A Different Kind of Summer Romance (and Finding Time to Do Everything)

We GET it.

Hitting the resort after a birthday party

Its torch-like out there, the prickly heat of the sun like hedgehog quills, and its glare – especially at midday – is overwhelming every bit of Earth and infrastructure. Day-lit working hours tending to be a bit more sluggish, office loads more grueling than usual, and our traffic-tested tempers lousier than we’d wish!  A/C seems to be broke even at full blast, and I’m ‘fraid there just aren’t enough horses to ramp up the, er, horsepower. Gab sweats a lot, lot more than I do, but I’ve had my full and unfair share of changing shirts within the same hour these days.  And if you’ve driven past by those thermostats beside the traffic lights: we’re looking at 38, 39, 40 degrees Celsius! Wow. Literally, enough to induce human convulsion.

Calm moment at Club Manila East

So you can imagine how much of another miracle its been that, despite the furious, unrelenting heat here in Manila that Gabby ABSOLUTELY despises, we were able to accomplish our fair share of grown-up tasks, eventful due diligence and rewarding rendezvous(es?) the past 2-3 weeks to keep our happy momentum from melting down, or burning down from its own flame.  Of course, we haven’t hit the beach either, as much I’ve been wanting to, but that’s always an open possibility right after marriage.  And that’s just about the most comforting, lovely reality thereafter.

SVD dinner @ ShangriLa Mall, w/ Tonet

late visit with Frances & Baby Chloe

As we had hoped, we’ve gotten great responses and more than a few thumbs-up for the Save-the-Date packages we started distributing out since late March to friends we hadn’t seen for a while now.  Its been dubbed a “labor of love,” by a few friends – and that’s what it is precisely.  Others wondered if those were our Invites, already, and if receiving one meant getting a free Frappe. Hmmmm!!? Other friends were more hilarious, as they tried in vain to twist and open the coasters as if opening Forrest Gump’s box of Choc’lits.  Gabby calls it a fusion of strengths: our love for the café culture, and matching, granular workmanship from our lady friends at Creative Prints. We love them dearly… But its mid-April now, and we still got several dozen SVDs waiting to be released as soon as we’re able to reach a “binding” decision on who else makes it to our guest list.  If only money grew on trees… (we’d plant more of them every day!)

First jam w/ TNJ in two years, and first to get married. That's my bassist :)

 The other week, we also took a day off from work to finally meet with our preferred lensman at NICEPRINT. Niceprint hardly organizes early 1-on-1 meetings with their more coveted photographers, so we felt privileged to be a rare exemption!  We wanted to check firsthand if we’d hit it off well with our guy, if there was real or just contrived chemistry between us, and more importantly to solicit his views on our pre-nup shoot scheduled very soon!  Very fortunately, he (barely in his 30s) was very receptive and engaged by the ideas / concept that’d been brewing ala Caffe Ti Amo concoctions in our heads for some months now!  Exciting exciting! Around us, vivid wallpapers of John and Priscilla, Ogie and Regine, and posters of elegant couples perked up our smile not because of their conspicuous, Photoshopped-caricatures, but because we feel we are already affiliated with among the industry’s most admired and respected names.

Our sneak "pre-nuptial" preview + another Gabby/frappe sighting :)

recovered plywood from Gab's backyard

The DIY Spirit also continues to inspire us at every turn! We were such busybodies during the SVD preparations, that we’ve completely embraced the risks, the rewards, and the intimate process of doing some of the additional wedding items ourselves! For the SVD cups and frappes, Gabby did most of the graphics and editing, re-coloring and general design, I did the reproduction, trimming and cutting, and inking all the names.  It might not seem all that much work until you start putting in the long hours right after office, and then see your sleeping hours fall to the sound of timbeeerrrrrrr. :)

giving birth to another DIY Project :)

So what’s our next DIY project? We got the base material with us, but we’re still figuring out an effective design amid the crisscrossing of daily events. Gabby, however, is already doing his best impersonation of a carpenter who thinks he can do a little more than just nailing and hammering. :) I love him!

At any rate, beads of sweat, fuel, food and vendor receipts aren’t the only things piling up these days of wedding planning.  As if wedding schedules weren’t enough distraction from our work, the intermittent renovation and improvement activities involving our  1-½ BR condominium near Ortigas/New Manila has also been well underway since the start of the year.  It still amazes me how we've managed to be so productive and proactive in meeting both our wedding and condo-related responsibilities, on top of being soaked at our respective offices.  I'm just so thankful that Gab hasn't ever been remiss in his property+contractor obligations, design consultations, and weekly inspections, despite the  humidity outside and the distressing number of scheduled payments and other preoccupations! (i.e., Gab also does some freelance writing)  And he isn’t letting up on making sure our modest place is as alluring and accommodating as our shrinking peso-denominated bank accounts can afford… hehe. 

True to form, we’ve been visiting the nearest Wilcon megastores on our spare weekend hours to peruse through and list down estimates for floor and wall tiles, kitchen and bathroom wares – and those in fact are getting to be more entertaining than we initially thought!! Oh, and one time we went accent piece hunting at the popular LRI Design Plaza and the upper-crusty Kish shop in Reposo St., Makati – but came out empty-handed and humbled at the same time. Though we are definitely purchasing an item or two there soon....

...only, not this semester, I’m afraid! :)

But we get it. This is already getting to be a summer like we’ve never ever romanced before.  Oh, summer breeze, you make me feel fine…

Adulthood takes another step forward with help from a small sledgehammer

My fiancee the white-collared carpenter, perfecting the art of chipping cement blocks :)

..a few weeks later...

...VOILA.  (Gab peers out from his self-styled, custom-designed coffee den/type)

Busybodies that we are -- we deserve THIS

Caffe Ti-Amo means "I love You,"  with rich foamy milk on top :)