Hungry for TheHungerGames books

Don't get me wrong guys, JK Rowling's Harry Potter series is still my favorite. But it won't hurt to find competition right? Because definitely Twilight series will never level HP series (at least for me :P).

And so I watched the movie. Which surprisingly leveled to my taste. I din't really expect that I'd like the movie. The trailer sort of lacked selling factor to me. Only the trending tweets urged me to watch it. And hola! It was awesome! I specially liked Katniss and I'm saddened that she didn't end up with Gale. But D told me that it is just the first of the 3 installments. What?! So this is just like HP and Twilight then. And it came from a book series! wow! And so I concluded that maybe the reason why I liked the movie is that I haven't read the book yet. That is always the case for movies derived from a very successful book series - it will always be compared to what is written in the book.

Because I'm a laking national kid, I searched for the trilogy. They say 'Strike when the iron is hot' is not advisable in this case because surely the demand for the books will be sky-high. And true enough, the bookstore near our place said they sold all the books on the weekend when the movie was opened. So I searched and searched until I found a branch with stocks of it on the 3rd attempt.

I bought all the books! I realized I'll save a lot of money if I buy the whole boxed set than buying one after the other. Each book costs 345 pesos each, so that will sum up to 1035 pesos for the 3 books. But the boxed set costs only 995 pesos. I will save a whopping 40 pesos! hahaha. Well I can buy ice cream with that. :)

But wait there's more! Ironically it's on sale! 20% off on the books. wow! So from 995 pesos, I can have the books for only 796 pesos. Great deal! Well I said it's ironic because why would you put a very popular title on sale? I learned from my Economics class that as the demand goes up, price goes up (correct me if I'm wrong Prof!). The demand is surely up while the movie is still showing. Well the current supply for the books is a sure proof for the great demand. But the price is going down! Ironic right? The only reason I can think of is that maybe a new cover will be printed. You know that publishing company's strategy to put up movie tie-in covers? Maybe that's it! I saw some covers online that will prove it.

Movie tie-in cover

UK Adult covers

UK Adult Covers 2

Well, I still got the classic covers. I personally like the original state of the books. It gives an impression that I read the book before it came out of the cinemas. hehehe

* All photo credits are from Amazon.com

I would kill for Elie Saab creations! :))

If not for my search for the perfect entourage dresses, I would not discover my love for Elie Saab!

Actually, I haven't realized it at first. I just searched for ramdom gowns using Google Search and after putting it on a single folder i noticed that most of the filenames contains Elie Saab. wow! So I guess I found my dream designer. Oh yeah this is the weirdest dream. If I cannot afford Veluz, I surely could not afford even the simplest of Elie's gowns. But I can afford an immitation. hehe kidding. I just hope local dressmakers can make a decent version.

Anyway, take a look at some of Elie Saab's collections. For some reasons, I will not be posting my entourage gowns here. Especially my wedding gown! (let's leave some excitement for D).

santa-santita look!

All photos are from eliesaab.com

Fixed! Yay!

Yesterday, I was trying to change my blog header (if you've seen my blog before you'll notice the change). I was also changing my favicon. Both worked! But after some tweaks, I noticed that my header shrunk to almost 2/3 of the original size. I deleted and re-uploaded it again, then it became too huge. Whoa! What the hell is happening?! I tried several solutions i googled but it didn't change the problem! aww

And then I came across a blog that solved my problem!
http://www.southernspeakers.net/2011/04/blogger-header-image-too-large.html

Thanks to you! :)

new sig!

Yes I am inggitera! Because I want to have my own blog signature also! hehe

Im posting just to show this off...

Mind your own business folks! :P

Run again :)

Last time I checked, I only have 9 months to go before my big day. So close! But I still have more pounds to shed. awwness

I already experienced the feeling of almost-sexy (not totally sexy! but it was a far cry to my usual size hehe). That was when I was preparing for D's homecoming from Saudi. Now that he's back, slowly im gaining the lost weight. waaaa

So much for slackness! Let's get back to business! :P

there's a cute guy at the back :P

thank you for the wristband Thace! :)

sweat it!

jogging with mama and chacha

the slackers! :P

the breakfast after

I'm trying to do this TThS. And then some interval do-it-at-home exercise on MWF. BTW, I'm doing this every morning before going to work (Thank God for 10am-7pm shift!) I still prefer working out in the morning when the sun can shine on me. I feel intimidated to run at BGC after work. It's so crowded with full-dressed runners! aww
I really hope I can keep this up for long. Please support me! :)

Power trip @ Power Peel Clinic

I was never a fan of group-buying sites, my friend Chelai is. Since she will be going to London for a year, she left us her vouchers.

Our first experience using it was a breeze, Diana Stalder has great costumer service, staff and facility.
But the case was completely different with Power Peel Clinic...

Chelai has 8 Power Peel Clinic's IPL vouchers. She was not sure how many were left when she gave it to us, so she instructed us to just go to the clinic and ask them since they should have a record of the vouchers.

So come saturday we drag our feet to Power Peel Clinic in Panay Avenue. I read it in some blogs that their clinic was not so good-looking. That is 100% true. What will you expect from a vanity clinic? Either a spa-like ambiance or pristine white walls, right? Then you are on for some disappointments. It is just a condo unit turned clinic in a very old building. But I kept my hopes high, their service is more important.

So we approached the front desk (i mean table), it took some time since the girl there was also manning the phone calls. She then asked us to fill up some papers (even the paper sucks! imagine public elementary school's exam paper). We again sat down and wait for our turn. BTW, we were actually on the waiting list. The girl said that their schedule is full on weekends but we can take our chance. Only two clients were there when we arrived, so where the hell are the scheduled clients? No wonder one girl blurted out 'wala naman kayo pasyente e' when the frontdesk girl asked her to don't be late next time. So going back, we were just getting comfortable to our seats when one attendant called:
Girl: Laurice?
Lara: ako po
Girl: (look up to lara first from head to toe, in her scrutinizing eyes) First time mo?
Lara: opo
Girl: (look at lara again from head to toe)
.. I wasn't able to catch what happened next because my attendant called me to the room already. Yes no scrutinizing head-to-toe look!

Then after the session, Lara and I shared experiences. I said I only had 6 shots per UA. Lara had 10 and 8 each. Very far from 22 or 35 shots we read in some blogs. She also asked me if i removed my clothes because she was just in her bra the whole session. Since I'm wearing sleeveless blouse inside, I just removed my cardigan. Towel coverups is not a fad at that clinic i guess.

About the remaining vouchers, the girl didn't have a record of the vouchers used. She said the Metrodeal personnel has it and he/she is not in the office until Monday. So she told me to leave the vouchers to her and they will just call me. Uncomfortable as I am to the setting, I just nodded.

The call came this morning. The Powerpeel girl told me that we only have 1 voucher. And since we used 2, we owe them 1 IPL session. I was stoned because we, including the voucher owner, expected 3 or 4. So I asked her to check on Chelai's records.

She called back a few hours later. She said my friend had 5 visits. So there! I said we still have 3 right? But she said I only have 1 left. I told her to give me the dates when my friend visited their clinic. She gave me: Jan 11 - 1, Jan 26 -2, Mar 6 - 2, Mar 8 - 1. So that makes it 6! I was trying to add it to her but she was insisting that maybe my friend gave the vouchers to another friend. I said I'm sure it's a no. And then I asked how come 2 vouchers were used on one session. She told me that my friend used it on UA, legs, and back (I have to confirm this one to Chelai). I asked her again: 'so anong ending nito?'. She said: 'pakisabi nga po kay mam rochel na ubos na po yung voucher nya, tapos may utang pa po kayo 1 IPL...' I stopped her. NO freaking way! I strongly believe that it was not my fault that they have a faulty record-keeping. I laid my cards in her desk. I asked her to check which vouchers were not used because my friend was not sure of the count. But they didn't have records! They will have to wait for a Metrodeal personnel to arrive at their clinic to check the vouchers. If right there and then she told me that I only have 1 voucher left, for sure Lara and I won't use a non-existing one right? (but we still strongly believe we have at least 3 left!). Then she asked: 'so hindi na po kayo pupunta dito?'. I answered: 'hindi na, e wala na pala ako gagamitin na voucher e...'. The line was cut. She dropped the phone. What the hell?! So rude!

After a few hours, she texted:

Pcnxa n po mdjo ngkaprob s line.callbk nlng aq later..pliz inform nlng ninyo ky ms rochell duco n gmit n ung 7voucher n bgay zaenyo tnx p0..powerpeel1

Do you think I bought that? With that rudeness, not-so-friendly esthetician, unorganized records, so-boring ambiance, not-so-comfortable procedure - Hell to the NO! Even if I have vouchers left, I will not go back to Power Peel Clinic. 

grabbed from Metrodeal

Disclaimer: This story was based on personal experience and has no intention to harm anyone.

Bow to bowties!

I'm not really sure if i just adore Blaine Anderson or i am totally addicted to bowties! Maybe both!

If you haven't seen my WYB cards (check it HERE), we incorporated it to our envelopes! So cute! I think we will retain the same concept on our real invites. Just wait... :)

Not another ocular!

Oh yes it was definitely not another ocular. It was Lara's Enderun pictorial. hehehe

Well actually we just dropped by Enderun because we were just in the area. I accompanied Lara in meeting someone. Since the person she met do not know me (and I don't want him to know me), we sat in different tables. But look at our distance:

so close yet so far :P

So going back, we dropped by my wedding venue and took some pictures. Of Lara in different angles of Enderun! haha

in front

at the atrium

at the staircase

And finally some facade:

i was again WOWed :)

labels!

And a picture together :P

I miss chelai :(

What I like about goodbyes...

What I like about goodbyes are the DESPEDIDA FOOD! :)

And so after more than a year of being together in yet another company, Leigia left us again. BTW, Lei is a former officemate from Accenture. She is also the one who brought us to our current company. And now, she is again ahead of us in searching for greener pasture!

She treated us for lunch on her last day! Yey! We went to Mozu. It was not my first time there but it's Lei's so we tried it before she leaves. We ordered Crispy Pork Binagoongan, Baby Back Ribs and Paksiw Steamed Bangus. And they were all great value for your money. So good! Even the mango shake was good. I just didn't like the Kiwi smoothie. aww. I still prefer Fruitas version of it.

 And the ever-delicious Frozen Brazo! Yummmmmyy!

Too bad Lara was working from home. :P

So, will I be following Lei again? Hmmm.. Not now. Maybe next year? :P We'll see.

Our Bearers!

As I narrated before, we had problems finding little boys. Because first we do not have a lot of bearer-aged boys in both families. Only D's tito has son, so we got Troy. Good thing is that we have a lot of friends with sons! So we asked Leo if we can get Adam, and Royden for Kie. They both agreed.

Now another thing came up, who to put on which position. D let me decide on this one. So I based this on how I knew the kids.

Since I don't know much about Troy, I placed him as Bible Bearer. So if ever he is malikot, we will not have much problem because the bible can easily be spotted if lost or misplaced.

Now between Kieron and Adam, I noticed Adam is more behaved. Kie is sooo kulet! So I guess I have to entrust the Ring Bearer duties to Adam:

trademark smile. so cute!

And the Coin Bearer to Kie:

Well, Adam will not be holding the true ring anyway. But I'm planning to put our Promise Ring in it. It is not as pricey as our wedding ring, but it is equally valuable.

Chasing Photobooths!

Since we already booked most of our major suppliers, these past few bridal fairs were filled with Photobooth chasing! Again, this is something we are not that conscious about - a part where maybe we can cut expenses.

After two bridal fairs, we collected a lot:

Still booked none. But shortlisted some:

i like its lively colors!

i like its desaturated color feel



And a realization, we wanted photo magnets! We want something that is a value for our money. Most of the photobooth pictures I got from my friends' weddings are either misplaced or is now put into storage because it is already old-looking. If we have photomagnets, it will automatically be placed in the refrigerators of our every friends! How sweet is that? Even D's ref is full of photomagnets or just plain photobooth pictures (they just put magnets in normal pictures so it can be displayed).

So far we are liking Clip Photobooth:

D still likes Lenscape. We'll see.

Our current standards:

Quality vs Speed

Customized Backdrop

Big pics

with Live View

Max 8000php for 3hours

Please help us find one! :)



Bagaholic's Big Day Today!

Everytime someone asks me how did you know w@w, I always say 'It's a long story'. Well, indeed it is. But because it is a very special day I will tell that story..

Right after my engagement in 2010, I was excited but clueless at the same time. I didn't have even a single idea where to start. I ranted my concerns to my friend Joweyn. And then she gave me her officemate's website. That friend of hers is also getting married so I might get some ideas on her wedsite. You what it is? bagaholictiestheknot.blogspot.com - the bagaholic musings of Sis Miles.

So I read the whole lot and I noticed that she is always referring to a particular word - W@W. What the hell was that? So I clicked the w@w link at one side of her blog. And danggg! It is a forum! My first impression was that it is like Girltalk. So I registered. Well at first I got overwhelmed but after some time I find reading brides' posts very addicting. Whoa! I am not to blog about w@w now. Focus!

So going back, the girl who brought me to w@w is tying the knot today! Weeee I'm so happy for her! I hope everything will turn out ok. Just let God Miles! :)

And by the way, I also got the chance to taste her bridal shower treats although I am not there! How? Through Joweyn. hehe. Sunday last week, I went to Joweyn's house to deliver her WYB card. She gave me these:

This were from Sis Miles' bridal shower from last Saturday night. My friend took home all of these:

Wow! It must have been a great bridal shower. I can only imagine. :)

Wasted Passion? NO WAY!

I always adore great pictures. During the times when I don't have my own camera yet, I always look down at my cellphone pictures and think that if only I have a decent camera I can do my pictures much better.

So as a birthday gift for myself last 2010, I bought an entry level camera - a Canon 450D.
But did you already experience the feeling when after you got something, you'll suddenly feel the coldness? I can totally relate it to my feelings when I have a 'Crush' - I always feel kilig when I see my crush down the corridor or if I see him glance at me. But once he discovered my HD (hidden desire :P), my feelings will die na. That's what I felt for my camera. Suddenly, all its magic has gone. And it is such a waste - well a 33k waste at that!

Maybe because I haven't travelled a lot lately. It's true when they say that a great camera goes with a lot of travel. Well I do travel, but our travels are mostly on motorcycles, where it is very inconvenient to bring a lot of things - including a bulky DSLR! Another reason is that I feel intimidated everytime I'm with someone pro. I am more comfortable to shoot when the people around me have no photography experience. For less criticism I guess. :(

And so to rekindle my dying passion, I need to do something new for my camera.

I always wanted to get my camera cleaned. Mine is still covered with warranty, so it comes with free cleaning. But I still haven't find time to bring it to the service center. But I have to do it one of these days before the free service run out.

I thought of buying new lenses, but with the wedding preparations taking its peak, I cannot afford it right now. So I guess little accessories or little items will do. Right now the only added thing for my camera are the screen protector and the band to hold the lens cap with the body when not in used. I need something else..

An idea came up during our shoot with Maloy. He has this little pen he used for cleaning his camera lens. He said it is not good to clean the lens with cloth. And he told me that it is cheap also. The good ones will cost me around 400php. His lens pen costed him 200php. So I went out to look for it, I found mine in the ever dependable, home for all supplies, CDRKing for only a hundred pesos.

And ta-rannnn! My new Lens Pen!

the packaging

features

what it's like

the pen up close

for dusting the surfaces

I just hope it will jumpstart my passion again. And did I tell you I have a tripod already? My tito brought me one from Dubai for my birthday last year. I have to use it! waaaa

Oh My Girls!

Bridesmaids!
I want this part of my entourage to well-represent my whole life. So I chose to choose girls from my childhood life, my college life and my work life.

Let's start with the childhood life. If I have to choose someone who has been there for me since gradeschool, then all throughout highschool, that would be my Pac (I made it up from Lorie's surname- Mapacpac). We been good friends eversince and until now. During our elementary days, we both struggle to be on top of the class while balancing puppy love at the same time. We lined beside each other during our COCC trainings. We may have lost touch after highschool but we made it up when we found each other in the same company after college. So if there's anyone (aside from my cousins), who knew me well since I was young, that would be Lorelie.

Then there's college. I have a lot of close girlfriends during college. But not all of them are still within reach until now. So I choose the first person I thought when I asked myself - Another college girlfriend? That is Joya. We were not that close back in college. Because she was so busy! ECESS officer eh! But now, she'll be next in line after Joann. So there, meet my second Bridesmaid:

So after college, there's work-life. As much as I wanted to choose from Laguna, I thought it will be much of a hassle for gown-fitting. So I choose someone I knew from my next career. Two of them are so very dear to me, but I only have slot for one. I first asked Lara, since we are in the same company. She said I should give the slot to Chelai because she is so tired to always be the bridesmaid. Chelai said ok when I asked her. But something good came up for her, she has to leave for London. I was saddened by this news but I was totally happy for her. She has been waiting for it for so long. Lara was always ready to backup when Chelai cannot make it, so it never was our issue. But since I already printed Chelai's name on the WYB card, I still gave it to her as remembrance.

Chelai with the card before flying to London!

Lara!

love MOH - UPDATE! :)

I previously blooged about my happiness in finding my Maid of Honor here - CLICK ME.

Now it's time to post the acceptance picture!

Notice the bonggang-bonggang curls? Award!
Imagine her wearing my Maid of Honor gown.. PAK! Alam na! :)

D's Men

Choosing entourage is so easy for D. Because he spent his college life with 4 bestfriends! 1 Bestman and 3 Groomsmen - voila! instant entourage.

The problem lies on choosing the best one to be Best Man. This was where D took all his time to decide. All of them were equally close to him. But he has to choose one. So I just advised him to choose the closest to him NOW, as in right at that very moment. With that, he choose Josel. I agreed with his choice also, because I think Joe will be perfect because he is single. We can get all the attention we want from a Best Man.

Joe is not that photogenic pala, pero cute yan in person :P

The other two equally close Groomsmen:

Zer!

and Jem!

If you'll notice, I only posted 2 pictures for Groomsmen instead of 3. Unfortunately, James (his other bestfriend) is now living in the US and is not sure if he can go home on December. He promised to inform us if he can make it as soon as possible. But to make things sure, D choose another close friend to fill the 3rd slot.

This time, he choose his closest friend from Laguna. That is a sure slot for Bogs.

If James can make it, i guess we have to make room for him. We'll see. :)

my working GROOM!

I guess it is guys' natural instinct to not show that much care on wedding preps. Maybe they think that it's a girl thing. So I find those girls who have very hands-on groom as lucky ones. Well that was before. Because now, I am one of those lucky girls.

Yes! After some dramas of almost calling-off the wedding, I finally made D do some wedding stuff. In fact, he is more hands-on now than me. So kilig! :)

What surprised me more is that he has his own notebook for wedding preps! It is a little too masculine though, no trace of sweetness. I guess he got it from work. But at least it is something for our wedding! weeeee never been happier!

cute pen eh?

I love Fridays! :)

You know why I love Fridays? Because it is my cheat day!
Since I am on a diet for my wedding, I only eat less on Mon-Thurs - no rice, veggies and fruits only. When I feel weak I eat some carbs, but only minimal. And so as not to deprive myself that much, I decided to have cheat days. Yes, it is actually the whole weekends for me. But fridays are different because I eat what I want on Fridays. During Saturdays and Sundays, I eat rice also but I limit my viand to chicken or fish. So Fridays for me are that special. And haller?!, after four long days for depriving myself, Fridays are so to-wait-for for me.

You want proof? Take a look at an example of how I eat on Fridays.

Yes! that much rice! :P

Yum! Yum! :P