Photo by Toto Villaruel

Having a blog is great when you want to document major, major, major life milestones like a wedding…our wedding in fact  :-) Another thing about our wedding I want to share, to blog about (and hence, immortalize!) would be our vows to each other. Initially, Dodong just wanted the standard church vows because he found personal vows a tad too cheesy. But then again, I wanted us to really make our church ceremony extra special by expressing our feelings on our special day. So, obviously, I won and here are our vows

Dodong would definitely have to go first, because his vows were very short BUT extremely sweet and heartfelt.

I have always been vocal about the many uncertainties in this world, but one thing that I am sure of is you. You have been there for me through thick and think. You never gave up on me even when I already gave up on myself. I love you.

That's it! So now I go to my part of the vows…pls be ready to read up as it is a bit long I took quite some time writing it, being the planner that I was, I started writing it an entire month before the actual wedding day. Hahaha! But I was only able to finish it like two days before. Hehehe!

Photo by Toto Villaruel

I’m really a behind the scenes person, who is very uncomfortable in the spotlight. So public speaking / presenting is not my core competence. That is why I came prepared with a written vow. So here we go…

Looking back to the beginnings of our 9-year relationship, I remember three things:

FIRST: I’ve always wanted my very 1^st boyfriend to be my last boyfriend. So sabi ni God sa akin be specific daw, kaya (God told me to be specific) I prayed for other qualities I wanted my 1^st and last boyfriend to have:

• I prayed that my boyfriend to be a romantic. One who would sweep me off my feet with grand expressions of love. One who would remember all the little details like important dates and events. One who would treat me as the most beautiful girl in the world.
• I prayed that my boyfriend to be my personal number 1 cheerleader. One who would always say: “I believe in you.  Go for your dreams.” One who would cheer me on at my lowest point. One who would be proud of me in all the things that I do be it a failure or a success.
• I prayed that my boyfriend be more or less like me. Punctual. Works on a disciplined schedule. A planner. Parang girl scout na laging handa. (Like a girl scout, who prepared for anything)

Nung naging tayo na, I asked God: “Joke ba to?!? Seryoso ka ba na heto na ang 1st and last boyfriend ko?” (When we went steady, I asked God: "Is this a joke? Is he seriously my 1st and last boyfriend?) But si God talaga mautak din (God is really crafty), little did I know that He had his reasons:

• God gave me a cynic instead of a romantic. But you’ve taught me that there is still a genuinely sweet person hiding behind the cloak of cynicism. Baduy ka din pala tulad ko, kahit pa once in a blue moon lang (You're a romantic like me, even if it is only once in a blue moon). You’ve taught me that true love is not found in the grand expressions of love, but rather found and compounded in the everyday little things we do for each other.
• God gave me a kontrabida (an antagonist) instead of a cheerleader. But you’ve taught me how to come out of my shell, toughen up to face real life. You’ve taught me the real meaning of honesty. Brutal honesty. I may not always hear what I want to hear, but with you, I know you will always say what I need to hear.
• God gave me the exact opposite of me instead of a clone. But you’ve taught the controlling, serious me how to adapt to every situation, roll with the punches, be spontaneous. More importantly, you’ve taught me how to loosen up a bit, relax, get crazy and laugh.

SECOND: You’ve clearly stated 9 years ago, a few weeks into our relationship, that you NEVER wanted to get married. Mejo nadurog ata ang puso ko nung nadinig ko yun…PERO mukhang (My heart was crushed when I heard you say it…BUT looks like)  my prayers really worked, God was faithful and true Seryoso nga si God na ikaw na ang 1^st and last boyfriend ko (God was serious when He said you were my 1st and last boyfriend).

THIRD: On this same day, 9 years ago, you said that there will be no promises just you and me. But today will be an exception, wala na tayong takas, required na kasi mag promise (We cannot escape the fact that we are required to promise). This I promise, my dearest Dodong, I promise that until the end, it will still be just you and me.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

Photo by Shayla Sanchez

So there you go! Inday and Dodong's personal wedding vows! I was so happy with the vows and so were our guests. It gave everyone (family and friends) a snapshot of our humble beginnings, the challenges of our 9-year relationship and our future together as husband and wife

Friends even with the distance and the dirty feet

I caught the sentimental bug after writing about one of my bestest friend's wedding. And made me think about one of my (oh, she is one of our) bestest friends, who is now based in New York City. LDRs are not limited to romantic ones. Good, solid friendships can also survive the distance just like ours.

Like the drama queen, I've known Maree since grade 6. We've been in the same clique in high school and we even went to the same college for a time. Hehehe! Then the three of us took a 9-day trip to Malaysia in 2007. We were close but not SUPER close. Little did we know that this was THE ultimate International ekskarsyon that would build the strong foundation of ultimate friendship. I got so sentimental that I almost went teary eyed looking through our album. The pictures in this post are from that trip

I love it that we can do crazy things even if we are more mature adults…

Bitch Queens of Malaysia...this was in the Museum!

I love it that we can share our deepest and darkest thoughts and secrets (even the seemingly mundane ones)…

Drowning in the Museum!

I love the fact that we've fought so many times, but we've still managed to get back together…Would you even believe that Maree and I weren't in speaking terms when she left for NYC??? We haven't seen each other for more than three years (?) now, but our friendship is stronger than ever…

We've turned our backs to the friendship at least ONCE.

I also love the fact that we get to influence each other for the good…(and bad? Nyahahahaha!)

We even influenced our Malaysian friends to take DAY OFF pictures like us

I am so blessed to have such good friends! I am also very thankful that we are in the Internet age and we still get to bond and update each other almost everyday!!! Girls, I love you girls! Maree, Crixz and I miss you very much. We wish we can take another International Ekskarsyon soon…

Hey wait a minute…So does having both a long distance romance and a long distance friendship really make me the long distance expert? Hahahahaha!

Dimsum Treasures await at Lili

Dodong stumbled upon a good dimsum buffet deal at Hyatt's Lili restaurant on Deal Grocer. Of course, he immediately grabbed the chance to treat himself (of course) and the rest of the family AND me to a filling dimsum Sunday lunch buffet.

After dayssssss of non-stop eating, I was so nervous I did not have enough space in my tummy for the yummy dimsum treats. There were just soooo many…

Let me run down a number of the dishes we devoured that dimsum filled afternoon…

Pork Spareribs with Tausi

Shrimp Rice Rolls

My Favorite Radish Cake

Duck Pao

Salt & Pepper Cuttlefish

Okay. I am not even halfway through the stuff that we ate. The salt and pepper cuttlefish even came with it's sister…

Salt & Pepper Shrimp!

We also had some all time favorites like the ever present…

Pork Siomai!

Yang Chow Fried Rice!

Akalain mo meron kanin sa dimsum buffet! Yes yes yes sa kanin! Woohooo! But wait, there's still more…

Hakaw / Hargow

Xiao Long Bao

Glutinous Rice Dumpling

Pork Asado

Pork Knuckles and Jelly fish

Grabe, I'm not done yet and note that I'm not getting to dessert just yet. Posting all these dishes is making me full. Did I say it was LAMON Linggo or what?

Scrambled egg with Century egg and shrimp

Fish with Eggplant in some sauce...

Spinach dumpling with shrimp

Chinese Pita Pizza! Hehehe

I think I will stop on posting the savory dishes (there are still quite a number) and will now share what we had for dessert. These are just a few mind you…

Marshmallow Thingy...FORGETTABLE

Egg Custard

Buchi! Buchi! Buchi!

Taro Soup

Red bean soup with glutinous rice balls

I was so full that I failed to take photos of the mango sago, fresh fruits, assorted cakes and chocolate treats. That was an AWESOME buffet spread. Whew! Thanks to Deal Grocer for that real steal I wish there would be another voucher so that I can try the other Lili dimsum dishes

Our Friday was dedicated to attending the much awaiting wedding (12 years in the making?) of our friends, Bing Mejia-Santos (because they are already married) and Ian Santos. Congrats you guys! FINALLY!

Ever since Dodong had his 1st taste of a steak and wine dinner, he's been telling me that he would ike wine and dine me in a special restaurant. Initially, we were planning to have our wine and dine dinner at a hotel. But, thankfully, a little birdie told me about a neat Steak All You Can deal at Lolo Dad's Brasserie at 6750, Ayala Avenue.

So were our meat loving tummies satisfied???

OH YEESSSSSSSSS!!!! This is one of the most sulit (value for money) deals ever! For Php 1,200++ (USD 34) you get all you can eat steaks and sides. You can choose from the different cuts of beef: US Rib Eye Steak / Tenderloin / Striploin or the Tajima Wagyu Topside. Dodong tried all cuts of steak, while I stuck to the best cut: the Wagyu. The Wagyu steaks were so tender that I did not "fight" with the meat even if I bit halfway.

The steaks come with 3 sauces: au jus, hollandaise and barbeque. Yes, these are unlimited as well.

BBQ, Hollandaise, Au Jus

And did I mention unlimited sides with the unlimited steaks? Choose your poison: mushroom risotto, mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. We chose risotto since this was probably the most expensive of all the sides. Haha!

You also can ask for a green salad with vinaigrette or buttered French beans instead of the hefty, filling starches. We actually asked for more than one serving of the veggies. Glad to know that Dodong loved the buttered French beans!

Oh and yes, Dodong ordered wine for us. We're not wine experts, so we just ordered what we think we would like. I learned that red wines go best with steaks, but we decided to order a white. Unfortunately, it was too strong for us (we prefer sweeter wines), but we finished it anyway.

The damage? Dodong = 7 steaks, while Me? I only had 3. BURP!

Oh I, of course, had dessert. But I think it was forgettable, compared to the meaty goodness we had. Hehehehe!

Overall, we were SUPER HAPPY with our steak and wine dinner. We're actually both excited to go back to Lolo Dad's Brasserie soon for another round of Steak all you can! Woohoooo! Crossing our fingers that the steak all you can deal would still be on when Dodong comes home very soon

Lolo Dad's Brasserie

Ground Floor, 6750 Building

Ayala Avenue, Makati City

+632-813-6750

The best liempo in town?

Last Tuesday, we found ourselves "stuck" at the Katipunan area for a whole day because of crucial errands. So we wanted to try something new and near. I remembered the famous Manang's at the Ateneo campus, who apparently serves one of the best inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly) in town.

Dodong, the proud and loyal La Salista, got curious too…

Manang’s is located inside the Ateneo Katipunan campus at the back of the college gym. There is no large sign board to point you to the exact location. So finding Manang’s is like going on a treasure hunt, passing through “thick” university foliage to get to the treasure that is inihaw na liempo.

Oh, pls do not expect any airconditioned comfort because it is really a down to earth, simple carinderia, where self service is king and sweaty shirts (especially during the peak of the summer months) are abound.

Of course, we ordered the famous Manang’s inihaw na liempo. But because pork (not eaten by our Muslim brothers and sisters) is more expensive in Dubai, we decided to order another pork dish: our favorite breaded porkchop.

And what better way to eat all these porky-licious treats but with the traditional ensalada: salted egg and chopped tomatoes.

YUM! And lots of rice! I really wished I ordered 2 cups for myself. But fortunately, Dodong was a good food police, stopping me from causing more damage to the widening hips. Hehehe!

Manang’s is also wallet friendly with viands at Php 49 (USD 1.1). I guess being a default setting because they cater to students. But being our matakaw selves, we spent Php 283 (USD 6.6) for 2 orders of inihaw na liempo, 2 orders of breaded porkchop, 2 orders of rice, 1 mineral water, 1 C2 Iced Tea, 1 ensalada, 1 banana and 1 polvoron. I was actually tmore matakaw than Dodong because I still had a banana AND polvoron for dessert

Overall, I would recommend Manang’s in Ateneo as a homecoming date place, friendly both to the stomach and wallet. PLUS, it will really bring a lot of nostalgic Pinoy flavors to the table, which are craved for by the OFWs. If your better half is an Atenista (a graduate of THE Ateneo), you’d even get more pogi points for bringing him / her to Manang’s.

So what does Dodong have to say about Manang’s? Well…we actually saw these signs:

AND he said: “you don’t have to be an Atenista to learn how to fall in line and / or pick up after yourself.” May point nga naman. Pero hirit La Salista nga talaga! Haha!

Jampacked Schedule for Dodong and I!

Dodong is now officially back in the desert That was quick or what? Literally isang linggong pag-ibig as Dodong only spent 7 days here in Manila.

It was a crazeeeeeeh BUT super fun week for both of us. It was so tiring that we both ended up like this…

Plastado kami. Deads.

Ok maybe just me because Dodong HATES cats. Hehehe. We were both soooo tired that we spent his last day in Manila sleeping. The summer heat just added more to our exhaustion from errands upon errands, meeting up with friends and spending time with family.

So I am extra happy that later this week, I will get the chance to rest with the Holy Week vacation. The vacay will also give me the time to catch up on blog entries to share a day by day coverage of what Dodong and I have done in the past week. Quite a lot but I am so excited to share our adventures with you But pls do allow me a quick commercial break as I catch up with my 400++ work emails tomorrow I will TRY. Operative word here is TRY as I think my head and heart is still with Dodong. Hehehe! Sorry work!

More Isang Linggong Pag-Ibig posts:

Martes at Manang's

Hungry Huwebes at Lolo Dad 6750's Steak All You Can

Bridal Biyernes

Lamon Linggo at The Hyatt's Lili Dimsum Buffet

Photo by Em Somera

My head AND heart have been in the clouds for the past few days. The lingering feel of fingers intertwined with mine. The warmth of his tight bear hugs. That mischievous smile coupled with his playful snicker. These memories paste a smile on my face and send me shivers down my spine at least once every 30 minutes. At least once! Sometimes twice. Sometimes thrice. Or even more…

I AM THIS EXCITED. Our LDR dream is coming true in the next 9 days. 9 days to go!

He is finally coming home after more than 7-months of being away. The longest EVER in our 3-year long distance relationship. So I am really just EXCITED to see him again. Sigh.  I've been living in my daydreams and night dreams with Dodong, replaying memories with him. These really help me get up in the morning, even if the weather is just too good for staying in bed.

Each day, I wake up more ALIVE and with PURPOSE, comforted by the fact that in 9 days, Dodong and I will be together. Sigh.

Sinabi ko na ba na excited ako? SOOOOBRAAAAAA!!!!

Ana Olson for AFC

It was quite a pleasant surprise that though schedules were moved around yesterday (even if one of my pet peeves is a messy schedule), it turned out quite well. Chef Bruce Lim and his wonderful wife, Michelle, invited me to join them as they graced the Ana Olson culinary demonstration (c/o Asian Food Channel) at Greenbelt 5.

I've always been a sucker to (at least) seeing and meeting celebrity chefs because I do love watching cooking shows! But when I saw that the event had THIS, I knew Dodong would have a blast if he was with me. Guess what THIS was…

Pot Roast!

Of course, FREE FOOD! Hehehe! It was like watching Ana Olson's cooking show with the food just magically jumping off the screen.

Ana Olson prepared a Christmas feast for the afternoon: Pot Roast with a Mustard Glaze, Roasted Root Vegetables (Squash, Carrots and Potatoes), Butter Tart and Homemade Ice Cream. Yummmeeeeehhh…

Yum...Buttery tart crusts...

Wee Canadian Flags for Canadian Chef Ana Olson!

The Pot Roast really made me wish that Dodong was here. He lovesssss PORK! I guess since pork is a bit of a luxury in the Muslim country of UAE. Hehehe.

A culinary demonstration date would be a great way to meet chefs, learn new recipes & cooking techniques, plus score FREE food! Isn't it such a cheap and cool date?

Love the distance,

Inday I. Nagintay

Show me some love at Caffe Ti Amo

My boss is one of the brilliant minds working behind the scenes of the new coffee-gelato shop in Greenbelt 5, Caffe Ti Amo. So yesterday, amidst the flurry of presentations and meetings, we decided to have our meeting at Caffe Ti Amo as the team has not had the chance to drop by…

I came in early (as usual) and I was starving (as usual). And so I decided to order one of the dishes that my boss kept raving about because her praises of the dish really kept me wondering…

Caffe Ti Amo's Honey Bread (Php 120)

Obviously, I am still very much in love with my new phone, the Galaxy S, as I keep on using the Vignette app for my photos. Cool ba? I digress…so now onto the Honey Bread.

Honey Bread is a thick slice of Japanese style white bread (Does anybody know the difference of Japanese bread? Aside from the thickness of the slice and the airiness of the dough…), dipped in butter and cinnamon batter and freshly baked / toasted in an oven (versus being panfried like French Toast). The bread slice is topped with 2 scoops of your choice of gelato flavor and blueberry preserves. I chose the bestselling dark chocolate mint and pistachio gelato to pair with my Honeybread.

Because I also wanted our teammates from the agency to try Caffe Ti Amo's treats, I ordered two savory waffles to go: Four Cheese and Italian Herb.

Savory Waffle Duet - Four Cheese Flavor (Php 130)

The savory waffle has two sizes: solo and duet. The duet, though made for two, can actually feed four people! The bread is quite heavy like you ate a rock but only with the savory cheese and herby aftertaste. I only wished that you can pair the savory waffle with gelato, so that it could be a interplay between salty and then sweet. Unfortunately, you'd have to order gelato separately, which I obviously did not do. Buti na lang because we had to change venues for our meeting.

I'd really love for Dodong to check out Caffe Ti Amo with me when he gets back…SOON. (Btw, he's not coming home this Christmas.) It actually is a nice place to chit chat and hang out. A mix between a coffee shop and a chic boutique hotel. I think I would order an Italian Herb waffle to share with him…perhaps with an order of dark chocolate gelato on the side.

Have you tried to Caffe Ti Amo in Greenbelt5 as well?

Love the distance,

Inday I. Nagintay

P.S. Caffe Ti Amo is located at the ground floor of Greenbelt 5, right across Mango and behind Tickles in Greenbelt 1. They also have branches in SM Manila and SM City. But the Greenbelt branches are more accessible to Makati rats like me. Hihi.

P.P.S. Just to disclose, I paid for my Honeybread and waffle ok? Hehe.