I'm Not A Cook: The Beginning of a Series

In my vow, I revealed to Bon and everyone else in the wedding that on our first year together, I taught myself to cook. I did not grow up cooking. Some do. Some people grow up in homes that have cooking as a regular past time and I didn't. So even though I did not really think that I was marrying anytime soon, I realized that as a woman, I had to learn how to cook. I was bad with the house chores, already, I could not be bad in the cooking department, as well. I decided to stalk the yayas when they cook our meals... and I began to read recipe books. After awhile, I realized that I wasn't a bad cook --- no, I wasn't bad at all --- so I began cooking for fun (or when the maids go out for a while), and during the holidays, I join the kitchen team that puts food on the table.

 
Before I got married, I was both excited and scared to be cooking full time. Since I wasn't used to doing this (cooking) on a regular basis, I was scared to find out that I was just kidding myself and I'm really bad at it... but I was excited because I was going to be working in my own kitchen. In fact, I was too excited that I copied (and I am still copying) recipes to be kept in this RECIPE BOX. So far, I have cooked all kinds of meals for Bon. I wake up early, to be able to prepare our meal lunch and then I take a bath, to get myself ready for work. I haven't braved into the harder dishes yet... but I am beginning this series because I want to share some of the dishes that I have prepared and will be preparing in the future.

Anyway, during our first week together, I tried to cook MONGO GUISADO (Stewed Mung Beans) to add to the fried fish. I love fried fish with mongo and I really believed that it was a simple dish, but I was WRONG. I sauteed onion, garlic and tomatoes. I fried small pieces of pork. I boiled the beans and waited, waited, waited for it to become the consistency it should be, but it didn't happen. Frustrated, I just took them out and combined it with the sauteed pork. I served it... hoping that it would be good enough, but at first bite Bon said: "It tastes weird!" To cut the long story short, I found out that you're supposed to crush/mash the beans once they're soft enough, and I didn't do that.  By the time I realized that, we were almost done with lunch, and have already lost our appetite.

photo from here

That is how Mongo Guisado should look like, but mine wasn't like that (probably taste and all, too). Oh well, I told you I AM NOT A COOK, but I try my very best, to be one. As a first entry in this series, I hope you don't judge me, `cus I'm going to surprise you on the next ones!

The Hair Story

To those whom I haven't seen me in a while, I already have SHORT HAIR, and there is an interesting story behind it...

You see, it has been my plan to get a haircut after the wedding. I haven't had one in a while because I wanted for my hair to be long enough for styling (etc) and among the first things I had planned for, as soon as we've settled down, was a trip to the parlor --- so off I went. For quite some time now, four years perhaps, I have gone to one salon and one salon only --- Tony and Jackey, Timog Avenue. I have said over and over again, I keep coming back for one reason: I love the way they cut hair. They do not rush, unlike in other places, so when your hair grows --- it grows beautifully.

A few weeks back, I had my husband drop me off at the salon (which was a two-minute drive from our place) and I went in for my haircut. In my experience, it did not really matter which stylist I got, because they were all good --- so, like always, I didn't bother requesting for anyone specific. When my turn finally arrived, I got shampooed and then I met my stylist. He was a chubby guy wearing glasses --- I was told his name is Michael. When he asked me what I wanted, I gave my instructions:

• cut off about 5 inches
• feather the front slightly
• NO BANGS
• make the back look straight but cut it in such a way so that my hair seems thinner

I had my magazine and my drink to entertain me, so I let him proceed. He went snip here, snip there, paused to show me the length of what I believed was supposed to be the shortest part in the front. I approved, so he went on and then he made two huge snips, one on either side, right under my ear. I froze. I could see it already. It was too short --- but I did not say anything yet. When the ladies came back to give me a blow dry, the truth came out, and I saw how horrible my hair was. I was debating in my head: "Should I bother complaining? I mean, it's just hair Crix, it will grow? But it's so awful... Is it really that awful? Oh yes, it is, you cannot do anything with this. You ought to say something" --- and so, I did! I looked up, and I saw that he was happily drying my hair, and I broke his smile.

CRIX: What is this? (pointing at the weird "ear-length" bangs he had given me). This is too short and what style is this? You have to understand, I am a dentist, I need my hair away from my face and I can't even tie this up (I grabbed my hair, as if to tie it, and true enough the " bangs" fell on my face and covered my eyes).

STYLIST: I'm so sorry. You want me to repair it? I'm really very sorry.

CRIX: No it's okay.  I am not mad. I am just very very sad. Hair will grow, I am okay, but I just don't know what I'd do with this because my hair is thick... that is why I can't have this kind of hairstyle.

STYLIST: Oh, let me fix it. You want me to make it look thin? I can make it look thin.

CRIX: Oh no, it's okay. By thinning, I know it means you're going to cut more, so let's just leave it like this.

STYLIST: Oh trust me, I am the stylist, I know what to do.

CRIX: Oh I trusted you, and this is what happened... I'm okay now.

The entire time that I was having this embarrassing (yet necessary) conversation with the Korean stylist, I was aware of the other customer to my right. Before I was done, she stood up to get shampooed, and when we saw each other, we just laughed. Apparently, the woman beside me was my teacher in Dentistry. I caught her attention when I said the word "dentist" and she knew she had to look. I was a little embarrassed, having made a fuss over such a small thing, but before she left for her shampoo she said: "Wait for me!", so I did. When she came back she asked me what happened, and then she revealed to me that the same stylist had murdered her hair once, too. Oh well, lesson learned --- you cannot really assume that everyone at Tony & Jackey is good.

When I got home, I stared at myself for --- I don't know how long, and concluded that I just got the worst haircut of my life. I endured it for TWO WEEKS by keeping my hair in a constant bun with gazillions of hairpins. I kept telling myself not to worry because hair would grow anyway, but I am a girl and I am naturally vain, so I finally decided to take another trip to the salon and finally get a repair. I first thought to just get bangs  to deal with the "ear length" catastrophe. But I finally decided to just get a real haircut and cut my hair short (after I don't know how many years). I was thinking, instead of waiting for the damage to grow to an acceptable length, why not just wait for ALL OF MY HAIR grow?

So anyway, I have short hair now, and here are some pictures of myself celebrating my new haircut with other people. I was told I look younger with my hair cut short... like 29? Hahahahahahahaha! No, but really, they say I look younger --- 20, even! Hahahahaha!  

 

Welcome to "Our Home"

We do not have a house yet but I know it will come. For now, we have to make do with our 1-bedroom space, and what's special about our place is that it's ours. We do not have to stay with our parents. We do not have to stay apart after the wedding. We worked on this place, with the carpenters, and assumed the role of the interior designer, too. It's nothing special. Our place is really simple, but it's perfect for us. Also, so that you will understand our delight, let me show you how it looked like before we worked on it.

  

It was dusty, worn out and totally unlivable. Anyway, let me share this with you, when we were planning the wedding, I was already getting frustrated with Bon about the preparations. I was doing all the work and he was just saying "Okay", "That's good!", "Alright!"; and I was going here and there, to meet people and work on things. Good thing, I was planning the wedding with another girl friend  of mine, otherwise, I wouldn't have managed it on my own. When we were about to fix our place, though, Bon suddenly took charge --- and I began to understand. You cannot expect men like Bon to fuss over wedding preparations (flowers, colors an whatnot), but they will step-up when they know they're needed. He was in charge and I was merely saying "Okay", "That's good!" and "Alright"; but he let me choose the design and the colors (all the girly stuff).

I guess some men are not built to understand the delight of women about color motif, flower arrangements, table seating and all that CRAP. Bon was not made for that and it was okay, because I was good with those things and I knew hell about carpentry!

We began construction on the place around March and it took the carpenters about 3 weeks. Slowly, we added things to the place. We still lack a few things, here and there --- but we have the basics, and that's all that matters. I even have a small kitchen, where I can cook for my husband (Ha!), and to be able to share our triumph over this small thing, let me tour you around.

   

This is our living room area. It is connected to our dinning and our kitchen (Haha!) I hate GREEN. You should know that GREEN is my least favorite color but when I was picking a color for this room, I chose GREEN because I wanted something bright yet calming.

As you can see, we don’t really have much yet. We have a couch (that we had made) and I opted not to put a center table because the space is rather small, already, to further complicate it with a table. The mirrors are from my mom. She gave me the mirrors without the frame and she told me to hang it this way, and it really works. I situated it at the top of the stairs, so it’s the first thing you see when you are coming in.

We also have a simple entertainment center in front of the couch. I had the table made and if you think we’re so cool that we have a BIG television, well, we got this from Bon’s room in Pampanga. Bon' has some pending work to do with the speakers and the wires --- I ought to remind him about this --- so hopefully, it will look better, soon.

 

A few steps from the living area, is our dining table and in front of it is our kitchen (Hahaha!) The place is small but for a wife who is not USED TO ALL OF THIS it is easier this way. Everything is close to each other and it minimizes the stress involved with cleaning, cooking and so forth.

Finally, this is our bedroom. It’s not much… I need a comforter for the bed, so if someone wants to give us one I need a BROWN one, we’re still receiving gifts and donations. Anyway, did you notice the stripes?  I copied this from Tisha and when I was having it done, Bon and the carpenters were laughing at me because they said I was drawing a “PEDESTRIAN LANE” on the wall.

 

We have another television in the room, and we got it as a gift from my aunt. Actually, much of the things we have were gifted to us by friends and family. We did buy a few more things… and we still need some more (like frames, lamps, an area rug) mostly decorative --- and can, therefore, wait. Sorry I don’t have much to show to you. It's a good thing, though, because I didn't bore you, right? Hahaha! Come visit --- or not --- but if you do, let me know so I will prepare and cook for you (Yeah, right!).

The domesticated wife,

The Real Thing Diner: Always Coca-Cola

A week before our wedding, I was working on the guestbook with my best friend, and after slaving around for hours, we were famished. We were picked up by her boyfriend, Karym, and after spending about 30 minutes going around Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue, we ended up going to Il Terrazo Mall and having dinner in this new place called "The Real Thing Diner".

"The Real Thing Diner" is a Coca-Cola Diner and although it does not look so inviting from the outside, it is so much better when you get inside. The place is red and white, Coca-Cola's colors, and their food incorporates all kinds of Coca-Cola products in the ingredients.

They have things like:

Sprite-Potato Cheese Soup, Royal Pumpkin Soup, Coca-Cola Chili con Carne, Coca-Cola BBQ Burger, Sprite Salmon, Coca-Cola Chocolate Decadent Cake, Coke-Drizzled Sundae and SO MUCH MORE…

 

We had the Wing It Platter (Php699). We could not decide on what to get, so we got a platter to be able to try different things. Also, we opted for it because it’s cheaper. Anyway, the “Wing it Platter” has Sarsi Wings, Coca-Cola Baby Back Ribs and Royal Tru-Orange Porkchop. It also comes with rice and pitcher of Iced Tea.

Now, I have to be honest: as good as the idea is, the food is not something to rave about. It was just okay. The ribs were good tender but that is the only thing memorable about it. The porkchop was forgettable and we didn’t get to finish it. My favorite (and their bestseller) is the SARSI WINGS – but Mabeth did not like it very much.

Will I eat there again, I would, because the owner was nice and very accommodating and there's more in their menu that I need to try. My husband is not a fan of carbonated drinks, but maybe it's different when you eat the soda and not drink it. Haha!

The Real Thing Diner
2/F Il Terrazo Mall
Tomas Morato

P.S. I took Bon to “The Real Thing Diner” a few days after I wrote this post and he was just “okay” about it too. As usual, we enjoyed the SARSI WINGS best, but his Coca-Cola BBQ Burger was just alright.

Panic Buying for "Doom's Day"

A few weeks ago, many people thought that the world was going to end...

Most people go on panic shopping mode, when calamity is about to hit them, and for my own peace of mind, I did my own version of panic buying. This story will probably make a lot of people's eyebrows raise... Some will swear that someone must have abducted the real "Crickette", but the truth is this: I spent gazillions on MAKE-UP shopping, all in one day, and it hurt my wallet so much. Looking at them, though, they're all so pretty --- so I just closed my eyes to the damage. 

Anyway, let me give you a tour inside my paper bags

I didn’t really shop for crazy brands… I just got a couple of things from MAC, The Faceshop and The Body Shop. You see, the truth is that I left my make-up with my sisters at home, and I hadn’t got around to picking them up yet --- and since I’ve been wanting to do some replenishing, anyways, I thought it best to do it in one go --- so it’ll feel like Christmas morning, after opening all your presents!

MAC

 

From MAC I got powder and blush on. I figured, I needed good basics because I am really a BASIC-MAKEUP kind of girl. I only doll up when I’m going out (like really going out) and for my basic tools, I’ll need something trustworthy. Confession: I don’t really use the MAC blusher the much. I have a cheaper FACESHOP blusher that I use for daily applications, and I use the MAC one when I am going out.

FACESHOP

 

I got the bulk of my supplies from Faceshop. As I was telling my sister-in-law the other day, it is quite easy to lose yourself in Faceshop because their items are cheap. By the time you finish, you’ll just realize you’ve gone overboard, but you cannot make yourself part with all the stuff that you’ve put inside your basket.

Anyway, I got a brown liquid eyeliner (cus I was curious --- and I love their black version of this one, which I still use). I also got myself a two-way concealer, a pale pink shade of matte lipstick, brown 3-color palette eye shadow, blush on brush and eye shadow brush, tweezers and curlash (because my Loreal ones are with the bulk that is still with my sisters, to this day). For buying this lot, I got a free brush set as well as some skin care products. I spent a good deal at Faceshop... and got a brush set (hooray!) but a week after, they were giving away travelling bags for purchases over P2,500 and P3,500 --- talk about wrong timing!

BODY SHOP

My final stop was at The Body Shop. I, honestly, had everything I needed but I wanted to look around and see what else I could find. I ended up finding two more shades of matte lipsticks (a pink one and a red one), liquid foundation and sponge, as well as a a bottle of make-up remover. I got a free pouch from my loot; and I gave it to Monique and she uses it as a coin purse.

After the wedding, I actually came to the realization: MAKE-UP makes people really pretty --- and I want to be really pretty everyday (just like on my wedding day). My experience wit Ria Redor (however brief) taught me some things, you know… Me and glossy lipsticks do not go together. Give me matte, and we’ll be alright. Therefore, I got myself three shades of matte lipsticks on this haul.

I also wanted to collect more shades eye makeup, because I just usually put eyeliner. I discovered the 3 color palettes from Faceshop and I intend to buy more. Right now, I have two colors: brown and blue. I am still thinking of which one to get next, but maybe the green one or the something even lighter. The next shopping trip will have to be postponed to a few months, though, or maybe a year (Haha!) because if you can do the math on the items I've bought, you'll know it did a number on my wallet!

Oh wow, I’ve rambled on… and about make-up!

Our Wedding: How to Handle the Budget

Our wedding is not expensive but it is not too cheap. We set ourselves a budget and we tried our best to be firm about it. That is probably the first tip I could give you, but let me organize everything for your benefit:

1.  Determine your budget. How much are you willing to spend? Do you even care how much you spend? You see, some people do not care how much money they put out, as long as they get the wedding of their dreams. I challenged myself to stay within the acceptable confines of our budget and my decisions in terms of suppliers, number of guests and so forth, was determined by that value. The truth is, we don't exactly have all the money in the world. We got some money from our parents and some we got from our savings, but we knew that at the end of it all, what is important was that we had money for the future that we are building together. We set a budget that we believed was reasonable and we surprised, even ourselves.
2. It's all about the suppliers. The more famous the supplier, the more expensive the bill. Did I wish to book one of them... no. Why? One look at their rates, I knew I couldn't live with it. Many people will not agree with me, but you have to understand that this is how I am. I can't spend so much for things. When I buy things, when I put money out, I think once, twice and thrice about it --- before making a final decision. I do this because I hate regretting my decisions in the end. Did I admire the work of the amazing people in the business, I DID... But that's all. Sadly, I'm not in their market. (Hahaha!)
3. Book friends. When we were planning the wedding, I went around to find friends who were in the business. I found people I knew, who could help me make things happen, at a reasonable price --- and I was lucky enough to get them to agree. My photo/video team is run by a friend of mine and my pastry chef who created my great cakes is a good friend of my little sister.   Hiring friends with exceptional talent is good because they have what it takes but they don't have the EGO. More so, they will do the work not for the money but for "YOU". I was more at ease with them, because I knew them already; and I found it easier to make suggestions and requests, because every meeting was more of a chat than a negotiation.
4. DIY. Instead of ordering this and that --- stretch your imagination and crafts making skills. I worked on a lot of stuff for the wedding, by myself. Even the layouts that the invitation people and photobooth people had to use. I did that because I AM A CONTROL FREAK, plus I really had a lot of time to work on all sorts of things. I did the SURVIVAL KITS  (worked on the layout, printed them, had them photocopied at the UP COOP, punched holes on them and tied them together with bows --- oops! my sisters helped); I worked on the PLACE CARDS and the TABLE NUMBERS (Monique drew the lines on the illustration boards, Bon cut them and I wrapped them with red paper to have them ready to receive the pictures); my best friend and I worked on the GUESTBOOK; my sisters tied the ribbons on the BASKET that contained the CRAYONS and PENS and I guess there are more but I can't remember them anymore...
5. Haggle your way to a better price. Do not be afraid to ask for a better price. Do not be quick to say "Yes!" If you cannot get a discount, demand for extra stuff. I got loads of freebies by demanding discounts. Suppliers are more than willing to offer you more, if you ask them to lower the price. Since they do not want to bring it lower, they will just offer you extras --- which could be great or not, so don't be shy to ask for options.
6. Be specific. When I had my gowns made, I entered DREZZEE and my first words were: "I need a gown, but this is my budget... what can you do for me?" Okay, I did not get my gown in that price, they charged me P5,000 more --- but because I was honest and because they knew I wanted it so badly, they did my gown at the most ridiculous price (I cannot reveal because I promised not to).
7. Go to the province. Our rings are worth a lot. Since I lost control over it, it got that way, but I have no complaints. Despite that, you have to know that if  we had the rings made here in Manila, we might have spent 6-digits for it. Bon's family are into bling-blings and they have bling-bling makers in the province. To be able to cut on the expenses, we chose to have our rings made there and it was the smart thing to do.
8. Ask your caterer. Most caterers have corkage for everything else because they want for you to get everything from them. I was lucky enough to have caterers that are quite nice. Instead of paying for bottomless iced tea for everyone, they gave me the option to buy powdered iced tea, instead. They did not charge for the wedding cake, even when I requested them to serve them to the guests. For snacks, in between the ceremony and the reception, they allowed me to buy my own and they just served it to the guests.
9. Look for promos. Some promos are bad. Some promos are worth taking. You have to be smart enough to decipher between the two things. I got my photobooth / invites / event coordinator in a 3-in-1 promo. Whilst on my painstaking search for suppliers, I landed onto an ad and immediately explored. I spent P30,000 for all three… and from this partnership, I got more than what was on the package because I got discounts for my flowers and my HMUA, as well. Working with a helpful and understanding coordinator is important. Edith Reyes and the Eventus Team, is important in our wedding planning.
10. Take risks. I, probably, took a lot of risks for the wedding. The biggest risk I made was hiring a couturier from DIVISORIA --- Yes, I did. Since I was only making my entourage wear DRESSES, I thought it would be safe to hire someone cheap but capable, provided I had full control over the fabric. I was lucky because my contact was good enough (we faced a disaster with my mom’s dress, so we ended up buying for her) but my entourage truly looked amazing and I did not have to spend so much for their dresses --- just P2000 each.
11. Don’t get a bridal car. Well actually, the reason why didn’t get a bridal car in first place was because my hotel was just near the venue and the ceremony and reception was held at the same place. When were thinking about it, it felt quite ridiculous to pay extra for a car, so we didn’t. A few years back, Bon had his black CIVIC repainted and it’s ALL WHITE, now. So instead of spending more for a car, we chose to use his.  Once upon a time, his car doors opened like a Lamborghini would, but he got tired of it and he had it brought back to stock doors. It would be nice if his car still opened that way, for the sake of art, but then --- it’s okay, really.
12. Hold the wedding/reception at the same place. Well, this is not really an option for everyone, sorry, and I am not encouraging people to pretend to be Christians for the sake of having garden weddings, either.  But since we didn’t have to book a church, we didn’t have to spend so much. Garden weddings are more intimate and I have always wanted such a setting for my wedding --- even dreamt of having it in Sonya’s Garden. Unfortunately, since Bon’s entire family will be coming from Pampanga, it was an impossibility. We had to find a garden that was near Pampanga but wasn’t actually there (hahaha!) Ibarra’s Garden is somewhere in Manila and although it was simple, it provided a very tasteful setting for our special day. The best thing about this place, too, is that it is air conditioned. So you get the garden setting you want, without having to compromise comfort. 

I did not realize this in the beginning, but it is possible to have a beautiful wedding without spending a fortune for it. Of course, it will not be WEDDING of the YEAR, but it will be a wedding you can be proud of. In the end, what is the point in spending so much on one day, when you have nothing kept away for the future? When we planned this wedding, we made a promise to keep to what we have in our pockets --- because there are more things to spend for in the future. Anyway, can you guess how much we spent? I might, actually, give a prize to those who can guess it right…

Our Wedding: The Fashion

Our color motif was beige with red accent. The female members of my entourage all wore beige cocktail dresses in lace tops and chiffon flowing skirts. I gave them red hand-tied roses and asked their male counterparts to wear traditional barong. In my attempt to control everything, we requested for the guests to wear beige dresses and barong, as well. When I realized that this was going to be too much, I extended the palette to earth tones and while some people did not bother following (perhaps they did not get the memo, or maybe they just couldn't be bothered and had nothing else to wear)... most of our guests complied and their colors were awesome in the photographs. The entourage dresses are not ridiculously designed, as well. I am not that kind of bride; I do not want to be the only pretty person in the wedding. I wanted to be best-dressed, so I asked everyone to be in cocktail dresses, but I made sure that my entourage looked awesome, beside me.

Their dresses are, believe it or not, are very cheap. I surveyed designs online and made my entourage choose for themselves, because I wanted them to be comfortable with what they were wearing. More importantly, I wanted the dresses to be reusable. Nothing about these dresses scream: "I am a bridesmaid!" so they can still keep the dress and use it for another formal/semi-formal event. 

  

  

 

As for the guests, well, as I've mentioned previously, not everyone was able to come in the palette I requested but everyone looked awesome, and that was great enough, for me. It became a running joke among guests, prior to the wedding, actually. Some of them were joking that they could not attend anymore because they couldn’t find a beige dress… and a cousin even joked that she has found the perfect one but it had huge cut-outs on the sides. I guess our friends and family just loved us dearly because they came in varying shades of brown...

   

Events like weddings give people a reason to prettify themselves and everyone sure looked pretty during our special day. Most especially, my OC-mind was satisfied because the colors in the photos are warm and nice to look at.