Like my sister Ana. We’re just discovering her innate flair for events planning. Ain’t I lucky? Syempre, she’s my maid of honor. At saka ang best friend ko since high school.

Last month, napansin ni Ana na naloloka na ako sa pag-aatupag ng mga detalye ng wedding prep. I really wanted a simple wedding ceremony, with an intimate families-and-a-few-friends-only wedding reception.

Pero kahit hindi pa nabubuo ang listahan ng kung ano-ano - caterer, flower supplier, videographer, music playlist - santambak na agad ang kulubot sa noo ko. Hindi na ako natatawa. And my wedding wardrobe? Jeez, talk about the search for the Holy Grail itself!

I was showing signs na nasa boundary na ako ng dreaded Bridezilla territory. The stress of planning, the never-ending details, decisions, decisions..

Shit, I should be careful, walang rehab for crazy monster brides.

So…bago maging madugo ang labanan, move over Bridezilla Ella. Take over Ana, maid-of-honor-zilla. Akala ko siya naman ang maloloka

But with her BFF Roshie’s help, Ana turned out to be one kick-ass wedding planner. This girl’s too cool to be flustered. What’s even more fabulous? No cookie-cutter wedding for moi. A non-template, out-of-the-box wedding celebration? Woot!

Ana’s taking care of every detail. Right now, she’s into the wedding gown and the dresses for my entourage. Ayoko sana ng entourage but Ana insisted. Pagkakataon na raw for our cousins and girlfriends to dress up hehe Oo nga naman

Even Zy will suit up. A three-piece suit, no less. With a cute tie, of course (kung hindi niya ngunguyain ang kurbata)

After Ana is finished with him, I’m sure Zy will look like Frank. Kasama si Zy sa entourage, by the way

It will be a December wedding so we decided on burgundy for colors. Very Christmassy. After getting my nod for the dress designs, Ana booked a hotel room for the bride, entourage and the team of mananahi. It’s just for taking measurements and all sorts of discussions about the wedding gown. Smooth.

Aaw, flower girl pa lang , ang cute na

And a glimpse of my wedding gown…tadaa… (drum roll?)

Awesomeness. Uy teka lang, dapat yata hindi ako kumain ng ilang linggo to pull it off. Baka mag-mukha akong binalot na suman waah

Stalactites sa Luyang Cave

Parang walang katapusan ang aktibidades namin sa Catanduanes, no? Apat na araw kasi kami doon. Pagtiyagaan ‘nyo na, kunwari nagbabasa na lang kayo ng blogserye…yun bang “abangan ang susunod na kabanata”.

Saturday, July 17, 2010 - Luyang Cave

9am: Wake up time. We had breakfast and started preparing to go to Luyang Cave. It’s about 40 minutes away and we had to take 2 trips. The Crosswind can only carry 12 people and there were 25 of us. Second batch ako.

“This is how I go caving”

Pagbalik ng host namin to pick us up, natawa siya. Mukha raw akong pupunta sa mall. Ang sagot ko: “Oh, this is how I go caving”.

Pink top, short black skirt, a sarong so I don’t burn, pink Fornarina sunglasses, hand bag for my phone, wallet and camera.

Nasa Rule #1 (Dress up!) pa rin tayo guys. At ang lesson #3: Kesa magbitbit ng payong, balutin ang ulo sa makulay na sarong!

Please, please lang, avoid an umbrella at all costs. Syempre, ang ibig kong sabihin dito ay payong na ginagamit laban sa init ng araw. Wear a pretty hat instead. Sarong as head wrap can protect your face from the sun and it’s definitely awesome. Although medyo weird kung ang backdrop mo sa photo eh traysikel hehe

Kung hindi talaga mapigilan ang pagdadala ng bwiset na payong, bumili ng parasols. Ito ‘yung maliliit na payong traditionally made of thick cloth. A small see-through plastic umbrella is also cute. Sa bagyo lang po ginagamit ang malalaking itim na payong …at sa pagtitinda ng sigarilyo at storck sa kanto hmf.

Ito ang entrance sa cave. Of course sa dami ng abubot ko halos gumapang na ako papasok at palabas ng kuweba.

The cave is about 100 meters deep. It was dark and creepy, there were hundreds of bats inside as well as all sorts of weird sounds.

Tinanggal ko na ang saplot ko sa ulo. Mga paniki lang naman ang makakakita sa akin sa loob ng kuweba. Wait, bulag nga pala sila kaya hindi rin nila ako makikita

It was a perfect team building activity because you had to trust the person in front of you and the one leading the entire group. Throughout the walk, all you’d hear was “madulas, “ingat” and “o, ulo”….which resulted in a lot of green jokes from the guys. As expected, walang nagdala ng flashlight. Ilaw lang ng mga cellphone ang gamit namin.

Palabas ng kuweba. Addendum: Aksheli, kung gusto mong lumabas dito dahil sa major claustrophobia, isisiksik mo ang sarili mo kasi maliit lang ang butas na ‘to

Syempre, paglabas ko, naligo na ako sa pawis. Ang init kasi nung sarong LOL At hindi aircon ‘yung cave, naluganggang tuloy ang byuti ko hehe

12pm: We got back to the resort to be greeted by a Boodle Fight from our ever-dependable cook. My first ever. It was fun! We had a ton of rice, pansit and chicken adobo. Kamayan lang, walang kubyertos. May nagtatago pa ng adobo sa ilalim ng kanin para hindi makuha ng iba hehe. Oy, hindi ako ‘yon

We finished everything in less than 30 mins. Parang dinaanan ng bagyo. It was our turn to wash, at dahil dahon lang ng saging ang kinainan namin, it only took me a few minutes to clear everything. The rule was each person/group/couple had to take a dish washing schedule. I volunteered to do lunch. Wise.

3pm: Airsoft…hindi ako sumama kasi inaantok ako.

Next Issue: Skimboarding

Aw c’mon, guys. What were you expecting to see? A murder mystery movie, teleserye, Korean drama? Kapag hindi ninyo gusto ang ending, bitin kayo? Soli bayad? The nation was totally hyped about the first SONA from the leader of a three-week-old administration. Nag-aabang ang lahat ng bomba.

It was a 40-minute speech, with a lot of pauses to wait for the clapping to die down…32 times. That would mean a burst of applause every 1.3 minutes (roughly). Don’t tell me puro sipsip ang mga distinguished guests sa Batasan kaya feeling adik silang pumalakpak hehe.

I, for one, was happy with that speech. Although I would have preferred the acronym SOPIA, State of the Philippine Islands Address (used during the American occupation). SOPIA, hmmm…mas maganda ang dating, parang artista. Tutal, mahilig din naman ang mga Pinoy sa drama.

Again, PNoy gave his address in Filipino. Pogi points for him. Major connect sa sambayanan. We understood every word he said, coupled with the right pauses and stresses, more pogi points. Hindi siya flat, monotone blah.

Sa totoo lang, nakakatulog ako sa gitna ng mga nakaraang SONA ng mga ex-presidents natin. Paggising ko, iba na ang palabas sa TV hehe. You know, rambling empty promises sounded like a lullaby to me. Total space out.

But PNoy’s SONA sounded different. I hung on his every word. I think it’s in the delivery. Para bagang nanonood ako ng suspense/action /thriller blockbuster sa wide screen. Did the butler do it?

His revelations of his predecessor’s level of corruption were no earth-shaking surprise. Alam naman nating lahat ‘yon. We just chose to do nothing about it.

But I do like the way he talks to us. Deretsahan, walang maraming boladas. He even makes some street words popular. Last time it was “WANG-WANG”. Kanina, it was “TONGPATS”.

But can the man walk the talk? Well, guys, that’s the stuff I hope to see.

Well, who said being drop dead gorgeous is easy? Ewan ko kung sino pero ito ang masasabi ko, we need to lay down some ground rules for looking our best…every time, everywhere.

We gotta stay on top, alhough I must admit, staying on top is a bit tricky. A girl has to be the epitome of awesomeness to be called legendary (ayon kay Barney Stinton)

We can do this, girlfriends. Ths is my first post for a new blog category entitled…(drum roll please) …”Weird but Awesome”. There hehe.

Ella’s rule #1- Dress up!

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Oh but we do. Kapansin-pansin sa bookshelves ang aking aklat, Diary ni Ella, dahil sa kanyang pabalat. In shocking fuchsia, of course. Nagtatawag ng atensyon. Although sabi ng isang reader ko, nasa lowest shelf siya sa NBS, nasa sulok pa kaya napakahirap daw hanapin Wawa naman ang book ko

Eniweys, back to rule #1: dressing up. Clothes make a man. True that, but in my book, accessories make a woman awesome. Totally.

Kahit anong klaseng aktibidades ang susuungin natin, girls, at kahit gaano ka-wild ang nature, we must know the drill. Pimp your wardrobe. We can never tell kung may nagtatagong paparazzi sa likod ng mga bato at handang magpakamatay makunan lang tayo ng candid photo, o di ba hehe Mabuti na yung laging handa

Remember, photos are forever and the camera can be your friend …or your worst nightmare. Don’t be frozen in time as “oops, sino ‘to hahaha”. You can be the “aaaw she’s awesome” in group photos. …kahit isipin ng mga tao secretly na medyo weird ka. Don’t worry, it’s fun to dress up, pramis

My Twin Rocks adventure is a good illustration of rule #1

Friday pa rin July 16 (sus ang tagal ng araw)

3pm: After lunch.
Kailangang tawirin na namin ang dagat papunta sa Twin Rocks bago mag-sunset at mag-high tide. It’s about 50 meters of sea from the resort. The water was warm and only shin-deep.

Lesson #1 under rule #1 - “Katulad din ng unicorn, there’s no such thing as unisex”. For my walking-in-the-sea outfit, sheer black kimono bikini cover up, garterized under bust with low cut plunge front. Worn over a black skort. The bikini cover up sells for P300 at Landmark, iba-ibang kulay pa. Sa murang halaga lang, mukha na tayong rarampa. You don’t have to look like one of the boys with those ugly tees and yucky shorts. You are not one of the boys.

Dahil namalengke ang aming guide, walang nagsabi sa amin kung ano ang perils na haharapin namin. GUBAT ang ilalim ng dagat, guys! Effin’ gubat! As in may carpet ng halamang-dagat between us and the twin rocks. Green, brown, red marine algae (commonly known as seaweeds). Putsa, lahat na yata ng klase ng halaman-dagat!

Pumupulupot sa binti ko ang mga halamang-dagat sa bawat hakbang ko. Feeling ko mga galamay sila ng sea creatures eeek! I screamed my lungs out all the way to the two rocks. Tapos may escort pa akong baby pugita na lumangoy-langoy sa tabi ng legs ko eeew! Well, okay, I must admit it’s kinda cute

Muntik nang maputol ang kamay ni Boo sa pangungunyapit ko. Para akong naglalakad sa major obstacle course while everyone else was wading leisurely through the sea.

Mwahaha! Nakarating din ako sa pampang ng kambal na bato! Yees! Buo pa ako, may binti at paa at hindi pinapak ng cute baby pugita. O di vah, mukhang a-attend ng prom LOLz

it was worth the effort naman. There’s a dry alcove connecting the big rock and the smaller one where you can rest your tired feet.

And the scenery was awesome. Yes, dears, scenery can be awesome, too.

May maliit na kuweba sa smaller rock.

The cave goes all the way through the rock.

Lesson#2 under Rule#1: “Grab all photo ops, use the view, and pose with drama”. I know, I know, this is not a particularly awesome pose. Masakit sa puwet ang mga bato noh

Now, this is better, kahit mukhang baluktot ang isang binti ko, it will have to do for our purpose. Although one might wonder what I’m doing lounging on one rough and jagged humongous rock. Posing for drama, ano fah haha

Friday: July 16, The beach

9am: Arrived in San Andres Port, Catanduanes after a 2-hour boat ride.

10:30am: Our group was picked up by a coaster, and we were brought straight to Twin Rocks Resort, about 40 minutes drive (website: http://www.twinrock.com.ph/). The resort is owned by the Governor of Catanduanes.

12pm: Lunch cooked by our host’s family. Fish galore. Kahit anong luto, sarap talaga ng isda kapag sariwa.

We stayed in one of these villas, all 25 of us. May aircon naman.

…and a big pool.

Sino naman kaya ang gustong lumangoy sa swimming pool if we had the longest stretch of unspoiled beach all to ourselves.

…as in very looong. I kid you not.

…where the sea air did wonders to my pollution-weary lungs.

May diving area sa resort kung saan naghukay talaga sila sa dagat. Mababaw lang kasi ang tubig sa malapit sa shore.

We also had a choice of big or small beach huts.

…kung saan ako nagmuni-muni at nag-desisyon na tawirin ang dagat patungo sa natatanaw kong malalaking kambal na bato

Next issue: Twin Rocks. The resort was named after these two rock formations which jutted from the sea.

Nasabi ko minsan na bago ako lumagay sa tahimik (read: walk down the aisle), pipilitin kong malibot ang magandang Pilipinas. Mahirap po magbitbit ng bagahe habang naglalamiyerda (read: magbitbit ng bata). Wardrobe ko nga lang, ang bigat nang bitbitin eh, dagdagan pa ng anak, sus. So there.

Taga-Bicol si ama pero hindi ko pa nakikita ang Mayon volcano. At hindi pa rin ako nakakasakay sa Ro-Ro (Roll-on/Roll-off sea vessels). My trip to Catanduanes last weekend had a lot of firsts. This was an office affair kaya marami kami.

Part 1: Ro-Ro your boat, Muro-Ami kids and Mayon Volcano

Thursday: July 15; 13-hour bus ride

4pm: Left the office to go to Cubao RSL Bus Station
6pm: Left Cubao (Manila to Albay)

Friday: July 16

7am: Arrived in Tabaco Pier RoRo port, Tabaco City, Albay. Gutay-gutay na ang byuti ko sa 13 oras na biyahe sa bus pero syempre smile pa rin.

We saw little kids playing “climb the rope” on the side of the boat.

Is this an awesome game or what?

They asked us to throw coins in the water. We did and they quickly dived for them.

OMG! Muro-Ami kids? I wasn’t sure if it’s safe but we could see they are fantastic swimmers. Parang laro lang sa kanila ang sumisid sa dagat but still…they’re little children.

We saw Mayon Volcano from the port.

The sky was cloudy so the photos aren’t clear, but it was a perfect cone indeed.

A little closer…aah picture perfect talaga.

Tabaco to Catanduanes is a 2-hour boat ride. We should be in San Andres Port, Catanduanes, by 9 am

Next issue: Awesome beach of Twin Rock Resort

Anyway, last weekend, we had a trip scheduled by Playa Laiya, a beautiful exclusive resort in San Juan, Batangas. I’ve read rave reviews about the beaches of Laiya. Serene and beautiful, the sea has provided livelihood for the local fisher folk for centuries. Small fishing villages dotted the shoreline…once upon a time.

Yes, Virginia, exactly like the once upon a time pristine beaches of Boracay, Puerto Galera and Panglao. City folks “discover” them, then “rave” about their discoveries to the world.

Tourists descend on the untouched beaches “to experience a slice of paradise” and then rave about them to other tourists. As expected, the visionaries (read: real estate developers) start having great visions…for attracting more tourists. Or for selling mini slices of the paradise pie which they ingeniously call exclusive membership.

Like the proverbial students who believe they can do better than the teacher, these visionaries start adding improvements to God’s creations. They must think God’s handiwork is boring, blah and so Jurassic, right? The sea and the beaches are cool, but where’s the spa? The golf course? The infinity pool? What about the bars, dude, come on!

The rest is history. We all know how Boracay was greatly “improved”.

Dumaan muna kami sa Kabayan Resort, one of the few in the area, para kumain. Oops, bakit ganoon ang itsura ng buhok ko?

We had pinaputok na pla-pla for a very late lunch…

And a sad-looking crispy pata (not even a hint of crunch). Na-late na nga kami ng dating.

Local folks actually fish using nets in the shallow waters.

A fisher person with weird hair. Sus, mabigat pala ang lambat.

Baby crab lang ang nahuli ko. Syempre ibinalik ko siya ulit sa dagat. Baka hanapin siya ni mama crab.

Kahit hindi gaanong kaakit-akit ang kulay ng buhangin…

…ang dami pa ring tao at mukhang enjoy naman sila. May problema talaga ang buhok ko tsk tsk

After trying to frolic on the not so pristine beach, we left and drove about five minutes to the “exclusive” part of the shoreline, Playa Laiya.

Hmmm… the beach is cleaner and the sand less putik colored. I wonder why. It’s the same shoreline and less than 15 minutes walk from the Kabayan resort. Sana nga naglakad na lang kami.

This is a beach hut. Sosyal.

Kami lang ang tao kaya nagtanggal ako ng shirt at nag-frolic sa dalampasigan ng naka-bra lang hehe

The clubhouse.

Stairs leading to the swimming pool on the right.

Infinity pool. Awesome.

Dipping in the pool. Literal ‘yon. Water treatment day kasi, hindi puwedeng mag-swimming. Aaw wala na talagang pag-asa ang buhok ko

The fishing boats and the sea. Beautiful.

Kinausap ko ang engineer in charge of building this exclusive residential resort. Maingat sila and very strict in maintaining the balance in the ecosystem. Kaya siguro mas malinis ang beach front sa property nila. I liked what I saw. Nabentahan ako ng Playa Laiya. If only the other resorts around the country did the same.

Weird photo of the trip

Nasiraan ang van namin halfway sa Star tollway. We were towed hanggang sa dulo ng tollway hehe Cool

“To those who are talking about reconciliation, if they mean that they would like us to simply forget about the wrongs that they have committed in the past, we have this to say: there can be no reconciliation without justice. Sa paglimot ng pagkakasala, sinisigurado mong mauulit muli ang mga pagkakasalang ito.”

….Ikinagagalak din naming ibahagi sa inyo ang pagtanggap ni dating Chief Justice Hilario Davide sa hamon ng pagtatatag at pamumuno sa isang Truth Commission na magbibigay-linaw sa maraming kahinahinalang isyu na hanggang ngayon ay walang kasagutan at resolusyon. Ang sinumang nagkamali ay kailangang humarap sa hustisya. Hindi maaaring patuloy ang kalakaran ng walang pananagutan at tuloy na pang-aapi.”

“…sisimulan natin ang pagbabalik ng tiwala sa pamamagitan ng pag-usisa sa mga “midnight appointments.” Sana ay magsilbi itong babala sa mga nag-iisip na ipagpatuloy ang baluktot na kalakarang nakasanayan na ng marami.”

Kapag naipatupad niya ‘yon, samba na talaga ako sa kanya.

Isa pang sinabi niyang napangiti ako nang todo:

“Walang lamangan, walang padrino, at walang pagnanakaw. Walang wang-wang, walang counterflow, walang tong.”

Salamat naman at wala ng wang-wang,. Talaga namang maiinis ka sa mga opisyales na feeling “tanging anak ng Diyos” sa daan. Para bagang sila si Moses na hinahawi ang dagat ng mga sasakyan sa pamamagitan ng wang-wang. Kung totoo ang pangako niya, he’ll be the coolest prez ever.

Pati ang nabuong cabinet niya ay parang clean-up crew. The members are capable, competent, and with untainted reputations (so far).

Pero hindi pa ina-announce o hindi pa nakukunan ng pektyur ang secret weapon, the highest cabinet member. He is honest, loyal, he’ll defend his boss with his life. He is obedient, all work, no talk. He is silent but deadly. Those who are corrupt to the bone, be warned…

Ang kulit kasi. Ayan, ipinasok tuloy sa cabinet…mataas na cabinet. Na-trauma tuloy si Zy hehe