I said YES. :)

Bon jour mes amis! 

I have BIG NEWS. :) My R proposed to me last September 15, 2013 in a park near the Eiffel Tower. I felt like the most blessed girl in the world! Imagine, HE PROPOSED TO ME IN PARIS, voted as the most romantic city in the world! 

It was a very romantic evening in Paris indeed. The energy was unbelievable. It was around 11 PM when he nervously asked me his big question. The Eiffel Tower, with its pretty lights, was the perfect background for such a lovely proposal. Some Parisians started clapping and cheering us on when they saw us hugging each other after I, of course, said YES.:)

R and I in front of the Eiffel Tower, after he went down on one knee and asked me to marry him. 
Paris, France. September 15, 2013.

We are getting married next year, January 3, 2015 in the Manila Cathedral Basilica here in the Philippines. We were supposed to get married this June 27, 2014 but we opted to give way to my sister who is also set to marry her fiance this year. 

Now, we're very busy planning our wedding. We already have plans for our honeymoon too! Of course, part of the honeymoon itinerary will be PARIS. I just love going back to that place. 

Oh, and I will be in Paris this April 21 with my family. I never thought that I will be going back here often. I am so blessed. :)

+ AMDG. :)

Le bonheur! Lundi! (Happiness! Monday!)

I finished reading Pride and Prejudice last night. I loved it. I resolve to read more books with feel good themes and which will bring happiness in my life.

Next book: Persuasion by Jane Austen.

By the way, we just came from Boracay! I am so proud of our country. Boracay is a very picturesque, very enchanting and very beautiful island. Le Magnifique!

I hope I took some photos. But I did not bring a camera. Oh well, I'll be back there this October for R's friend's wedding. Woohooo!!!

Anyway, I still owe you my Europa stories. I am thinking of creating a photo journal. I must create time for it.

Here's some pics from our Europa 2013 trip. :)

 Notre Dame de Paris.

That's Nike! She's the goddess of victory. :) Louvre, Paris. 

La sante et bonheur pour tous! I just learned that phrase from our french colleagues when we went to Fougeres in Bretagne last April. :)

More pictures and stories soon. A bientot! 

+AMDG.

J'adore APRIL! :D

I have so many reasons for loving the month of APRIL:

1. April is my birthday month! I just celebrated my 29th birthday last Saturday! Oh it was one for the books. I loved it. Family, Rocky, food, the kids, friends, everything!
2. Summer month! Bring out the sunglasses, let's all wear floral, colorful outfits, let the fun begin!
3. I love the food during this season!
4. FAMILY VACATION YAAAY!

This month, we're going to PARIS. Yessss! The most romantic city in the world. I cannot wait. I am so excited!

Au revoir!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Time flew so fast! My last blog entry was August and now it's already January! SO much has been happening in my life lately and I am very, very, VERY GRATEFUL to God for my blessings!

- The world did not end! Wohhoooo! 2nd lease in life I should say. Now we can move on. Let's make some magic happen!
- My brief stint as CEO of our laundry business. That was an exhilarating, challenging, literally blood-sweat-and-tears kind of experience for me. I never knew that THAT kind of passion, high performance and drive can actually fuel someone. It made me feel so alive! I am alive! Now I can bring these new found CEO skills and attitude of mine to our family business and all my other businesses in the future.
- My relationship with my parents and siblings. My parents were there for me during a tumultuous time in the last quarter of 2012. They're my best friends, cheerleaders, anchor for support, lahat na!
-My relationship with my future husband. What we went through made us stronger than ever, and more close to God. We pray the rosary together and we talk to God together. We are doing the Discovery Weekend this February 2013 and I am soo excited!

To be continued...

Feel good Friday. :)

 

Miranda Kerr looks so divine in this dress. I love the sunglasses and the bag too! I will be a hot mom like her when I grow up. Haha! :)

***

On a more serious note: THIS IS IT! No holding back. LET GO AND LET GOD. :)

Live!

Yes I will take the risk! :)

Adventure Time!

Woohooooo I got accepted to teach Marketing 102 this second semester in my alma mater! I'm sooo excited!

Oh yes I also got a lot of feedback re my 10minutes of shining moment presentation. I have a lot of reading and researching to do.

I'm excited and elated nonetheless! Dream come true! Bucket list item CHECKED!

Thank YOU Lord for the blessing! Big game!!!


AMDG +

Big week ahead!

I'm getting a bit nervous already. I'll be doing a demo class to 3 'students' (who are actually Marketing Teachers) as part of the last step before becoming a full-fledged Marketing 102 teacher this coming 2nd semester! Yiiikes! I've been choosing topics already for my 10 minute shining moment haha! Any suggestions? My choices so far are the following:

4 Ps of Marketing
VMOKRAPI SPATRES
Integrated Marketing Communications - objective and then strategies

I need ideas!

Teaching is definitely a dream come true for me! Please Lord help me this Wednesday!

I'm super excited already! I love Marketing. I love sharing. This is going to be my CSR for sure, my legacy, my way of making a difference in the world and impacting the future marketers/leaders of this country. :)

THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY!

I am humbled. Thank YOU for choosing me as Your Instrument. Thank YOU for this rare gift. I lift this up to You. Please take care of me and please take care of these kids. I love them already! :)

Saya! Excited na talaga ako. :D

AMDG.

On loving friends and dreaming BIG DREAMS.

I attended The Feast last night with my sister Lou and our friend Nicole. Thank You Lord for the soul food. Never fails. The Feast is truly one of the happiest places on earth, and a place where I got the much needed rest that I was craving for yesterday.

I was reminded to DREAM BIG DREAMS, because Our God is a BIG GOD.

The speaker quoted someone saying this powerful message (now I'm sharing to you):

"If my dreams don't intimidate me, then there's a chance that my dreams are an insult to God. Because if I have the AUDACITY to ASK, then HE has the ABILITY to PERFORM."

My God is a BIG GOD. THE IMPOSSIBLE IS HIS TERRITORY.

I also got that everything is all about LOVE. Business, Family, Friends, etc. This life is all about relationships. LOVE is the answer.

Inspiration and Motivation

I read somewhere once that Action precedes Inspiration and Motivation.

I remembered that when I read a blog entry by Francis Kong today:

KEEP ON MOVING

Posted: 09 Jul 2012 04:46 PM PDT

I have stumbled into a lot of good ideas for business and I realize one thing: That I can only stumble on ideas if I keep on moving. Mistakes are inevitable but they open up opportunities. Those who stay still do not make mistakes but they don’t win either! So keep moving.

source: http://bit.ly/PP9T1d 

I agree. I am inspired by this. I had the exact realization last week and this entry just reinforced it all the more. So keep on moving.

I think he's the same person who said that Action precedes Inspiration and Motivation.

To add, I read also in Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project that to create happiness, one must keep on showing up. According to Woody Allen, 80% of success is attributed to SHOWING UP.

I agree, again.

Let's keep on showing up, and let's keep moving forward, onward and upward. God bless.

Happy Weekend!

Yesterday, R and I attended our good friends May & Jordy's wedding. The mass was in St. James and the reception followed in Manila Pen. 

 The bride wanted us to wear dark, preferably black. Nice. :)

 May was wearing a nude-colored bridal gown by Joel Escober. It's really pretty.

 Very cute party favors. This one is a grater. It says 'The Gratest love of all.' Good one. 

 The groom is into cigars. :)

The game for the bachelors. Some still eligible, the others are already Taken. :))

After the intimate reception, we all headed to Opus for some after party dancing. 

Happy 1st Year Anniversary to US! :)

Thank YOU God for R. ;)

This much I know is true, 

that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you. 

- Rascal Flatts 

Fashion Inspiration

When I went to the States last Spring, I noticed that the fashion trend now is somewhat similar to how it was in the 90s. I realized I CAN rock the style, it's just not my taste. I prefer the style last year - simple, cute, colorful, whimsical (a bit of lace). Basically not so fashion forward yet still IN style. I realized I like simple, timeless pieces. I am inspired by Zoe Deschanel's style in the New Girl series, Nina Garcia's recessionista / timeless picks (she even wrote books dedicated to her fashion sense) and recently, Kate Middleton.

Zoe Deschanel's fasion style in the New Girl Series

A cute prom dress. I never went to prom (sadly). If I could turn back time, this would be my dress. :)

I like lace and green, with a pop of gold.

Kate Middleton in an Alexander Mcqueen Grecian Gown in the BAFTA Awards.

Kate Middleton in another grecian gown.

Kate Middleton in more grecian gowns.

Pink and light blue. 

After seeing Kate Middleton and her several grecian gowns, particularly the really beautiful Alexander Mcqueen dress, I am set to have a grecian gown for my own wedding. I loooove how the grecian gown flowed while Kate walked. The picture below is a Rosa Clara wedding gown, my personal choice! I think Rosa Clara makes off the rack wedding dresses. Hmm, why not? I hope they sell this particular dress in the Philippines! I am sure I will look LOVELY wearing it. I am so excited.:)

Good Message

I was having dinner and watching (listening actually to) ANC last night when I heard this final message from Tina Monsod-Palma:

LOVE is when two people know everything about each other and are still FRIENDS.

I agree. :)

On Love and Going the Distance

Distance. 15 Hour Time difference. Different continents. Skype. Facebook. Email. Texts. AT&T. Globe. Schedule alignment. 3 weeks.

I heard from someone that LOVE is a function of Communication. I don't know if that is a fact. All I can say is that in my relationship with R, Communication plays a major role in making US work. My Love for R expanded and grew exponentially during the last 3 weeks I was in the States.

Thank God for technology! Even if nothing beats physically being with each other, during those 3 weeks, I could not ask for more. :)

LA - Manila Skype Call April 30, 2012

San Diego - Manila Skype Call May 2, 2012

My Adventure!

It was undoubtedly one of my epic trips ever! 3 weeks with my family in the States made me realize alot of things, and it made me mature. What an adventure! I jotted down alot of things I am grateful for about this trip. I will share some of them in my next posts. For now, enjoy some pictures!

 Me and Mama in Manhattan Beach. I love her soo much. :)

 Reconnecting with childhood playmates in Del Amo Mall, Torrance, CA

 Josh, Me, Mama and Papa at Beverly Hills

 My Parents, Beverly Hills. They didn't know I took this shot. Genuine Love lasts forever. :)

 Rodeo Drive baby! - Pretty Woman

 The Americana at Brand

 Rodeo Drive

Manhattan Beach

Ola from California!

Just got home from Orange County. We've been here in California since Sunday night and so far so good. We're staying in Torrance right now, then we'll head to San Diego on Monday, then Vegas, then Palm Springs, then back here in Torrance before heading back home to Manila. Vacation with family for 3 weeks! :)

I've been observing this place also for days now. The businesses, the food, the clothes, etc. I love how advanced the culture is, how friendly the people are and how pretty it can be. I also observed that somehow, it can get impersonal. Oh well, it's just my point of view.

I'm soo happy I'm spending so much time with my family, especially with my parents. I'll post pictures soon! 

Ciao!

GOOD Friday

This is undoubtedly one of my best birthdays ever!

WHY?

I am so filled with LOVE.

R's Love
Our helpers' love
My friends' love (sooo many messages in facebook and text messages from friends waaay back!)
My siblings' love
My parents' love
MY GOD'S LOVE!

I am soooo blessed! Thank YOU Father for loving me and delighting me on my precious day. I know it's Good Friday today and I should not be the bida of the day, BUT You made me feel that I AM. :)

AMDG

I will share with you some pictures from yesterday and today! I went back to basics! According  to Joey "parang grade school lang" :)) I ordered yellowcab pizza for my family. Then we played Mismo and Pinoy Henyo. YES my treat! :D Oh yes of course I went to the recollection this morning with Mary and my parents for our dose of soul food.

I love you Jesus! Thank YOU for my life.  :)

Happy life advice from my 10-year-old self

Dance, dance, dance! And ALWAYS have an attitude of gratitude. :) -Len Concepcion


source: http://www.deliveringhappiness.com/happy-life-advice-from-your-10-year-old-self/

Love Song

I must admit, yes I am cheezy. :)

I thought it'll do this world good to share some LOVE tonight. So, I'm dedicating this song to everyone, especially to those who are hopeful, to those searching, to those who are at the moment of truth (ie at the point if he/she will CHOOSE to fall in love), to those in love, and to those who chose to love.

I pray that you get to find, and keep once you do, your One True GENUINE Love.

So In Love

by The Icarus Account

Your hand it fits
Perfect in mine
The world has stopped
And so has time

Cause we're so in love
We're so in love
We're so in love

Ooooh...

City lights cloudy skies
Slow dance in the rain
Won't forget how it sounds
When you say my name

So we save the best
For last tonight
A simple hug and kiss goodnight
As all of the angels sing our song
Heaven and earth join to sing along

And we're so in love
And we're so in love
And we're so in love

I'm turning the tables
I'm changing the time
I'll do anything just to keep you mine
You're one of the angels yeah it's true
I'm standing in heaven when I'm with you

We're so in love
We're so in love
We're so in love

I love the way that you say my name
I love the way that you hold my hand

Like we're so in love
Cause we're so in love
Yeah we're so in love