Looking Back: 3 years of Love and Friendship ♥

WARNING: Super loooong post ahead. Minsan lang magkwento, pagbigyan na. LOL.

"When God made you, He must have been thinking about me..."

I first heard this song during my cousin's wedding. While this song was playing, I carefully listen to the lyrics. I always do that when I listen to new songs. Suddenly, memories of Vin & me together just kept on flashing. All the love, the friendship, the storms we have faced hand in hand, all the tampuhan, the arguments, our dreams for our future together, how lucky I am to have found someone like him, how God has created such a beautiful love story and have chosen us as the main characters, how our paths have met...everything. This one great Christian love song is simply OUR SONG - it's US.

Then I noticed tears welling-up in my eyes. haha. Sorry, such a crybaby. haha.

The Story

More than 3 yrs ago, boyfie & I were almost strangers. We just know each other dahil orgmates kami nung college sa yuFieLbi  BUT we're not really friends or anything. haha. We're two different individuals kase. Boyfie is super tahimik while I am super daldal. Boyfie is so matipid & really knows how to handle money while I'm quite magastos. haha. OO na magastos na. lol. Pero I'm improving naman na, diba? lol. We have different interests, different principles on different issues, & the list goes on. Mas matured ang mga prinsipyo niya sa buhay while I'm more of a childish little girl before. We have a LOT of differences BUT we manage to use these differences at our advantage. Due to these differences, we were able to learn from each other. Due to these difference we were able to complete the missing pieces in our lives. It's nice growing mentally and emotionally with the love of your life. :) It's nice having a guy bestfriend, kuya & a boyfriend in one.

Anyway, as mentioned, we started as mere orgmates in an acad-org named, Young Software Engineers' Society, during college in UPLB. Hindi kami close nung resident members pa kami pareho. He's ahead ng one year so nauna syang grumaduate. We just had our chance na makapag-chikahan on one of the campus tours for freshies na nag-volunteer ang org. I was one of the resident member who volunteered to do the campus tour. E timing na nasa eLBi din sya that time, he joined our group kase isa sa mga kasama ko sa group ay close nia. To not bore ourselves, we had kwentuhan, takutan, asaran and picture-picture moments during the tour.

Mitch & Lan. Vin & I on the center during the campust tour. ♥
Credits to Lanie who took the picture.

See that picture above? We had goosebumps when we saw this while browsing on old pictures. Premonition ba ito na magiging kame? haha. It pays volunteering noh? LOL.

Then came another event spear-headed by our beloved org. Ang sipag talaga ng org namin. Bongga diba? haha. The event was a seminar where there will be a lot of corporate IT people as guest speakers. We were tasked to suggest a title and an objective for this event. Dahil dyan, nag-survey ako sa lahat ng orgmates na contacts ko sa YM, including the alumni, and he was one of the few people who answered and gave quite good insights. Ewan ko kung pano nangyari but since then halos everyday na  kami magka-chat. It was like hindi kumpleto ang araw ko pag hindi ko sya naasar sa ym. haha >:) Then, we started texting each other kahit pa SMART pa ko nung at GLOBE sya. Then, my phone got lost at sya yung unang tinawagan ko bilang kabisado ko ang number niya. Pangalawa ko nalang natawagan ang tatay ko. haha. After my phone got lost, nag-globe na din ako.Then, level up na, from texting we started calling each other. He's been my confidant and ka-chikahan tuwing na-iistress na ko sa SP ko (parang thesis namin). He started going to eLBi and other org events more often. Later on, we started going out, friendly date lang ganun. Echusera! haha. Then finally, we started dating. haha. Tapos nagulat na lang ako nung April 26, 2008 kami na. lol. joke. haha. And the rest is history na lang. *winks*

eLBi FebFair 2008

lunch date @ KFC, eLBi w/ some friends :))

during an org event. inedit ng lolo mo at sinend sakin. hihi :">

this is our first picture as a couple. during my graduation ceremony.

2008: In a Glimpse

It was May 5, 2008 at first day namin (marami rami rin kase sa orgmates at batchmates ko nung college ang kasama ko sa same company) sa first job namin after we graduated college. My batchmates and I were all seated sa training room. Suddenly, Vin came out of nowhere. We were ALL shocked to see him as he entered the room. We were all like, “Anong ginagawa mo dito?!!!” haha. To my surprise, he also applied in that same company kung san kami nag-apply. Kahit na ang layo layo nito sa bahay nila at kahit na ilang oras ang byahe niya papunta-parito sa opis. Haha. I asked him kung bat di nia sinabi sakin, sabi nia para daw surprise. Inferr, LAHAT kami na-surprise. Haha. Adik sya! LOL.

SC Batchmates' 1st Anniv @ Szet's place

Bilang mahilig gumala ang mga batchmates namin sa opis, andami naming activities together as batchmates and boyfriend-girlfriend. It’s nice going to the office just to see him, sabay kayong papasok at uuwi from office, having someone who would calm you down whenever bad trip ako, just simply having him around brings sunshine to my everyday toxic corporate life. Here’s a few rundown ng mga ganap namin as batchmates from 2008-2010:

Baguio trip - Nov 2008
Credits to George/Kuya Tj

SC Christmas Party Dec 2008

eLBi FebFair Feb 2009
Photo credits: Tanjers :)

Zambales - Nueva Ecija trip 2008
Photo credits: Tanjers :)

Puerto Princesa, Palawan Sept 2009

SC Batch 2 Christmas Party Dec 2009 @ Agave

videoke @ Szet's place

@ the financial guru, Robert Allen's, seminar

SC Christmas party Dec 2010

F21 Mega gala w/ Vanie

Aquatica, Manila Ocean Park

...and lotsaaaaa other pictures ng gala na hindi ko pa naka-copy from facebook :)) Sori na. LOL.

To boyfie: THANK YOU...alam mo na kung bakit. haha. =P

Next up: 3rd-year Anniv celebration ^_____^ 

Love love love,

Lori ♥

The Doctor is IN: An Exclusive Clinique Consultation

Concerned about acne, blemishes, skin pigmentation or simply have sensitive and intolerant skin? Then  Clinique may hold the answers to all your skin care woes. We would like to invite YOU to the Clinique counter in Trinoma this week for an exclusive skin consultation. Guest dermatologists will be there to conduct a special skin care consultation and answer all your beauty concerns.

Contact the number above and reserve a slot today. We hope to see you there :)

Re-post from Kira ♥

Lori's notes: I'm one of the lucky girls who were able to attend one of Clinique's Event and I MUST say the event is a success. I am a newbie in make-up & stuff pero this event triggered my blossoming love for skincare, make-up & beauty. It's nice meeting fellow beauty enthusiasts & listen to their stories, tips & etc.

Call & reserve your slot na and grab your camera para may documentation! hehe ;)

First Glance @ Forever21, Makati

After attending an uber FUN Clinique Party last April 16, 2011, in the mood ako i-rampage ang made-up version ko. Sina Liz at Mara papuntang Glorietta 5 nun e. May bonding moment pa ata sila after, nahiya naman ako sumama kaya gumora na lang akong SM Makati. I must say SM Makati's beauty counter is a haven for newbie or pro-make-up & beauty enthusiasts. Lots of brands to choose from. ♥ I stayed quite long sa Majolica Majorca counter. Attracting ang pastel-colored counter nila e hihi.


Anyway, after mag-try try ng make-up & stuff, naisipan ko na ring pumasyal sa Forever21 store bilang di ko pa nakikita yung store nila dito sa Makati. And below are the "takas" shots I got inside the store.


They have LOTS of floral stuffs that are really "IN" this season. From bags.... 

i seriously love this one ♥♥♥

PINK + ♥-shaped lock = ♥

... to accessories:

shades

belts

earrings

..to shoes for the FIERCE ladies:

..and shoes for the girlie ones:

I totally love this floral fedora. Eto lang ang kaisa-isang nasukat ko sa entire visit ko dun (Rants to follow. haha.)

Face: Clinique's Perfectly Real Make-up (forgot kung True Beige/Sunny)

Clinique's Blended Face Powder Invisible blend

Lips: Clinique lipstick in Tropical Corale

MUA: Ms. Vannie from the Clinique Party

..and look at these mannequins, ang galing ng nag-style. hihi:

tea house party

dress na shorts

What I love:

- NOT as big as F21, Mega but pretty the same collection as what you can see in Mega

- more accessible for me since I leave in Makati-area only. haha >:)

- friendly salespersons & kuya guard. haha. kahit nasita ako ni kuya guard dahil sa pasaway kong pagkuha ng ficture, he told me naman na bawal in a friendly way. :)) nahiya tuloy ako. LOL. hindi niya lang alam, andami ko nang nakuha haha. *evil laugh* >:)

What I don't love:

- super ONTI at SMALL FITTING ROOMS. OA ang haba ng pila to think hindi pa SALE nung nagpunta ko. Pano na lang kung SALE diba? They should really add fitting rooms, noh? At dahil tinamad na ko makipila, wala akong nasukat na damit. :(

- lacks MIRRORS. In a fashion boutique like this, necessary ang mirrors para you can check how the accessories look pag suot mo na. Habang nasa accessories section ako, it's quite hard na ipagsiksikan ang sarili mo sa uber PAYAT na mirror sa walls nila. Check this:

Eyffort diba?

They have circular hand-held mirrors for shades but still, it's quite SMALL. Walang mejo matabang mirror. hihi. ;))

TIPS: 

- Grab different sizes of the same piece na lang when you fit para less pabalik-balik sa fitting room.

- Almost always kase I find the Mega branch "crowded" or madaming tao. Kaya if you prefer lesser people, you might also go here na lang. :)

- Go on a weekday. Goodluck sayo sa longer lines pag weekends. hehe =P

All in all, as what we can expect from F21, they have really nice pieces. But, they have to improve on their store pa. hehe. :)

Will definitely visit the store again since eto na pinakamalapit samin. Magtiis na lang sa mahabang pila & all. haha. At isa pa, as mentioned, laging maraming tao sa mega branch. hehe. ( paulit ulit? LOL. sorreh )

Care to share your F21, Makati experience?

Just click on my flickr badge on the right side for more pictures. :)

Cliniqe Party Take Two

I have been an avid reader of ProjectVanity since I can't remember when. haha. Since then, I am eyeing to meet the "Ms. Liz Lanuzo" of ProjectVanity . She's one of my favorite bloggers due to her sincere product reviews from make-up, to dress, shoes, places to visit and a LOT more kaya peg ko talagang makita or ma-meet man lang sya. haha. obvious ba? If I'm into make-up, beauty, fashion, and vanity nowadays it's all because of her. Sya ang salarin! haha. I came to realize my love for make-up, skincare, dressing up, and all the other kikay stuff because of her din. haha.

Anyway, nag-organize na sya ng Clinique Party before but wasn't lucky enough to reserve a slot. :( Kaya namern nung nagpost sya sa facebook if we would want to have a Clinique party take two, comment agad ang lola niyo, like HELL YEAH PLEASE! haha. syempre hindi ganyan yung exact comment ko. pero parang ganyan na rin. haha. like deperado ang lola mo :)) Kaya nung in-announce niya registration for the 2nd Clinique party, email agad ang lola niyo kay Ms. Liz. Luckily, I was able to reserve a slot. Muntik na ko tumumbling nung nagreply sya sa email ko. haha. Told ya, I'm a BIG FAN. hihi. 

Anyhoo, after receiving confirmation for my reserved slot, isip agad ang lola mo ng outfit. Na-PRESSURE ako nung pinost niya outfits ng previous attendees ng party. Xempre ayaw pa KABOG ng lola niyo. haha. Check it here. O diba? Kalowka! haha. Texted boyfie din to borrow his cam. Fel na fel ko talagang i-document yung event since FIRST time ko umattend ng ganito. haha.  Habang nasa office, nag-drawing na ang lola mo ng peg kong outfit based sa kung anong meron ako sa drawer ko. Mix-and-match nalang haha. Itech ang not-so-final outfit that I wore on the last Clinique Party:

Top: thrifted
Skirt: People are People
Shoes: Possibility, The Ramp Glorietta

Final outfit.
Flats: Pill, The Ramp Trinoma

Pasensya na po sa kadiliman/kalabuan ng picture since nakalimutan ko gumamit ng flash. Also, pardon our magulong bahay. haha.  Bilang nagbago ang isip ko last minute, nagpalit nalang ako from heels to flats. Feeling ko kase OA ang heels ko. Turned out, andami palang naka-heels nung party. :)) anyway, next time I'll just wear what I want and just be confident of my masterpiece! hihi.

Clinique's booth

The event was held last April 16, 2011 at Clinique's counter in Rustan's, Makati.  Nag-taxi nalang ang lola mo bilang di ko feel mag-commute noon at dumating ng pawisan sa event :)) baka di ako papasukin LOL.

When I arrived, I got so giddy and excited when I saw the other readers. Didn't know how to start a conversion at first. hihi. Nahihiya pa nga ko pumasok sa booth. haha. Then, I saw Ms. Liz. Woot! Na-STARSTRUCK ako. Inferr! Kalowka! haha. Gusto ko magpa-picture agad kaso nahiya pa ko so ikot-ikot nalang muna and checked on Clinique's products. hihi. Sa sobrang nahihiya pa ko pero gusto ko na agad ng picture, yan lang muna nakuha kong pic HAHA.

Liz sharing tips to one of the readers

Mahiyain pa nung una kaya sapatos ang napag-diskitahan.
I like her shoes...

and Kari's Ferretti shoes too.

Ms. Liz suddenly approached me & introduced me to Kira, Kari, Mira and the other girls. Sorry, I'm not really good in remembering names. But, I'm pretty good in remembering faces. hihi. Ms. Mira and Ms. Liz are pretty good hostesses. They're both soooo kind and very welcoming. They kept on asking us to eat and  kept on chatting with us. hihi. I love them to death! haha.

Mira, Clinique's Marketing Manager, and
The Ms. Liz Lanuzo of ProjectVanity

Mira & the girls :)

Liz & the other girls

The food. Yummeh!

Balloons & feathers is love. hihi. :">

While waiting for my turn for skin consultation, hindi na ko nahiya at nakipag-chismisan na w/ Liz, Mira & the other readers. The routine is, we'll have skin consultation with the lovely Clinique ladies  then, make-up session na. Here are the pics I took during the event:

the busy Clinique table

Clinique's lipstick & lipgloss collection

me(w/o make-up) & the beautiful Ms. Liz

Kari & Mara

Kari in action. Check her blog for super nice pics nung event :)

me & Malou; skin consultation moment

this is what Malou use to identify my Skin Type. Combination Oily for me. 

Loot bags after skin consultation. Based on skin type & skin concerns.
Thanks Liz, Mira & Clinique ♥

And here are the happy attendees (made-up version):

Bea

Ae

Kari
Photo credits to Kari :)

moi. Thanks to Ms. Vannie :">

Our MUA, Ms. Vannie, & Mara.
Photo credits to Kari :)

the happy Clinique girls

beautiful day w/ beautiful ladies ;)

My BIG THANK YOU for all the wonderful & beautiful people I met. *hugsss*. Thank you guys! I hope to meet you again soon and hear your beautiful stories, exchange amazing beauty finds & share everything under the sun. hihi. I learned a LOT from all of you. THANKS.


P.S: I don't know kung bakit po pumapangit resolution pag ni-post ko na dito yung pics but they look good on flickr naman. 


You may check the photos in better resolution via my flickr account--> here. :)


Note to self: I-maintain ang shape ng brows. It's amazing how one can look very different pag NEAT ang eyebrows niya. hihi. Bring accent to the eyes. :)

On bus rides and opportunities...

"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late of the one that is open" - Alexander Graham Bell

Opportunity is like waiting for a bus ride. When you lose your focus, the bus might have pass in front of you without you knowing it. Thus, making you wait for the next bus to arrive - wasting time, wasting resources and losing your temper. Surely, another bus will come - another vehicle that will take you to your destination. Unfortunately, you can never bring back the wasted time. BUT as another bus arrives, another opportunity for you to correct previous mistakes and another opportunity to get closer to your destination.


How does the previous story relate to the next story? hmm... Go figure it yourself.  (This is just the same as saying,  "I can't think of another paragraph/line to connect them or somehow give transition to both stories." haha. But they're really related, trust me. *winks*)

Got invited by an officemate, Andrew,  in a FREE Business seminar conducted last July 5 - 9, 2010 by the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc  in Manila. This event's program got me really thrilled. Imagine rubbing elbows with a lot of successful people, getting crash course on handling finances, getting tips & tricks on sales, gaining wisdom from their experiences, and a lot more, for FREE?! Isn't that a win-win offer? 

I was originally planning to attend this event on its last session, which is scheduled on Friday, by using a 1-day Sick Leave (or rather an "Emergency Leave"..unfortunately, we don't have such. haha.). But come Thursday night, I was still undecided. Why? Because every sick leave consumed equals some amount of cash slashed from the total amount of money I might be receiving at the end of the year. lol. Also, I was simply afraid to go to the seminar. Why? I was so afraid to go there ALONE. I was so afraid to mingle with a lot of STRANGERS. Thus when Friday arrives, I opt NOT to go. Instead, I opt to WORK. Crazy, right?

As I am approaching the workplace, I felt so disappointed. There's this little voice inside my head that's really eager to go to that seminar. This little voice has been bugging me the moment I stepped out of the house, while I was riding the jeepney,  while I was riding the bus and while I was walking to to our office's building. Then, it HIT me. Did I just allow FEAR to affect my decision-making ability? I suddenly remember  Robert Allen's talk at the Intercontinental hotel last January 2010. He told us to ALWAYS LISTEN to that little voice inside our head. Chances are, it's always right. (I'll share some of my notes during his talk on my next blogs. haha. lots of pending blogs. sorry.) 

Our common FEARS according to Robert Allen:

F-ailure

E-mbarassment

A-bandonment

R-ejection

S-uccess (Yes, even success.)

Reality is, FEAR is just equal to:

F-alse

E-xpectations

A-ppearing

R-eal

Why did I allow these "False Expectations Appearing Real" to scare me? As the cliche goes, experience is indeed a great teacher. As I sit in my cube and started [pretended] working, my mind has been bombarded with lots of realizations. I will NOT let this be a wasted experience. There has to be something LEARNED. There has to be something fruitful disguising as a misfortune. I evaluated these realizations and came up with three lessons I gained from this event. (See upcoming blog posts for each lessons).

Lesson #1: Identify the problem.
Lesson #2: Do NOT let FEAR interfere.
Lesson #3: Make DECISIONS often

“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” - Sarah Caldwell