) is an intelligent and engaging conversationalist; 

(4) is a kind-hearted guy; and 

(5) is one who is highly competent in the kind of work that he does and excels in his chosen field.

and I also added that it would be nice to have one who 

(6) is taking up a Master's degree or has plans of doing so;

(7) knows how to play a musical instrument, or sings well; and

(8) knows and plays at least one sport.

I get goosebumps thinking that I have all eight requests answered when Mr. M walked into my life.  I am just so thankful that I have found in him a man who is a committed follower of Jesus, and in fact, lives this out by what he says and does.  I feel secure to be engaged to a man who I am sure will be a responsible and loving husband and father and a good provider to his family.  I feel so much respect for this guy who handles his finances so well that without batting an eyelash, I immediately told him he's going to take charge of our future family's money.  I really am blessed to have been given one who is not only intelligent and kind, but one who actually does his job so well.  My man, though he is actually an economist by education, has all these licenses required for stock brokers in the USA.  I'm marrying a geeky bookworm whose depth of knowledge just never fails to surprise me.

It doesn't end there.

Mr. M also has plans of pursuing higher studies after we get married, and we've already discussed this at length.  Ooh, how I love it when people keep on growing in knowledge!  God knew I wanted a life partner who like me, loves to just read and keep on learning.  And guess what?  He used to be part of his former church's choir!  Why, he even sometimes sings as the lead!  He has this fantastic singing voice that he could very well be a record artist.  And he plays basketball during his free time.  Isn't this all amazing and too wonderful?  Only God can grant requests like this.  Only God!  This surely couldn't have been a coincidence.

This is where we will anchor our relationship and future family: on God and His Word
Source:  Before I Do Pre-wedding Workshop

Today, as I revisit my request, I am awed by the God of the universe who wonderfully answered my prayers --- beyond all that I ever asked of Him.  He exceeded all my expectations.  I will try but this space is not enough to enumerate all the other beautiful things I realized He has given me when He gave me Mr. M.  Forgive me but I cannot put into words how really right it is to put God at the center of one's life, and on top of all other priorities.  God deserves the highest place and the greatest honor from us ---- whether He grants our prayers or not.  I am convinced that if I had compromised, or if I did not wait for God to prepare me and Mr. M to get into a relationship, I would have been miserable, lonely and sad.  I would've missed the best things He had in store for me.

As we count the days until our altar date, God reminds me again and again that this story started with Him. It's all about glorifying God in my current role as fiancee, and in his as my fiance; it's all about exhibiting the qualities that are most important to God: gentle, quiet spirit, humble, joyful and prayerful, among others...It's all about keeping this love triangle --- me and Mr. M and God --- and drawing closer to Him as we draw close to each other as well.  It's all about revisiting requests we've made, because He is a prayer-answering, covenant-keeping God who wouldn't think twice of giving us what is best for us.  The Lord does something truly awesome, fabulous, mind-blogging, and amazing when we lift up our hearts to Him and leave the rest in His hands.  I just hope that we all stay at the center of His will because this is the way He designed it to be, and because this is the best place for anyone to stay.

So, what are your requests?  Give them all to God, and be awed by how He will answer them!

Honeymooning in the Philippines

If you've been following this blog, you know that for a short while Mr. M lived in another continent.  Once, while talking with me over skype, he shared and showed me tiny snow balls falling down from the sky to his balcony in Manchester.  It was around Christmas of 2008, and it was utterly cold, even in the comfort of his own dorm with all the room heaters turned up.  I've never seen or touched snow in my entire life, and witnessing them raining down through my beloved's web cam made me want to visit that part of the globe (and Europe!) someday.

Mr. M in front of a castle in Scotland

There is no doubt that England is a charming place, one that hearkens you to come and visit over and over again.  However, even without budget constraints, I'd prefer to visit more places in the Philippines to touring nice attractions elsewhere.  Love your own LOL :-)  I think we do have most of the best things other countries have to offer ---- historical landmarks, amazing landscapes, great food, white sand beaches, beautiful sunsets, world-class amenities, and the list goes on.  Did I mention shopping too?  ;-)  We even have something they don't necessarily offer ---- the warm hospitality of our own people, unparalleled even by the first world go-to countries that people normally choose as tourist destinations.  This is why we've always believed in touring around RP first.  After all, you can't finish 7,107 islands in one travel, right?

This thing about loving this country and exploring it even more has got me all giddy and excited, because I know we do have something so wonderful to share and offer, and we deserve a bigger slice of the pie when it comes to international visitation among countries in Southeast Asia.  I understand people rave about the beaches of Phuket, Thailand; the rich culture of Java, Indonesia; the awesome food from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; the scenic spots from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the beautiful structures from Phnom Penh, Cambodia; the night markets of Luang Prabang, Laos; and the modern architecture from Singapore. But don't we have all of those and even more in our country?  Think Boracay instead of Thailand; Ilocos instead of Indonesia; Bicol instead of Vietnam; Palawan instead of Malaysia; Tagaytay instead of Cambodia; Manila instead of Laos; Makati and Taguig instead of Singapore.  I would love to go and visit those countries, and even add up to that list; but Philippines will be Destination #1 for Mr. M and I.

Thanks to the latest web campaign of the Department of Tourism, we're starting to get noticed again by international tourists.  It was only a matter of time when someone will revive the tag line "It's more fun in the Philippines''.  Personally, I think it worked, because the truth is, it really is more fun here in this part of the globe. Look at what they've initially put out in the website:

So if you ask me, where are we honeymooning?  Definitely, in RP!  We do have a place in mind, but since I'm not yet in a position to divulge it, let me just show you some pics I gathered from my hard drive which show how really, in the truest sense of the line, it is more fun in this country.  I took all of the pics, except for Pictures #1 and #11 which were by my big brother.  Mind you, these pics aren't photoshopped at all.  I just took them with either my GE (10mp) or Kodak (12mp) point-and-shoot camera.

Enjoy, and I do hope that you, dear readers, do find this country the top choice for your honeymoon or vacation plans.

Gifts from My Big Sis

my ever-generous sister and her thoughtful husband

I've got a really amazing, fantastic and generous sister.  And a loving brother-in-law too.  Well, I've got a really awesome family but I meant to write about my sister (and brother-in-law) only today.  I'm saving my other family members for future posts ;-)

You all know that as an early wedding gift, she and my brother-in-law decided they'll let me use their brand new white Toyota Fortuner as my bridal SUV.  Prior to their kind gesture, I was already thinking of renting out the blue Chrysler 300C from Fly to Manila (at 8k for 4 hours or 12k for 8 hours, all inclusive), or perhaps one of the more affordable Mercedes Benz from Don Robert's Bridal Cars (the cheapest model was at 4.5k already).  After scouring the net for potential rides for my big day, I seriously developed a headache.  Why does it cost too much to just take a ride from your hotel to your church, then from your church to your reception venue, then back to the hotel?  It's just one of those things I don't understand.  So having been given the pricing information I need, early on in the wedding preps I had to say good bye to dreams of riding in a Cadillac or Jaguar Mark as I knew that I'd be so regretful after paying a good one month's worth of apartment rental fee for a mere four hours use of these cars (insert an Ilocana's smile here).  :-p   One night after our engagement, my sister visited me at home and suggested we use her SUV for my bridal car.  Thanks, Ate!  That's an instant 8k savings for me and Mr. M :-)

Source:  La Germania

But, wait.  There's more.  More?

This afternoon, my sister called me up to say that she had just bought us a four-burner gas range with oven from La Germania (apparently, in an effort to get me more encouraged to pick up my cooking skills haha!).  Yehey!!!!!!  Thank you, Lord, we haven't even gotten married yet but our future home is starting to fill up with all the essential items!  My sister knows we're going to live in a small, one bedroom apartment for the meantime, but she said we can have items like this since it's going to be used for the long-term.  After all, we can still bring it to our new home when we transfer later.  Thank God for her wisdom, so now I can happily prepare spaghetti, sinigang na baka, and the like in true housewife style!  

Source:  Archi Expo

I'm the type of cook who is neither a beginner nor an intermediate.  I don't have original concoctions, unlike some people who even have food blogs of their own.  I follow recipe books to the letter, save for this one time when out of the blue I decided to turbo-broil a whole chicken.  So next to the gas range or stove, what is a woman's best friend in the kitchen?  You guessed it right, the refrigerator!  Well, to even add up to the "pressure" of learning more recipes and whipping out more delectable stuff, my sister (and brother-in-law) threw in a brand-new fridge on top of their other gifts!!!!!  I'm pretty sure that my fiancee would end up the happiest in this case, because he's the one at the receiving end of all my cooking efforts and adventures.  Hahaha!  :-D  I couldn't really thank God enough for all these blessings!

So this afternoon I visited blogs I frequent for food inspirations.  I knew just where I should go for some ideas on what to prepare ---- Enchie's From My Kitchen and Beyond and Mae's Newlyweds' Cravings.

Hhmm....With my spanking, brand-new gas range and ref, who knows?  I just might end up with a cooking blog!  :-D

Portraits

The pictures (and video) are all that will be left of us after our wedding.  Guests would just probably throw away the invitations after our wedding.  The female bridal entourage members would just fold up their dresses and save them for another occasion, if at all they opt to reuse them.  The flowers would just wilt and die in a week's time from our big day.  But not the pictures (and video).  They're my only reminder of how we began Day 1 as husband and wife.

I'm a lurker of awesome photographers' websites and blogs even way before I got engaged.  And to say that I'm a shutterbug (albeit, not a good one hehehe) is an understatement.  I've got hundreds of picture files on my hard drive, and much more of those that are related to weddings.  So it was just natural for me to save and store great portraits I see every now and then.

Here's a sample of what I have on my PC:

Photo Credits:  Andy Samaniego

Photo Credits:  Jay Jay Lucas

Photo Credits:  Erron Ocampo

Photo Credits:  Nelwin Uy

Photo Credits:  Mango Red

Photo Credits:  Dino Lara

Photo Credits:  Mimi and Karl

Photo Credits:  Toto Villaruel

and of course, I won't forget a shot by our official photographer, Noel Salazar

More to come :-)