Say Hi to EON

After having a super late lunch with Nikks and Joel at KFC, I visited UCPB to open a new savings account. Unfortunately, when I asked the bank representative if I could pay HSBC credit card through their online banking, she said they don't have that listed in their services. Bummer!

When I reached the office, Joel told me about UnionBank having no maintaining balance. Sweet! I immediately called UnionBank but was informed that their savings account requires 10K to be maintained. WTF!

I went back to Joel. He informed me about this EON type. Bummer! I didn't ask about that earlier.

And sooooo, after a few online application (very convenient for geeks like me), I got my EON VISA account. I still need to visit my new bank in 5 days so I could claim my debit card. One nice thing, I could use it when I travel! Hot dogsssss!

Bye, Lisa

One of my early favorites has bid goodbye in American Idol. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who the next casualty is. The ever-poised Ms. Tucker has been in the bottom 3 for 3 consecutive nights. Three strikes and you're out, kiddo.

I salute Simon Cowell for pointing out the poor performance of my crush Katharine McPhee. The previous night, she got all praises from the 3 judges. I was like, "WTF, they can't be serious!"

Watched "Alchemy" last night. It stars Thomas Cavanagh, the guy from "Ed". The film is about a competition between a computer and a Dr. Love for the heart of a lovely woman (played by Sarah Chalke). Very interesting, eh? I love the grandmother here ;oP

There's one precious moment involving a slush and a kid. You really, really, really need to watch out for that!

I noticed two familiar faces: Logan Marshall-Green was the gay kid from season 4 of "24" and Illeana Douglas from "Six Feet Under" and "Stir of Echoes".

Peace the Spork Out to my BPI

After not being able to maintain my account for a few days only, my bank decided to kill my account--without any notice. I only found out when my ATM card was captured when I was depositing moulah this afternoon. WTF!!!

That means, I need to open a new account in some other branch 'cause they don't re-open accounts anymore.

Well, I might open a Peso account with UCPB 'cause they've been good to me all these years ;oP

To hell with BPI!

Illustration Friday: Colored Monster

Thanks to my fellow illustrator, Ian, for suggesting this.
I really enjoyed playing with the colors of my monster ;oP
I remember drawing this from a PC game I played.

Congratulations, Lance!!!

2nd-freaking-honor, plus a bunch of awards!!! My gulay! Mana kay Dondon ;oP

And what's going on with cutey patootey Fiona? The tilt of the head is an early sign of Donism too. Teehee.... I love the second to the last photo.

Lechon Kawali, At Last

It's my first time to cook lechon kawali last night. I boiled the cube-sized pork and threw in a good measure of salt & peppa. Waited.

Watched "24". Way to go, Chloe!!!

After more than half an hour, I checked if the pork was tender already. I also used a fork to pierce the skin of the pork... (that's a tongue twister right there!) Took out the pork and drained 'em.

Now comes the fun part. I heated oil and quickly dumped the pork in it. It's like having firecrackers in the kitchen. Word!

Fried some rice. Cooked some Korean noodles. Lastly, I prepared the mayo + bagoong + garlic sauce combo that Sharon Cuneta was promoting.

I achieved the crunchiness of the pork alright. Halfway through my dinner, I got me-self some native vinegar. That mayo is not good at all. Bleh!

This Looks Promising!

Can't wait for the return of Image Knockout!!!

The Perfect Dinner

There's the "Perfect Strangers" in the 80s. Then came the "Perfect Storm" in the 90s. Now comes the "Perfect Dinner"... for me, that is. It's composed of garlic rice, paksiw na besugo, adobong baboy, and mangga't bagoong. Tastes heavenly!

I did a little grocery last night and found out that the Japanese noodles I had last weekend was in fact from Korea. "Jewel in the Palace" is Korean, hello? Apparently, I didn't put 2 + 2 together. Also, the peeled shrimps that I bought was like 300++ a kilo. WTF!

Saw "Derailed" last night. I kinda predicted that the character of Jennifer Aniston ain't what she's supposed to be. The car dumping scene was freshly funny though. I salute Clive Owen for his performance in this film.

Illustration Friday: Monster 2

An artwork drawn last January, 23, 1995.

Illustration Friday: Monster

Unfortunately (or fortunately), we can only take a glimpse at this scaly beast. Notice the blood? Who is not in the closet with you?

I used Dogwaffle to produce the scaly effects.

Cleaning Out My Closet Again

While doing my laundry today, I decided to clean out my closet. I arranged my clothes... from pants to long-sleeves shirts, tees, and brand spanking new shirts ;oP I neatly folded my "pambahay" clothes. I also noticed that I've got lotsa clothes for the rainy season so I grabbed a suitcase and put 'em all inside. My closet looks pretty normal now ;oP Sweeeet!

I miss my huge closet in my Sta. Ana apartment. I could put everything in there!

Bulacan Surprises

Reached Bulacan around 4. Found a new dog in our garage. Funny, it (didn't know the gender yet) didn't bark at me. Made a mental note to play with it later.

I'd be really surprised if my dad's home. Normally, he spends his afternoon playing mah jong. Found mom sleeping upstairs. Kissed her on the cheek.

Went back downstairs to check out the new dog. Surprisingly, SHE's quite friendly. What I love about dogs is that they could sense if someone is a threat to them or not. She showed her belly and wanted to be scratched. Teehee... She kissed my tummy ;oP


Ate the cheeseburger that I bought. I found some Japanese noodles and cooked it. Then our ole dog named Niknik appeared with a buddy. A puppy with the same color as the dog in the garage. A mommy and a kid. Cool! I noticed that his tail was cut short. Boy, this puppy is so freakin' energetic! I tried to take pictures of him but he kept disappearing from my viewfinder. Just shot a video instead.

Around 6, I prepared mom's coffee and gave her a burger. She told me about the cast of "Jewel in the Palace" visiting the orphanage recently. That explains the noodles that I just ate. I love Japanese noodles. It's very tasty. They also put in real veggies, like carrots and the green veggie found in miso soup.

Watched "North Country". I like the moments where Kyle (Sean Bean; LOTR's Boromir) talked some sense to Josey's (Charlize Theron) son and the mother-son scene immediately following that. Charlize is getting better at choosing roles. The final court scene was predictable though.

Afterwards, I watched "Brokeback Mountain". I noticed in the grocery scene there's an inconsistency. In one shot, the bottles came spilling down from the shelf. In the next shot, some of those bottles miraculously got arranged (just like that). I like the look on Alma's (Michelle Williams) face when Jack Twist (Jack Gyllenhaal) was introduced. When Twist delivered the line, "So what we got now is Brokeback Mountain!", it reminded me of Filipino movies where there is always a scene where the lead actor would state the title in the most dramatic way. That got me laughing. Yay for boobies ;oP

To cap the night off, I watched "Hostel". The backpackers reminded me of a good friend, Dennis (who celebrated his birthday recently; miss you, buddy). The first 10 minoots of the movie makes me wanna visit Amsterdam someday. There's a scene in the film that shows why I never liked bavarian donuts. Natalya's (Barbara Nedeljakova) the bomb! My favorite quotation came from crazy Oli, "I'm so happy I shaved my balls!". Allow me to say once more, "Yay for boobies!"

Presenting "Lamon Tayo"

Think of this blog as your online recipe book. You can be assured that these meals are sumptuous and easy to prepare. If you love good food, try one of these recipes. You can even submit your own. Ain't that neat?

Illustration Friday: Feet

Sometimes, we may not be as lucky as the others...

3 Good News

Yep, am feeling better ;oP No urge to drink again. I'm satisfied with water and coke (at the moment). Thanks to all people who have asked about my condition.

Wendy's on the second floor of our office building is now selling burgers, frosty, and salad. No fries yet but they will come. I tried the Bacon Mushroom Melt. The burger patty is quite small. Not quite satisfied.

Our pantry now has a new microwave oven. Yay!

Rhum Coke, Pass

I can't remember when I almost wanna die. That was how I felt when I woke up this morning. Super bad headache. At 8:51 am, I tried to report for work. But I felt really sick so I went back to bed. 4 o'clock pm came and I forced myself to grab a bite. Brushed my teeth and gargled. I smelled drunk. I also felt like vomitting.

While I was waiting for the lift, I've been trying my best not to barf. Y'know how it is. I rushed back to my condo unit and finally threw up. Oh mannnn...

Felt a bit better. I zombie walked to the nearest ChowKing and ordered chicken noodles. Had no appetite but I gotta eat.

Rhum coke is the culprit. Last night, we celebrated Nikks' birthday again at her cuzin's place. We had a sumptuous dinner, composed of fried tilapia, tomato & red egg, and sinigang na baboy. Yummm! I was with Tabel, Doths, Nicko, and the birthday gal.

We started singing while drinking rhum coke. Oyo was showing us his acting abilities. Doths played with him for awhile.

Beng, Joel, Jan, Mike, Paul, and Robbi arrived. Then, Max, our Aussie workmate, came. Later on, Jhie, with her friend, Sarah, joined in the fun.

I really wanted to get drunk (be careful what you wish for) this time. The weng-weng last Saturday night was a letdown. So when Max kept mixing my drinks, I just couldn't say no to 'em.

Ahhh... I miss big parties like this.

Pandamonium

I hope to wake up one day and find these adorable creatures on my bed licking me to death ;oP

Special thanks to Alwyn!

Haberdey, Nikks (Totoo na 'to)

Happy birthday to a very good friend. Wala na ata akong nakitang super mag-asikaso na kaibigan. Mahilig syang magligpit ng mga nakakalat. Ang tagal sobrang maghugas ng plato. Kung tumawa, parang walang paki-alam sa mundo. Sobrang sarap kasama =oP

Pwedeng ko na 'tong gamiting testimonial sa friendster mo, girl.

Of Penguins and Men

Last year, I requested Nowell to get me a copy of "March of the Penguins". I love that film so much. I'm truly happy that it got an Oscars award. Again, if you haven't seen it yet, make it a point to watch it soon. You won't regret it. It's a wonderful movie.

Last night though, I watched the making of the movie. I like the scene where the penguins got curious about the cameras. Watch out for the cutey patootey baby seal. Of course, I got teary eyed again.

Here's my last year's blog entry about the movie. It also inspired me to do an illustration.

Harmony

That's what it says on my new shirt that Earl got for me. Hmmm... he could be jokin' too. It could say sumpthin like, "Mary Palmer Enjoy Yourself" too. Teehee... Thanks, bro!

The cloth is very comfortable to the skin. Sweet!!! ;oP

Arlyn's Margarita

When I got back from Nikks' birthday party, I thought I could go for a dip in our condo pool. Prepared my towel and board shorts. After a few minoots, I decided to take a nap. That lasted till 9 o'clock. Immediately checked my phone for messages. Got 3 from Arlyn, Pasaway, and Cathy. They're all inviting me for a drink at their place in Washington. Who could refuse a drink, eh? I brought my MagicSing too.

I was excited to taste Arlyn's margarita. She took bartending lessons recently, by the way. She mixed 3/4 cup lime juice, 3/4 cup triple sec, and 1/2 cup tequila in an aluminum Accenture mug. We let it stay for awhile.

The margarita was a bit sweet (because of the triple sec). On my second round, I emptied the remains of the tequila bottle. Little did I know, it contains 40% alcohol. Teehee... Turned bloody red in a few sips.

Shawie, of course, sang some of her signature hits like "To Love You More" and "My Heart Will Go On" (complete with a hand on her left ear to block all noises) ;oP

Cathy sang "Unwell" and "You've Made Me Stronger" too. We requested Pasaway to sing it too but she declined.

I sang "You've Made Me Stronger", "Reasons", "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman", and "Photographs".

Arlyn cooked some midnight snack--pasta in tomato sauce with basil. Yum!

Lunch Buffet at Richmonde

Am really glad that I didn't have hangover when I awoke this morning. 'twas already almost noon. I guess I missed the free breakfast buffet ;oP Brushed my teeth, washed my face, and took a quick shower before we left for our lunch buffet.

Nikks gave the free lunch buffet to Mike and I. Table, Beng, and Nikks just ordered food. I got me-self some beef in oyster sauce, roasted pork, baked mussels with bacon (nice), and seafood on a stick. They have a pretty good veggie soup (a must-try). It was soooo good that I had 3 helping. Teehee.

I was sooo full. Of course, I still tried the brownies and cakes. Satisfied!!! Coffee was part of the buffet so we had some before heading back to our room. When we returned to our suite, our key won't work anymore. Nikks asked for some assistance from one of the staff.

I was telling my friends that it felt like a vacation. We stayed in a very nice hotel. No worries. Lotsa good food. Lotsa booze. We didn't talk much about work either. I even joked about the time of our flight. Table joked about going to the beach. Ahhh, I miss Bora ;oP



Thanks to Karen for upgrading our room. I met a new friend named Land, one of the staff, who interviewed me about Mr. Marley. Thanks to Nikks, of course, for this fun-filled weekend.

Haberdey, Nikks!

Around 8, I proceeded to Richmonde Hotel for Nikk's birthday party. Again, I had no clue where it was so I kept on texting my friends on how to freakin' get there. I got off at MRT Shaw station, passed through Shangri-La mall, and then just walked to the hotel.

When I went inside Suite 1111 (cool hotel number), I saw Beng, Ning, Table, Paul & Kate, Bulilit, Jhie, Oyo (Nikks' kid), and the birthday celebrator, Nikks, in a revealing top. I was with her when she bought this nice dress last Friday. We had our group photo. I washed my face before leaving the unit.

Played with Oyo at the hotel lobby. At first, the kid found my dreadlocks scary but after awhile, he warmed up to me.

We waited for Mike Viray to arrive before we left for Dencio's, Metrowalk. Mike & I hitched a ride with Paul & Kate.

While waiting for our table at Dencio's, many people arrived: Chris (Jhie's boyfriend), Jack, Pao, and fresh from Japan, Earl (who gained some pounds). According to him, he's a second Donish Balanish in Japan ;oP

We pre-ordered sinigang na belly (a must-try!), sisig, grilled pusit, adobong kangkong, and crispy pata.


We finally got our table around 10ish. Everyone was famished already. Nikks had to feed Oyo first before eating her dinner. Good thing, Ning and Chris entertained the kid for her. Later on, Marc Gorospe with his wife arrived.

Many people, like Ning and some guys, left after dinner. I carried a sleeping baby in my arms. We continued the fun at the suite provided by Nikks' friend, Karen. Joel, who came from a massage session, and Mike Wong joined us too. I set up our MagicSing and gave the microphone to Earl. Chose the song, "To Where You Are", as the first song of the night.

We had weng-weng and some San Mig Light for our booze. I brought some Gudang for our smokes.


And to fully greet Nikks, we sampled her birthday cakes. One read, "Happy 30th birthday, Chikinikki", and the other read, "Mary Palmer Enjoy Yourself". That got me laughing. Some people got it and laughed too. For those who didn't get it, Mike provided the visuals and some tried to explain it too. Teehee....

Singing continued. I dedicated "I'd Still Say Yes" and "Chikinini" to Nikks. Pictures were taken. A lot of chit-chats. Many were interested in Earl's trip.

Later that night, it was only Jhie & Chris, Mike W., Joel, Beng, Nikks, and I who were left standing. Table, after singing some songs like "The Power of Love" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" with me, dozed off already with Oyo. We had some very interesting discussions that centered on relationships.

Tabel re-appeared and joined in the chat. Found out later that she was having bad dreams.

The talk ended around 5:30 in the morning already. I slept on the couch. Mike positioned himself on the floor. Nikks, Beng, and Table shared the bed with Oyo.

Haberdey, Jowee!!!

To a very cool dude... Cheers, bro!!! Starbucks, man!

Welcome to Christian World, Eeisha!!!

On a Saturday, I normally awake around noon. Today's different. I'll be attending the baptismal of my good friend's baby so I have to be prepared by 9:30. I also don't have a clue as to where the church is located. It's somewhere in Timog...

Anyhoo, I woke up at 7 and cooked breakfast. Left my pad at 10 am. No traffic except the Cubao area. Reached St. Paul Cathedral a few minoots after 10:30. I saw our kid neighbor, Allen, already waiting outside. I handed Eeisha's gift to him. Hate carrying stuff.

Inside the church, I saw Elisha's parents, Mon & Nimfa, plus some neighbors. Manang Ateng, Nimfa's mom was waiting patiently too.

We still had to wait till 11 before the baptismal rites started. Our dentist barkada, Jayson, was one of the godfathers too. There were 2 babies being christened.

It's my first time to attend a baptism. I've had godchildren before but unfortunately, I wasn't present during their christening.

The usual picture taking took place. I was able to hold Eeisha in one shot =oP I didn't forget to give Nimfa my "pakimkim" (thanks to Nikks for this advice).


Afterwards, we proceeded to Cabalen for our buffet lunch. More people arrived. I had bopis, kare kare, and bicol express. For dessert, I had halo-halo.

Around 2, Jayson, Allen, and I bid goodbye to Eeisha's family. Allen spent the afternoon at my place. I let him watched some teevee while I took a nap. We also had merienda at Red Ribbon before I met with my other friends for Nikks' birthday party. That story is in another entry ;oP

Lunch with SOLV Bros

A few days ago I got an invitation from Danny. He planned to celebrate his birthday over lunch with his fellow SOLV brothers. I immediately freed up my Friday lunch schedule.

At 11:30 today, I went to the office building of SMART, just across the street. Danny was waiting outside. Greeted him and caught up with him a bit. We then proceeded to the 17th floor where our friend, Edwin, works. We waited for our two brothers, Joel and JR.

The canteen on the 12th floor looks like your average cafeteria. When I saw the "Eat All You Can" sign, my smile widened. Got me-self some crabs, beef caldereta, and some bulalo soup. Sweeeeet! During the second round, I tried their diniguan.

It's nice to have lunch with my SOLV brothers again. I learned that JR now works in Accenture. I also invited him to join our company ;oP

Before we parted ways, Edwin gave us some SMART post-it notes. Yay!

Thank you so much, Edwin, for the lunch treat. Yummy! And happy birthday again, Danny!

Love Me New Jeans

Last Saturday, while waiting for my friend, Cathy, I went inside an Armani Exchange store in Glorietta. I have no intention of buying anything from this store simply because of their highway robbery price. In fact, when I go to G4, I stay away from this store. That all changed when I stumbled upon this pair of jeans with:

Patches - Lotsa them (y'know I'm a sucker for embroidered patches).
Multi-colored fly buttons - Am really surprised that it also has this feature. Swwweeet!
Right fit - Got size 32, regular fit.

Since I wasn't feeling too good yesterday, I decided to buy it =oP

Name a Famous Dolly

For the past few days, I've been playing "Family Feud", one of the games I got from Oberon Media (special thanks to Alywn). Last night, I got this question, "Name a Famous Dolly". I said, F*#k! I don't know anyone named Dolly except Dolly Parton!


Turned out that I didn't quite get the question. Dolls are also included in the list. So Barbie, Cabbage Patch Kids, and freaky doll killer, Chuckie, are in the survey too. Dang!

When I typed in, "Dolly Ann Carvajal", I actually waited for the announcer to shout profane words at me. Teehee ;oP

Attention: Denim Lovers

One cool thing about working for an IT company is that I could wear jeans to work. Well, that ain't exactly true. Whenever I have client training, I must wear preppy clothes--and tie my dready hair into a knot. Good thing, that type of training only lasts for 2 weeks. Teehee...

One of my favorite sites, Cool Hunting, featured this jeans. I'm such a fan of patches (so far, I've got Abercrombie & Fitch, Von Dutch, and Topman brands) and vintage designed jeans (Diesel & Replay). This is one of the best designed jeans in the market. The attention to details is magnificent! I like the multi-colored fly buttons and the elephant & monkey pen drawing. Ogz, do you think you can do the same design for me? ;oP

The writer, Josh Rubin, says the jeans is pretty hard to find. Bummer!

If you wanna learn more about the brand, click here. Their website is pleasing to the eyes too.

American Idol: Top 12 Finalists

Watched the first performance of the Top Twelve last night. The first two performances by Ace & Kellie were not so good for me. You can tell that Kellie was really uncomfortable in her song choice. Elliott was just otay. More from this guy! I haven't heard Mandisa's song before but her vocals are really good. I kinda enjoyed Bucky's performance too. His dancing left to right and back again was funny. Gutsy Kevin with his "I wasn't expecting much from you anyway" comment on Simon's "Appalling!". My crush, Katharine, was just a joy to watch. My girl can sing and hit those high notes effortlessly! Taylor Hicks brought it also for me ;oP Looks like my man, Chris, got some pointers from Bo Bice's mic stand handling prowess. Did ya, guys, see Jon Peter Lewis from the audience last night?

A Night with Good Friends

Joy's going back home this Thursday so we, along with Tamyts, met again for dinner last night. Since we didn't wanna eat here in Makati, we decided to proceed to The Fort.

Before looking for a place to eat, I requested to check out Gourdo's first. A few months ago, they were selling a pretty nice 4-suits designed serving dish. I asked the lady at the counter if they're still selling it. She kindly assisted me. Unfortunately, they lack the "heart" design so I didn't get one anymore.

While deciding on where to eat, I saw an April Boy lookalike. Turned out that it's a she. Teehee!

After saying 'no' to Zong, a Chinese resto, and Mingoy's, a Spanish one, we thought of eating at Pier One instead. We ordered sinigang na hipon, sisig, crispy kangkong, and crispy beef spareribs.

We went to Cold Rock, an ice cream place, for dessert. Tamyts got herself an Aussie Vanilla with choco fudge brownie while Joy requested for the coffee ice cream with strawberry. It took me quite some time to decide. I got choco mint with Oreo on a waffle cone. Yum!

Effing Bills

With the dollar going down, it's pretty hard to withdraw money from my dollar savings account just to pay my effing bills. I've got 2 credit cards now, the usual VISA card and a Mabuhay Miles card. Unfortunately, both are pretty close to their limits. Hmmm... I don't wanna go back to the days when I get subpoenaed to settle my debts. Teehee. Citibank has taught me a valuable lesson on debt payments. I shall not go back to that dark era... EVER! ;oP Otay, enuff drama.

I try to pay my two credit cards simultaneously. Can't pay all of it but I'm doing my best. That means, less dining out & gimmicks (ouch!) and more SkyFlakes. A pair of jeans in Armani Exchange is beckoning me to buy it. Whaaaaaa!

Now, I'm looking for ways to earn sweet moulah. One thing I did today was I claimed my three-month due medical reimbursement. I dunno how much I will get back though. Am also keeping track of peeps who owe me money. I need to earn more =o(

Jenny is Back!

The labrador that I used to play with here in our office building is back. For some time, she left and got replaced by Paul. But Paul looks sleepy all the time =o( When I arrived today, I approached Jenny and scratched her behind the ears. This is a good morning.

I Want One!

Animi Causa has created this wonderful seating system made of 120 soft balls. Thus, you can form it in any way you want. Check out the animation. Looks really fun to have one. Hot dogs!

And the Amazing Race Starts Again...

Just started watching the latest season of the Amazing Race. So far, my favorite is the hippie team of BJ & Tyler. Love their humor! Hot dogs!!!

There's a really funny moment with the bestfriends team of Eric & Jeremy in the first episode. Watch out for Jeremy exclaiming, "We just want you to go RAPIDOOOOO!" I repeated it many times. Freakin' hilarious!

The geeks are fun to watch too. Their handshake is really sumpthin.

Desiree is my crush in this season ;oP

I also noticed that the teams are getting creative when reaching the pit stop.

Just found out that Phil, the host, keeps a blog too. I enjoy reading his insights on the show.

Congratulations, Bok & Sym!

Cathy and I reached Mt. Carmel Church in New Manila a few minoots before 3:30. For the first time, I was early for sumpthin. Teehee... The church was huge. I quickly searched for a familiar face besides the bride & the groom but got no luck (later on, I saw Jao). Calla lilies were used as aisle decorations. People were dressed in formal suits. Ladies wore light blue gowns.



After "Canon" by Johann Pachelbel was played, the beautiful Sym walked down the aisle. Bok, on the other hand, was dashing in his black suit. The ringbearer was adorable.


The priest reminded the couple that there should be mutual love, fidelity, and help in a marriage. There ain't no "expiration date" either.


I was waiting for the priest to announce, "and now you may kiss the bride!", but that didn't happen. A few times when the couple kissed, Sym would cover their faces with the bouquet she was holding. That elicit some laughter from the audience ;oP

I was glad that some of the songs ("On My Way to You" and "The Promise") played during the wedding service were familiar to me.

After the photo sessions, the couple went out and released the doves. One landed near my back, was hit by a stick, and was quickly snatched by a kid. Poor bird =o(

Reception was held at the back of the church. Pretty convenient! Sym & Bok had some nice photos displayed at the reception lobby. Cathy and I got table 15. We shared it with some ex-work mates of Sym from Canon and ex-classmates too. The centerpiece was 4 different sized candles with a beach motiff. There's also a piece of paper, with a photo of Sym & Bok attached, where you can leave your messages for the lovely couple.

They presented an AVP showing the couple's individual pictures from childhood to present. In one of the photos, our Palawan photo was shown. Right, it's pre-Knottydon era. Here it is:


Some family & friends delivered their short speeches. When Sym's mom was reading hers, she cried and couldn't continue anymore. One of the aunts named Tita Pinky came to her rescue.

For the photo op session, they called one table at a time. After the session, the members of that table proceeded to the buffet table. When our time came, I got some rice, beef in gravy-like sauce, battered chicken, pasta, mashed potato, and a silvanas-looking dessert.

After awhile, I saw the newly-weds having their dinner. They must be really hungry. The photo sessions could be really tiring ;oP

Instead of the typical bouquet toss, they did sumpthin different. They called several single ladies. The women passed around the bouquet and whoever got the flowers when the music stops was eliminated. Then it's the bachelors' turn. Thank gawd my name wasn't called (will regret this later). They handed out several shotglasses and informed the guys not to smell the liquid. They drank the shots together. If I knew there'd be drinking involved, I would have presented me-self. Teehee... Otay, most of the guys got water. One lucky guy got a gin. There was a twist though in these games. They reversed the rule when only two were left.

The cutting of the three-layer cake came and the toast. The couple looked very comfortable with one another but Sym's shy nature shows when glasses were clinked. Bok sometimes provided the entertainment. The ceremony in itself is simple but it's very fun to see two souls bound by love. I love weddings!