Taking things to another level

I have always thought of myself as a creative person. My course in college leaned towards the creative side, my job as marketing manager allows me to think out of the box and do projects that help me release my creative juices and I take pride in doing things with a creative flair. But, recently, my creative genes were put to shame when "i" and another friend of mine decided to throw me a baby shower. I won't say much and will just let the photos speak for themselves. Just note though that they did EVERYTHING, including the sewing of the floral table runners. It was the prettiest shower I've ever been to. So to "i" and our friend chi... Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 They spelled out my baby's name on cute fabrics and put nice little quotes on the tables

The main table set up ("i" even baked those delicious cupcakes from scratch)

They got different bottles, scrubbed them and put new designs to go with the "vintage floral" theme

The chocolates they individually wrapped to create a vintage feel 

They prepared cute games like pin the sperm on the egg and a gross game that involved diapers and chocolates ('nuff said)

Of course there were tons of gifts from friends (thank you so much!!!!)

Missing the Beach

 
It's been over a year since our last trip to Boracay. This may not seem like a long time for most people but for us, it's been too long. We try to go to Boracay at least once if not twice a year. But with all the other trips we've taken last 2010, Boracay seemed like our last priority. That was until recently.

As luck would have it, F and N recently won free accomodations to Club Panoly, Boracay at a recently concluded golf tournament. We had some free Mabuhay miles left so we decided (even with my enormously growing belly) that it would be a waste to not take this free trip to Boracay. So, with the doctor's consent, off we went to our favorite destination...

Now this trip didn't go by without any problems mind you. Number 1 problem (and definitely the most stressful one)? Club Panoly is currently under a land dispute situation. Meaning, no operations. This they tell us, a week before our scheduled trip. They said they booked us at this particular resort (c/o Panoly of course) but when I did a little research, I found out that the resort is a low end resort that has gotten pretty bad reviews in blogs. Now, I don't think it's fair for us to be booked in a resort that is of lower standards than Panoly right? At the very least, we should be getting something equal or at par with what they claim to be. So, after A LOT of phone calls and arguments (F even got hung up on by a Panoly personnel! BAAAADDDDDD! note to self: never trust Panoly ever again. Service is the absolute worst), we were finally rebooked in another hotel. This was finalized A DAY before our trip. Talk about last minute. Where did we end up staying? Fairways and Bluewaters...

I have to say, I wasn't too excited to learn this was where we would be staying. The resort is secluded and isn't within the main beach of Boracay. Being 7 months pregnant, I wasn't looking forward to having to walk back and forth to the main beach and the resort. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the resort. Yes, the place is secluded. But the good thing is, it has it's own beach (a huge one at that)that pretty much comes up to par with the famous beach front of Boracay. So, beach... Check! They booked us in standard rooms which were huge and could easily fit 4 people, with 2 full sized beds and a huge bathroom. So, rooms... Check! They have 24 hour shuttle within the resort and a shuttle service to and from D' Mall so, convenience... Check! Of course, Fairways and Bluewaters is known for it's golf course so N and F gave it a try. After they played N even said that he doesn't think he can ever go back to Boracay without playing golf there, they had that much fun. The rooms are even strategically placed around the golf course so you have a view of it from your balcony. So, entertainment... Check!

 this is one of 2 swimming pools at Fairways

a view of their private beach (very nice!)

The view from my balcony (that's N and F playing golf)

This place is definitely not a place for someone who wants to go out and party every night. It is a place to relax and be steady. It's definitely a different kind of Boracay experience. But something worth doing every once in a while...

Cute Business Cards

Just when I already gave R a design for our calling card, I saw these disturbingly beautiful cards on my favorite graphic design website. Oh well. Someday. With more budget.

Pregnancy Woes

I've been sufficiently warned about the perils of pregnancy by many, especially my mom. They say you can base your pregnancy on how your own mother carried her pregnancy at her time. I was thinking, if that's the case, I'm in big trouble. (Think HUGE hips/ass, morning/all day sickness all the way up to 9 months, stretch marks, fat feet, fat hands, heck... fat everything!)

However, my sister in law has already been pregnant twice and she's always carried her pregnancy so gracefully. If it wasn't for the bulging belly, you wouldn't even think she was pregnant. It was that easy for her. So when I got pregnant, I thought, I will be that kind of pregnant woman! Glowing, easy, relaxed. No pregnancy symptoms whatsoever. HOOOOOOBOY... was I wrong. 

All those symptoms I've been dreading? Well I got them all. I've got the morning sickness which has continued into my 2nd trimester (I'm at 6 months now), the sudden breakout of acne (I feel like I'm 13 again), the dreaded CANKLES (ankles as big as your calves) - which by the way is totally painful on the feet. I can hardly walk now and I'm not even that huge yet. My ass is about the size of my belly, probably just as heavy too. And, even if I eat moderately, I seem to be getting fatter and fatter (which totally pisses me off cuz my sister in law doesn't even look like she's gained a pound except for that belly of hers). But, amidst all these aches and pains, I have so far (fingers crossed) managed to avoid one thing so far... stretch marks. Surprisingly, I still don't have any stretch marks on my belly and I am hoping this continues till my last few months. I've been massaging all sorts of oils, creams, what have yous on my belly just to make sure that when I finally get back to normal, I still have the option of possibly wearing a bikini (I dare hope). 

Here's some of what I've used thus far. I keep on changing so I can't really tell which is effective but it might be of help to others.

This is what I first started using the moment I got pregnant. One bottle lasted me about 2 months so, not bad.

I switched to olive oil as soon as someone told me it is very effective in preventing stretch marks. So far I've used up 2 bottles and no stretch marks yet!

This is the next one I'll be trying out. It was given to me by a friend from Australia and they swear by it so let's see.  Fingers crossed!

Hopefully this works for me and it works for whoever else is out there that's just as vain as me!

Watch out!

Can't tell you more just yet. But soon.