Travelling to Taiwan with a Toddler (Day 1 – Ximending, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Breeze Mall/Xinyi Mall/Bellavita Mall, Taipei 101)

Due to another piso fare promo from Cebu Pac, we went to this unplanned trip to Taiwan. We were supposed to go to Vietnam this year, but we wanted to take advantage of the promo fare (and we haven’t been to Taiwan anyway). We also wanted to take advantage of Xander being eligible as a lap child (once  he turns 2 we will have to buy tickets for him). We booked our flight around March 2017, and after that news broke that Taiwan would soon be visa-free (yaaaay!). But come October 2017, the effective date has not yet been finalized, so we had to get visas for ourselves.

Prior to our trip, I asked some of my friends who brought toddlers with them for tips to make our trip easier. One advice that stood out for me is to just leave the stroller behind and bring a baby carrier. We thought  that was a good idea considering that Xander’s now at the stage where he wants to explore and would not stay in the stroller for long. So we braced ourselves for backaches due to baby carrying the entire day 🙂 Another tip I got (though not toddler related) is to exchange as much money as you need before arriving at Taiwan, as money changers are very few. This proved true later on our trip, as even if we found a money changer, it was soooo difficult to communicate what we need.

Our flight was on 2 October 2017 at 10:00pm, which I think was the only flight for the day from Cebu Pacific. We left home at 4:30pm as we are scared of the traffic on a Monday afternoon rush hour. However, there was no traffic and we were at the airport by 5:30pm! Soooo early for our flight.

Killing time at Mary Grace while waiting for our flight

Xander is still breastfeeding, so it’s easy to calm him down during the flight. Once he started breastfeeding, he fell asleep instantly. So it was an easy 2-hour flight for us 🙂

We arrived at Taoyuan Airport at around 12:10am. After retrieving our bags, we went straight to the bus station at the lower floor of the airport to board Bus 1819 going to Taipei Main Station. Ticket is NT $125.00 I think. This is a much cheaper option compared to a taxi which will cost more than NT $1,000.00 based on my research. Even at around 1:00am, the line to board the bus was soooooooo long! We waited for at least 45 minutes to be able to board a bus.

going down to the bus station

long line at the bus station, we were already halfway through  when I took this photo

inside the bus, Xander sleeping soundly in his carrier 🙂

Travel time to Taipei Main Station is around 45 mins. Upon reaching Taipei Main Station, we boarded a taxi to our Airbnb home. Taxi costs around NT $100.00.

This was the first time for us to take such a late flight, and it was really such a hassle considering that we had to book  our accommodation including 2 October even if we’re arriving at 3AM already. As I’ve mentioned we’re travelling with a toddler so convenience is our utmost priority – we have to have a home by the time we reach Taipei in the wee hours of the morning. Our Airbnb accommodation was around Php9,100++ for 3 nights 4 days. This is a good deal considering that  the place was so close to Ximending and was just a 10-minute walk from Ximen station MRT (although we realized, with a toddler and without a stroller, this is actually a loooong walk). We were really hungry when we got home so we got some cup noodles at 7-11 before we finally rested. (Side tip: if you have the budget, and if you’re leaving Taiwan also in the wee hours of the morning, it’s better to include your last  day in booking an accommodation. You will have a place to rest and freshen up after whole day of exploring. For us, we no longer had an accommodation for  our last day and we just left our bags with the guard. This was very difficult with a toddler considering our flight was still at 1:25AM.)

We didn’t plan anything heavy on our first day as we knew that we would be coming from our flight and don’t have enough rest. We went out of the  house at around 10:00am and just strolled around Ximending area. Most of the stores are still closed at this time, probably because they close really late at night. Good thing we found an open milk tea store and some street food vendors. My husband enjoyed his 6-piece Gyoza for NT $60.

Deserted Ximending at 10AM

my first milk tea for this trip 🙂 around NT $40

food stalls where hubby bought his Gyoza 🙂

We also had an early lunch at a stall and ordered 2 bowls of rice meals for NT $40 each. Warning though, the serving of our food was soooo small! Too bad I was not able to take a picture of our mini meal 🙂 Maybe we just chose the wrong food stall.

After strolling at Ximending, we rode the MRT from Ximen station and headed to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (alight at Chiang Kai-Shek station – the MRT system in Taipei is so organized, you won’t have problems finding your destination or which line should you ride). The place was just majestic. Pictures do not give justice to how imposing the structures are. We didn’t mind the scorching heat at that time (it was around 1:00pm) and we just took pictures around.

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Going up the stairs of the memorial hall

changing of guards

surrounding area

We climbed the stairs and went inside the memorial hall and good thing we were just in time for the changing of guards, which happens every hour. The ceremony lasted for around 10 minutes I think. In the middle of the ceremony though, Xander started to become so uneasy and irritated. He made so much noise that people were already looking at us because it was soooo quiet during the ceremony. I was forced to step aside and breastfed him at the back, where he fell asleep. After the ceremony, we took the elevator down and there were a lot of areas to explore (museum, gift shops, etc.). While the memorial hall itself was not airconditioned, the area downstairs was (yaaaas). We spent a total of an hour and a half at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall vicinity.

After exploring, we again rode the MRT and alighted at the Taipei City Hall station. This station connects to the Breeze Mall, so we walked around and checked the area. Most shops in this mall are on the high end. There are also a lot of other malls around and we just walked and explored. We checked out Bellavita Mall as I’ve heard it has a nice structure. It was good for picture taking purposes, but there’s nothing to do inside. There’s Starbucks inside, but it was full. We just went out of the mall and had some snacks at the nearby Krispy Kreme at the Xinyi Mall. Taipei 101 is also walking distance from this station (though it has a station of its own).

Bellavita Mall

outside Taipei 101

We were so tired after all the walking we did (emphasis: with a toddler in a carrier), so we headed home to rest and refresh. At around 7:00pm, we went out and again explored Ximending, which this time was already full of life. Xander was already asleep at this time in his carrier. We found something to eat and chanced upon this group of food stalls. I bought beef cubes which were cooked through a fire gun (don’t know what it’s called). So yummy! It cost me NT $200.00. My hubby bought Taiwanese sausage, which he didn’t like. Then we saw Hot Star and bought just one order of chicken.. or do I say CHICKEN. It was huge! We were not able to finish it up.

beef cubes 

Hot Star stall

Our Marina Bay Sands Experience

When we go out of the country, we usually choose one attraction which we will spend for, just because YOLO and we would probably get the chance to visit each country we go to just once. For our Singapore trip, we decided to try out the famous Marina Bay Sands.

Marina Bay Sands – view from Gardens by the Bay

Reservation was very easy. Just go to their website (google it) and go to reservations. No advance payment needed (yaaay!) but you need to guarantee your reservation with a credit card. We got the cheapest room available at $493.16 (approximately Php18,000.00). This is without breakfast, but I think all their rooms do not include breakfast and you have to purchase it separately. Standard check-in time is 3PM and check out time is 11AM.

On the day of our check-in, we arrived at around 1:30PM. The lobby was veeeeeery busy – but it did not stand in the way for a smooth check in. There are 3 towers, and our deluxe room is located at tower 3. There is a different check in/out counter for tower 3. Check in was relatively fast, took us around 10 minutes, and no deposit was taken from me. We were allowed to check in early. We were given 2 adult keycards and 1 kids keycard.

I do not have high expectations for the room size given that I’ve read reviews saying that the room is small considering its price tag. But when we got to the room, we were actually very satisfied with it. It is very spacious compared to rooms of same level in 5 star hotels in the Philippines. The balcony is spacious as well – contrary to others’ feedback.

Our room – balcony visible

Our room – other side

room view – we were at the 13th floor

Upon check in, we just rested for a while and then prepared for swimming. The infinity pool is MBS’ main attraction, so we wasted no time and prepared for it right away. The pool is located in another tower (can’t remember if it’s tower 1 or 2), so we have to switch elevators for us to get to it. It’s quite a long walk – it’s difficult if you realize that you left something in your room which is at a different tower.

In order to access the pool, you need to have a keycard. 1 keycard = 1 person. This is their way to ensure that only guests can access the infinity pool. You have to tap your card before entering the pool area. For kids, no need to tap the card. My mom and sister crashed our room, and since we only have 2 adult key cards, we have to take turns for us all to experience the pool. My husband, xander, and I went first and when we were done, we gave our cards to Mama and Sam so they can also swim.

Needless to say, the pool was breathtaking. It comes with a view of almost all of Singapore. Just with the pool view, we felt that we already had our money’s worth. The water was veeeeery cold!

The pool was very long. It is divided into different areas – one is for adults only (no kids allowed), one is where kids are allowed. There is also an area for kids with floaters, as floaters are not allowed in the main pool. There are a loooot of people in the pool area, but this did not get in the way for us to have a good time.

crowd at the pool area kids section

There are also several jacuzzis around, again there are designated jacuzzis for adults and for those with family. We lounged at the pool area in the afternoon and my Mom and sister took their turn at night. When they were done, we checked out the area to see how it looks at night. I say it is even prettier at that time.

pool view at night

The observation deck was also located at the same floor. This area is open to all, not like the pool area which is only for guests. The view was likewise breathtaking – most especially at night.

After all the sightseeing, we had our dinner at The Shoppes at Marina Bay. There’s an access to it from the hotel.

Check out the following day was easy. Since they have my credit card details, they allowed us to have an “express check-out” – absolutely nothing to do on our part and they will check out on our behalf.

All in all, the hotel is indeed pricey but I can say that we truly enjoyed our experience. I just hoped that the room price included breakfast with it, considering the price paid. Nonetheless, it was an unforgettable experience for us.

goodnight!

 

My Birth Story

It has been exactly 6 months since I gave birth (happy 6 months to my Xander!) and I think 10 months since my last blog post. I’ve been thaaaaaat busy. Being a mom is really more than a full time job, and I actually found my real job a loooot easier (but no regrets here!). I don’t know if my memory will still serve me right but I guess it’s worth the shot to share my birth story, for the memories 🙂

39 weeks 

On my 39th week of pregnancy, I started to have stretch marks on my tummy (uh-oh). I took good care of my skin by applying Palmers lotion every after bath and before I go to sleep, but I guess I was just one of the unfortunate ones who develop stretch marks despite efforts to avoid the same. But just as I thought that it was the worst thing that could happen to my skin at that point, those stretch marks started to have tiny rashes within it. Yep – rashes within stretch marks. Not only that, they itched like hell! At first they remained within the stretch marks, then they spread all over my tummy, then they spread up to my arms and legs. And I am telling you, you would not wish that kind of itch on your worst enemy. Good thing I was already on maternity leave at that time, or else I could not imagine working in the office with that kind of itch.

I researched about it and found that it was PUPPP, or Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. Sounds scary, right? It is. While the cause is unknown, it is said that it is more common in women on their first pregnancy and if the pregnancy is with a boy. Check for me! And the only cure – giving birth! I have pictures but I think it’s best not to post them anymore, just google it and you will know what I’m talking about. Good thing though that I had it just a week before giving birth.

40 weeks

I had an ultrasound on my 40th week of pregnancy to check how things are going. I was then informed that my amniotic fluid level is already low. My OB – Dr. Asuncion Fernandez (she’s the best) – said that I can go home and prepare my things and I will already be admitted the following day as we cannot allow the fluid to go down on critical levels. I was excited just thinking about meeting my baby already!

The following day, I drove myself to St. Luke’s BGC to be admitted (yep, drove myself. Hubby was still at work and we decided to save his paternity leave for the time when baby is already here. And besides, I can still drive at that time). I went straight to the 3rd floor hospital wing at the High Risk Pregnancy Unit – this is where pregnant women are being admitted. I was given a room with a bathroom of its own (which is good because some rooms do not have one). I was informed that they will try to induce birth first so I can have a natural delivery. They gave me buscopan to soften my cervix (I didn’t know that buscopan can do this) and evening primrose.

On my 4th day in the hospital, however, it seems like my baby still does not want to go out. There were no signs that I was going to give birth soon, and my amniotic fluid level also rose because I was on IV. So after 3 nights and 4 days of inducement, I was sent home to wait for delivery at home. Gosh! So frustrating. Though I was instructed to go back 2 days after for an IE and another ultrasound.

The Time

As instructed, we went back to the doctor’s clinic on November 30, 2015 for an IE. Once done, my doctor said that my cervix was shut tight. After all those medications, it was still shut! She then asked me to have another ultrasound just to be sure that my amniotic fluid was still fine, and call her after I get the results.

After the procedure though, the sonologist told me that my amniotic fluid was already on critical levels, and that I have to be admitted ASAP. My husband and I did not really feel any panic at that time, and we even proceeded to SM Aura to have lunch and to decide on our action plan. We thought, if I will be admitted and induced once again, my amniotic fluid will again improve and I will again be discharged. The cycle will go on and on – and our birth budget will get depleted. So we decided to suggest to my OB for me to undergo CS operation instead, just to get all of these over and done. I called my OB and asked her what will happen in this situation. She said that she will try to induce me tonight but if there will still be no signs of birth, then I will undergo CS. With that in mind, I was admitted that night.

At the HRPU the night before my CS operation. Yes, I am wearing lipstick. 🙂

Again, after several attempts to induce me, still no signs of giving birth. I woke up at 8AM the following day and I was asked to do my usual morning ritual before the operation. I took a bath and as I was freshening up on the bed, the nurses started wheeling me to the operating room. Everything happened so fast! I was even still holding my phone at that time as my husband and I planned to take a selfie first.

It was my first time to enter an operating room. It was so bright inside! From the bed, I was transferred to a steel like surface – I thought the operation will happen on the soft bed, I was wrong. I literally felt like a meat as I was stripped off of my clothes and was laid in cold steel surface. I was then asked to assume a fetal position so that they can put anesthesia through my spinal cord. The first insertion was to numb my lower back I think, and the second insertion was the actual anesthesia to numb my entire lower body. Once the numbness kicked in, I felt panic. Ganun pala ang pakiramdam ng paralized waist down, nakakapanic! I tried so hard to move my lower body but to no avail, so I just tried to calm myself. Both my hands were tied to the sides of the bed (like a crucifixion position). I don’t know why. I felt some tugging on my tummy but there was absolutely no pain. Then my husband came in and the nurse took a photo of us.

Our photo during my CS operation – while my tummy was open hihi 🙂

Everything happened so fast. The next thing I know, I heard my baby cry. He’s out!

Xander’s first latch 🙂

Our first family picture – di man lang maayos coz I was not looking!

Xander sleeping peacefully 🙂

For our expenses, I must admit that St. Lukes BGC is a pricey hospital. But we want the best for our son and we know that we will be taken cared off in St. Lukes. We were not disappointed at all! The nurses are accommodating, the room is nice, and the food is yummy! Not the usual bland hospital food.

The following are our actual expenses during my confinement:

First confinement (where I was discharged the first time) – approx Php 30,000.00 (with Philhealth deduction already)

Second confinement (CS operation) – approx Php 160,000.00. (with Philhealth deduction already)

Of this amount, my OB’s PF is Php 60,000.00.

20% of OB’s PF will be the PF of the anesthesiologist.

Php 15,000.00 is the PF of the pedia.

The rest are the hospital charges.

First decent family pic 🙂

Reactivation of Voter Status at COMELEC

Since this is my last day of leave, I decided to make good use of my time and reactivate my status as a voter. Apparently, since I failed to vote during the last 2 elections, my voter status was deactivated. So I need to reactivate it to enable me to vote during the 2016 presidential elections. Since I am a voter of Pasig City, the procedure will be done at the 5th floor of the Pasig City Hall. 

To save you from hassle, be sure to bring a photocopy of a valid ID with address. For those valid IDs without address, you need to bring a proof of billing under your name. See below for a complete list of IDs:

  

The steps are really easy and simple, and outlined through this banner:

  
Step 1: Interview – Well, this is not really an interview. You just have to present a photocopy of your ID and the staff will give you the form to fill-out. There is a priority lane for pregnant women, PWD, and senior citizens, so I got to skip the line (yaaay!). 

Step 2: Fill-Up Forms – You have to fill out 3 copies of the form given to you. Simple process, no further explanation needed 🙂

Step 3: Recording – You will hand off the filled out forms to the staff and they will just check if you accomplished these correctly. 

Step 4: Biometrics – This is where they will take your picture and take your biometrics. No more biometrics for me because I’m just for reactivation, so they already have my records. They took a picture of me though since my picture on file is too nene pa hahaha!

Step 5: Releasing – They asked me to thumbmark the application form, then they gave me the acknowledgment receipt. 

And that’s it! The process is so easy and fast (took us less than 1 hour). 

Congenital Anomaly Scan (CAS) – In My Womb BGC

I had my Congenital Anomaly Scan (CAS) last 18 July 2015 at In My Womb BGC branch, located in front of St. Lukes Global, at the building with the big Mercury Drug. I initially tried to schedule my CAS at St. Lukes Global, but when I called around 1st week of July, all their weekend slots were already taken and there were only a few weekday slots left (better to call a month earlier than your preferred schedule I guess).

For those who do not have a clue, CAS is when the sonologist will check your baby – if all organs and body parts are complete and if everything is in order. You can also ask for the gender of your baby if you want. This is optional but I recommend that you avail of this, so that you can immediately see if there is anything wrong. Initially my hubby and I were planning to avail of the 2D scan only, but when I reserved my slot we opted to have the 3D scan instead. This costs 4,000 pesos (new price as of 18 July 2015). You can schedule your appointment for CAS if you are already at least 20 weeks pregnant. I had mine at 21 weeks. 

I had my schedule at 2:00pm, but because of the heavy traffic we could not make it on time. I texted the number of their personnel and she informed me that it’s okay because the girl before me was also late (I got their number because they texted me a day before to inform me of the price increase effective on the day of my appointment – talk about malas). 

The waiting area is very spacious and welcoming. I had my husband and my sister with me and good thing they allowed me to bring them in. The procedure took around 30-40 minutes. The sonologist was really nice, explaining and pointing to us the body parts of our baby. What she did is to examine our baby in 2D, while switching to 3D view from time to time. Then she gave us the news – we are having a boy! Yaaay! 

After the procedure we waited for about 10 minutes and they gave us a copy of the results and black-and-white pictures of our baby. Colored pictures will be available after 7 to 10 working days, but they notified us that the pictures were already available even before the period is up. Here are the pictures of our baby boy:

   

    
   

My Not-So-Wonderful Uber Experience

So everyone’s been raving about how wonderful Uber is. Last Friday, I finally had the opportunity to use Uber when I needed to commute from Eastwood to BGC.

So I opened the app and typed the necessary details. The screen showed that my driver will arrive in 6 minutes. Good because I was in a hurry. After 6 minutes, no vehicle. When I looked at the screen, the vehicle did not move from its point of origin. I decided to call the driver to check. When he picked up, he apologized and said he needed to stop at Shell due to call of nature. Haha, okay forgivable. He said that he was already on his way. The screen still said 6 minutes. After around 10minutes, still no vehicle came. I called again as I was really at a hurry at that time. When he picked up, he was asking where my exact location was. Huh? Wasn’t that indicated in his info already? So I patiently explained the location of my building. However, I could not explain it properly to him as he kept on interrupting me – “ah magleleft po ako” “Hindi kuya derecho lang  sa may….” “Eh sabi ng taga Shell left daw ako eh…” I was getting really irritated at that time. After another 10minutes, still no vehicle in sight. Now he was the one who called me and asked me for directions. While explaining he interrupted me again saying “ah nakikita ko na!” So i waited, but still no vehicle after a few minutes! Shell was so close to my building so I really don’t get it why it was taking him so long. Finally my vehicle arrived after at least 30-40minutes of waiting for what was supposedly a 6-minute distance.

When I got in the car, the driver asked me “Mam may waze po kayo?” Apparently he didn’t know where BGC is. Like, seriously? Mainit na ang ulo ko nun. I just told him I know where it is so I’ll just guide him. Then he went on talking and complaining about Manila traffic, WITH CUSS WORDS IN EVERY SENTENCE. Sumakit talaga ang tenga ko. I was quiet in the vehicle as I wanted some peace after an irritating wait.

So i got to my destination in BGC and I was just so happy to get off from that vehicle.

My second Uber ride was on the same night. From ACCRALAW Tower I needed to go to SM Aura. Since it was rush hour I know that I could not just hail a taxi, so I used Uber again. When I opened the app there was a notification that there was a price surge of I think x 2.2, if I remember it correctly. Being a new Uber user, I had no idea what that price surge was all about. I never read about it in any of the reviews my friends posted in their social media. But since I needed to get to SM Aura asap and there are no cabs available, I still used Uber. My driver arrived promptly and he was super nice. However when I got to SM I was surprised to see that my bill amounted to Php222.00. Hahaha. For that short distance I had to pay this much.

Maybe I was just having a bad day. Nonetheless I am still willing to give Uber another try. And I am still not in favor of banning it as I still believe that it is a much better option than a regular taxi.

Our Wedding Suppliers and What We Think About Them

As previously promised, I am providing here our (my) thoughts on all wedding suppliers we had. Hopefully this will help other brides and brides-to-be in choosing their wedding suppliers.

Pre-Nup, Ceremony, Reception, Preps Venue, and Catering: Dusit Thani Manila

Let me divide my review of Dusit as we had a lot of things going on here.

Pre-Nup Venue

PROS: Having our pre-nup at Dusit was included in our wedding package, hence, we got it for free. You can have your pre-nup at the main areas of the hotel, particularly in the lobby, pool area, and the Japanese garden. We decided to have our pre-nup at the Japanese garden as it has a beautiful landscape.

CONS: We had some problems during check-in as the staff are not coordinated with the schedule of our pre-nup. According to our Events contact in Dusit (Dexter Eulin), our pre-nup was noted in their calendar. However, the reception informed us that our pre-nup was not in their calendar. So there was a little bit of confusion there.

Also, there were some construction works when we did our pre-nup session (until our wedding date which was a few months after) so our photos kinda captured those constructions works. Not good in pictures. Also we had a time limit for our session as they do not allow people to be at the Japanese garden during construction time (although we did  not follow this and we exceeded the time allotted to us).

Ceremony Venue

PROS: We had our ceremony at the poolside garden. It was beautiful! We really want to have a garden ceremony and we are satisfied with the poolside garden. Dusit also closed the pool area to the public so we had the entire area to ourselves (sorry to the hotel guests who were affected).

CONS: It was quite small and only around 100 guests will be able to comfortably sit (some of our guests sat on the bleachers for lack of space). Also there were construction works during our wedding so there were scaffoldings above, which can be seen in the pictures. Even SM which was located in front of the garden has construction works in it. It was also quite noisy as you can hear the vehicles from EDSA.

Reception Venue

PROS: Our package had a LOT of inclusions: food, ceremony and reception venue, 2 nights at a bridal suite with club access, 1 night at a deluxe room, bridal car (which we did not use), sound system OR music trio (we availed of the sound system), 5-layered cake, ice carving with the couple’s initials, floral arrangements for the tables, basic arrangement for the reception stage, 1-hour massage for 2, 2000 nett dinner, guestbook, placecards, free gym use for the couple 1 month before the wedding (which we were not able to use due to busy schedule), electronic save the date (which they were not able to deliver, minus points here). We were able to save a lot because of the inclusions in the package.

The waiters during the reception were superb! Those assisting me were very prompt and attended to all my needs, even those which I did not ask. When I was crying during my sister’s speech the waiter approached me and gave me a tissue – talk about going above what they were required to do.

CONS: We had a problem with the table set-up. At around 1 week before the wedding we requested for 2 additional tables as we exceeded our expected number of guests. Since we already finalized our contract, this was no longer noted and our agreement was only verbal as we only gave our instructions over the phone to our main contact (Dexter Eulin). We agreed to pay additional PHP30,000 for this. Come wedding day, the 2 tables were not set-up and it was not noted in any of Dexter’s instructions to the crew (Dexter apparently was on leave or already resigned as of our wedding date – we are not so sure what happened). To make matters worse, after the wedding we were still charged the additional PhP30,000. Since we were not aware of what happened as our coordinator did not inform us about this, we paid the PhP30,000. It was only 2 weeks after the wedding, when we got back from our honeymoon, did we find out about this – when our friend told us what happened. Really disappointing. We no longer made a claim as we do not want to be stressed about this anymore.

Catering

PROS: The food was great! We had a lot of compliments for our food.

CONS: We are not sure but we think there was a little lack on the amount of food served. From what I’ve heard, some viands were already consumed when the last few guests were about to take their food. This may be attributed to the fact that there is no one manning the buffet area – a practice common for hotels.

Preps Venue

PROS: They allowed us to move to the bridal suite early (at around 9:30AM). The day before we just checked-in in a deluxe room and we planned to move to the bridal suite early. They granted our request and that is much appreciated. The room is also very spacious.

CONS: The room looks really old. Also, I was expecting that the bridal suite will be located at the club lounge floor, as that was the representation to us. They even showed us the bridal suite at the lounge floor, which is newer than where we were placed. Although if I remember correctly, the suite given to us is bigger compared to what was committed. So maybe I’m okay with this.

On-the-Day Coordinator: Pagtitipon Events 

PROS: Overall they did a good job, although we think it could have been better.

They did a very good job during the ceremony when we had table problems. From what was relayed to us (as we are not aware of what’s happening), they were able to act swiftly in finding seats for everyone despite the lack of the 2 additional tables agreed upon with Dusit.

Also, all the basic stuff were properly coordinated and we did not have any major problem during the wedding. Would want to commend them as I saw that they really exerted much effort in ensuring that everything is in order.

CONS: As mentioned above, the problem on the tables was not relayed to us immediately after the wedding, which caused us to pay Dusit additional Php30,000. This could have been avoided if we were immediately informed of what happened.

They also had a difficulty coordinating with each other (among the coordinators themselves) as apparently their radio was under repair. This I think is an essential tool of the trade and a coordinator could not afford not having one. This caused them to communicate through mobile phones and by running towards each other, which was not really efficient. Nonetheless I understand that they are having their radio fixed, so I think this will no longer be a problem for them.

Wedding Orchestra: Manila Philharmonic Orchestra

PROS: The musicians are really good. Got commendations for them from our guests.

CONS: We had a bad experience with them though before our event. See my detailed review here. Also, I was just recently informed by some of our guests that the vocalist was not that good (was not able to pay much attention to them during the wedding). She was even caught doing selfie shots during the ceremony. I mean, they were located at an elevated area in our ceremony, in front of everyone, thus seen by all. She lacks professionalism I think.

Save-the-Date Videographer: God’s Grace Productions

PROS: We love GGP!! It was so easy to talk to them and they executed our Save-the-Date video the way we wanted it. They were also so accommodating with everything we want which made them easy to work with. Aside from our Save-the-Date video, we also shot an MTV of Captured, patterned with the original music video. It was also superb! Will no longer share it as it is for our and our guests’ eyes only (due to possible copyright issues hahaha).

You can watch our Save the Date video here.

CONS: None.

Official Photographer and Videographer: Daniel Lei Studio

See their website here.

PROS: We also love Daniel Lei Studio! Our Same Day Edit video was just amazing. Our prenup was combined with the wedding video and that is the main reason why we hired them.

Watch our Same Day Edit here.

CONS: With respect to our edited Prenup pictures – I feel that it was not really edited properly. Particularly, as I’ve mentioned above there were construction works at our venue which is visible in some of the pictures (just above the shots, as the construction works are located at the upper parts of the building). We can still see these construction works in the pictures, which could have been easily removed by cropping the pictures (which I did myself).

It is also very difficult to reach them. They don’t check their emails and FB page much so it takes a long time for them to reply to queries. Also, as of the date of writing (over a month after the wedding), we have not seen the raw shots of our photos yet.

Prenup Styling: Papers and Pastels by DLS

See their FB page here.

PROS: We loved our prenup set-up! It was simple as we had limited budget but they really exceeded our expectations. We even used some of the items they created for our prenup during the wedding ceremony as these are really nice to use as decorations.

prenup items used as decors during the ceremony

CONS: None.

Florist: Tropical Blooms

PROS: The florist was included in our Dusit Wedding Package but I want to mention them specially as they did a totally amazing job! Our package only included the flowers during the reception, so we paid them extra to provide the flowers during the ceremony and for our entourage. It was really value for money. We loved our flowers! They also took care of decorating the ceremony area (the “stage” set up, the entrance set up) and we loved it!

Also, when we had a problem with our letter standees (from a different supplier), they were the ones who took care of it. Since the color of the letter standees were damaged, they took it upon themselves to paint and decorate the letters with flowers to cover the damages – again this is going beyond what they were required to do.

CONS: None.

White Wooden Chairs: Lily Banquet Chairs

Email them at bevsm@yahoo.com

PROS: Transaction was really easy! Just sent them an email, filled-up an order form, and everything is settled. On the day of the wedding they will take care of the set-up if you will also book their delivery services (additional 3,000). Otherwise you can pick-up the chairs yourselves.

CONS: None.

Bridal Bouquet: ETC Handmade Goodness

PROS: I loooooove the bouquet! I wanted something that I can preserve so I decided to go with their “fabric with brooch accents” bouquet. And it was just beautiful. They even placed elephant charms on it as I had a sort of Thai inspired theme. It is pricey but for me it is worth it. 

I’ll post another photo when I see the official ones, but for now this will do. Note though that there are different designs of flowers at the other side of the bouquet, was not able to take a picture of it.

CONS: None.

Wedding Gown: Tita Minda (our neighbor – Dona Aurora Executive Village, Marcos High-Way, Santolan, Pasig City)

PROS: Tita Minda’s shop is really located in Divisoria, but since she is our neighbor, it is as if I went all the way to Divisoria to get that gown. This saved me time and effort. More importantly, my wedding gown is not Divisoria quality – it was really beautiful. And I did not pay much for it. Totally loved Tita Minda’s work.

back view

front view

CONS: None.

Entourage Gowns: Lyn of Marikina Market Dry Goods Section (Stall 1)

PROS: I got the gowns for a really cheap price, and the quality of the gowns were definitely more than what I paid for.

 

CONS: Second and third fittings are really important, as some of the gowns do not exactly fit the girls. There were those who were not able to undergo second fittings and their gowns were either too tight or too loose.

Groom, Groomsmen, and Father of the Bride’s Barongs: Sleeke (Farmer’s Mall, Cubao)

PROS: Really value for money. They were efficient, the barongs were done at the fastest possible time. The quality of the barongs are good as well. Highly recommended.

CONS: None.

Bridal Make-Up: Genevieve Gabionza Make-Up

Email her at genevieve.gabionza@gmail.com

PROS: I looooove my make-up! And I really got a lot of compliments for it. I had different make-ups for the ceremony and the reception and both are just wonderful. She got a separate hairstylist to do my hair, which is also great.

I’ll post a photo of my make-up when I get the official pictures from the photographer, to do justice to her work. In the meantime, here is a picture of my hairdo for the ceremony:

Here’s a photo of my second look (btw the flower girl dress was also made by Lyn of Marikina Market):

CONS: She’s kinda expensive, but I guess it is value for money. So no regrets really.

One comment though, the hairstylist left immediately after my hair was done for the ceremony (as she had another appointment, but she came back for my second look), and my veil was not yet in place at that time. When it was time to put the veil, Gen said it is the hairstylist who usually puts the veil. But since she is no longer around, Gen had to do it herself. Maybe she’s not used to it, coz when I looked at the pictures my veil was not properly fixed. Kinda disappointed here coz I didn’t have great veil shots. Although I’m also surprised why the coordinator and the photographer did not bother to fix my veil (as I cannot see it myself during that time).

my veil was not properly fixed

Entourage Make Up (Mother of the Bride, Maid of Honor, and 1 Bridesmaid) – Ruby Gico 

check her IG account: @rubygico

PROS: Ruby is also a good make-up artist! She’s young and still starting. But she’s got talent. Her price is also reasonable – actually it is cheap given the quality!

CONS: None.

Customized Hangers: Hangstyle Manila

PROS: The hangers are really nice! And ordering is easy. I just sent them a message in facebook and they immediately sent me an order form. The hangers were delivered at our house.

CONS: Bit expensive.

*will post the picture once I see the photographer’s shots

Souvenirs: Made In Candy

PROS: We ordered customized candies and instructed them to have an elephant design plus our initials. It turned out very nice! It was unique and very personalized. They also let us choose the color and flavor we want. Since the jars are really expensive, we opted to have them packed in sort of foiled containers.

CONS: It was really expensive.

Pictures will be posted upon arrival of official photos.

Invitations: Ralmig Signs and Photo Studio

See their FB page here.

PROS: Our invitations looked great! Got so many commendations for this. Transaction was also smooth (well they were easily accessible to me as my sis’ family owns this).

(photo grabbed from Maggie Malonzo’s FB account)

CONS: None.

Engagement Ring and Wedding Rings: Suarez Wedding Rings

You can check their website here.

PROS: Value for money. You really get what you pay for. Our wedding rings are beautiful! And we did not spend too much for it. Same with the engagement ring. They offer 1 free adjustment in case the rings don’t fit you well (had that done with my engagement ring). Will post pictures once I get the official ones.

CONS: None.

Afternoon Tea at the Burj Al Arab

They say that the Burj Al Arab, located in Dubai, UAE is the world’s only 7-star hotel. That is why when I learned that my (then) fiance and I will spend our honeymoon in Dubai, I immediately researched on how we can get to the Burj Al Arab, you know, just for the heck of getting there. As they say, you only live once.

The thing with the Burj Al Arab is that you cannot go inside the hotel unless you are checked-in or have a reservation in any of their restaurants. Since checking-in is already out of the question (around Php100,000 a night), we opted for (what they say) one of the cheapest ways to get into the hotel – to have an afternoon tea.

Reservation is quite easy. You can just send an email to BAARestaurants@jumeirah.com and provide the following details: 1) your name and how many you are in the group; 2) where you want to have your afternoon tea (you have an option of having it at the Sky View Bar (27th floor) or at the Lobby (2nd floor) – we chose the Sky View Bar as we want to appreciate the view above; 3) date when you want to have your afternoon tea; 4) time (option of either 1:00PM or 4:00PM. An auto-reply email acknowledging your message will immediately be sent to you, and an agent will actually reply to you in a short while. The following additional details will be asked from you: 1) credit card details (only for the purpose of holding the reservation, you can still pay in cash when you get to the hotel); 2) special occasion; 3) dietary requirements; and 4) your contact number. Price for the afternoon tea is 620 AED per person, or roughly Php 7,440 per person. Yep, it’s quite pricey for an afternoon tea. But since we do not know if we will have another opportunity to visit Dubai, we went for it.

You should also take note of the following information (as lifted from their email confirmation):

• Request for window table will be noted, however it will not be confirmed and subject to availability
• The dress code is smart casual. Gentlemen are requested to wear a collared shirt, full-length trousers or smart jeans and closed shoes. Ladies are requested to wear a suit or a dress, long or short skirt or dressy slack and top. UAE national dress is welcome. Shorts, T-shirts, flip-flops, open and running, gym, tennis, basketball shoes, etc. are not allowed.
• Due to high volume of restaurant bookings, we will be holding your table for a period of 30 minutes from the reservation time onwards. Access to the hotel will be given 30 minutes prior to your reservation time.
• Photography is allowed in the restaurant upon manager’s discretion. Please refrain from video recording.
• Please switch your mobile phones to silent mode while dining in our restaurants.
• This reservation does not provide access to additional areas of the hotel.
• The view during night time will be limited due to the restaurant location facing towards the sea
• According to Dubai law, minors below 21 years of age are not permitted in bars.
• To provide access to Skyview bar for pre or post dinner drinks a reservation is required.

While it is stated in the rules that you can only enter the hotel premises 30 minutes before your reservation, we arrived around 1 hour before and we were already allowed to enter. The guard at the gate of the hotel will ask you to show him a copy of your reservation, so make sure that you have it with you (I just showed the guard the email confirmation from my phone). We took pictures before entering the lobby.

Upon entering, we were informed by one of the lady attendants that the reception area for the Sky View Bar is located at the 2nd floor, after the elevators. But we will only be allowed to go up to the Sky View Bar 30 minutes before our reservation. So since we were early, we decided to take pictures of the lobby area and of the gift shop. We also went to the second floor and took pictures around:

lobby

gift shop

elevator area at the 2nd floor

the wet floor sign is gold plated

At around 30 minutes before our reservation, we were already allowed to go up. We were again greeted by another reception area at the 27th floor. I just gave them my reservation number and after a quick check, they already called me by name and they even congratulated us for our wedding/honeymoon (talk about attentiveness!). When we were being led to our table, I requested that we be seated beside the window, and the lady politely replied that she will try her best. But since we were one of the first groups there, we got a good window seat!

view at night

sky view bar at night

Our champagne and appetizers were served right after we were seated.

sorry ate a piece before I took a picture

some sort of beef

There is also a menu on the table where all the courses to be served are enumerated. There is also a short history of the afternoon tea, which is an interesting read.

Since I am not really a foodie, I will not be able to give a decent review of each of the food they served. The different kinds of bread which they later on served are unlimited – someone goes around asking guests if they want to have more. But for us, the first serving is already more than enough – or maybe we just have little appetite. The cute thing about the food is that these are served in trays in the shape of the hotel.

The drinks are likewise unlimited. You can order all sorts of tea, coffee, juice, and softdrinks you want. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination but I think that some of the food, including the coffee, have gold bits sprinkled in them:

coffee with gold bits?

dessert – sorbet?

One of the highlights of the meal is when they surprised me with a rose. They noted that we were on our honeymoon and so they gave my husband a stem of rose to be given to me. Such a nice gesture.

We stayed at the Sky View Bar until I think 6-6:30PM. After that, we had to leave as they are already setting up for the night ambiance of the Bar. But we are still free to roam around the lobby. We also went out of the hotel to take some pictures.

If you will ask me if what we paid for is at par with the experience, my answer will be qualified. If we are to consider the food itself, I don’t think 620 AED or Php7,000++ is really the value of what we ate. But since I know that we are not paying for the food but for the ambiance and the fact of setting foot on the only 7-star hotel in the world, I would say that I’m satisfied with what the overall experience.

Wedding Supplier Review: Disappointment over Manila Philharmonic Orchestra

It is 14 days after our wedding and I think it is about time that I post a review about our wedding suppliers. While I plan to create a consolidated review for all our suppliers, I will dedicate separate special posts for suppliers who deserve more than a simple paragraph comment – whether in a good or bad way.

First in my list is the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), as in fact I’ve been dying to write about them even before our wedding day. More than 6 months before our wedding, we went to a bridal fair specifically to book this orchestra. We have high expectations of them as they are known as a high end orchestra, and their services also come with a price. We decided to book a quartet with 1 singer. As we have seen their great performances during our friends’ weddings, we are excited on how they would play during our wedding day.

In the course of our dealings with them, they asked us to send them our song choices for the wedding. They provided us with templates of wedding song choices and the list of the songs on their playlist. So far so good. On 20 December 2014 (our wedding is scheduled on 3 January 2015), Jillian of Manila Philharmonic sent me an email for confirmation of the details of our song choices. I sent her a reply confirming our song choices. Aside from that I also noted the following : 1) Our first dance song, Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal, was composed by the groom’s late father. I indicated this just to emphasize how important this song choice was; and 2) We plan to dance to our reception entrance song – I’ve Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas. I have not heard from them since this email exchange so I trusted that everything was in order.

On 2 January 2015, or a day before the wedding, at 3:53PM, Jillian sent me a text message saying that they cannot find the sheet music for Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal. She then asked me if I have the music sheet and if not, we would have to choose another song. In my mind I was like, “why are you telling me just now?” But since it is a day before the wedding, I do not want to lose my cool. I asked my then fiance to reply to her and settle the matter. Later on my fiance called me to say that we will just resort to playing the mp3 of that song, and that Manila Philharmonic will take care of finding the mp3. He also said that Jillian got the number of our coordinator. Good enough. Jillian also confirmed that this problem was taken cared of.

At around 7:30PM, our coordinator called my then fiance to tell him that she cannot find the mp3 of Lea Salonga’s version of Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal, and if it is okay with us if we use another version. My fiance got confused as we thought that Manila Philharmonic will take care of finding the mp3. As it turned out, Jillian asked our coordinator to inform our sound system provider to provide the mp3 version of the song. But since our coordinator could not contact the sound system provider at that time, she tried to find the mp3 herself. I was extremely disappointed because for us, Manila Philharmonic should be the one to provide a replacement since they were the ones who could not find the music sheet despite their assurance that everything was finalized. Moreover, they only informed us 1 day before the wedding, which was totally unacceptable. I could not take it anymore and so I sent Jillian this text message:

“Jillian, this is Gayle Pizarro. I am extremely disappointed with what’s happening with our song choice for the first dance. We had our meeting a few weeks ago and you even emailed me two weeks ago about the final song list. And it is only now that you are telling us that the song is not available. You even passed the obligation of looking for the song to our coordinator. I did not expect this for such a high end orchestra. So disappointing. This song choice is important because it is composed by the groom’s dad who already passed away. If you informed us earlier sana nakahanap pa kami ng song sheet maybe from EMI. But we cannot take care of this with such short notice. Please fix this and do not pass your obligation to someone else.”

Eventually they said that they will provide the mp3 themselves.

Come wedding day and during the first dance, there was no mp3 and they tried to play the song live. The problem was, there were mistakes in the lyrics and they were out of tune! My goodness. We already agreed with the mp3 version and we don’t understand why they still tried to play it despite having obviously no preparation.

Another boo boo they committed was with respect to our entrance song for the reception. IT WAS NOT PLAYED AT ALL. They were just playing random music when we entered. I mentioned above that we planned to dance to this and we actually prepared dance steps to the tune of I’ve Gotta Feeling. Good thing though was that 5 minutes before we entered, my husband and I decided (but just between us, without MPO’s knowledge) that we will no longer dance because of the limited space. But we still expected that the song will be played. But lo and behold, our desired entrance song was not played at all.

I am quite sure that this is an isolated incident as MPO is a known and high end orchestra, and they would not get this reputation if they had been dealing with their clients the same way they dealt with us. Just sharing our experience so that other couples could exercise caution when dealing with them.

Wedding Essentials: Obtaining a Marriage License at Antipolo City

Obtaining a license is one of the requirements to contract marriage. As required by the Family Code of the Philippines, the marriage license, which shall be valid for a maximum period of 120 days, shall be issued by the local civil registrar of the city/municipality where one of the contracting parties resides. Since my fiance resides in Antipolo City, we chose to obtain our marriage license there.

The requirements of obtaining a marriage license are essentially the same in each city, although there are some variations. For Antipolo City, here are the requirements:

1) Certificate of No Record of Marriage (CENOMAR) for both parties – This can be ordered online through the NSO website. You can also have it delivered to your house. So convenient! If you’re within Metro Manila, the document will arrive in 2-3 days. If you’re from the provinces, it will take approximately 9 days.

2) Birth Certificates of both parties – Can also be ordered online through the NSO website.

3) Pre-Marriage Counseling, ONLY for ages 18-24 (schedule: Friday: 1pm – 5pm) – since we’re above 24 years of age, we are no longer required to attend this. For other cities, this is a requirement regardless of age. Thank God Antipolo City is not that strict!

4) If between 18 – 20 years of age, consent from both parents. Personal appearance of parents (with valid IDs) is required.

5) If between ages 21 – 24 years of age, advice from parents. Personal appearance of parents (with valid IDs) is also required.

6) 1 1×1 picture for each party

7) Residence Certificate (Cedula) – If you do not have one, you can get this at the City Hall. There is a small room beside the City Hall entrance where you can get a cedula. The price of the Cedula will depend on your salary, which they will ask you. Since you do not need to present proof of income, feel free to state whatever amount of salary you want 🙂 For me, I paid Php155.00 for the cedula.

Since I am not a resident of Antipolo, they just asked me if I have an Antipolo address. I gave my fiance’s address. No further questions on their part.

8) Personal appearance of both parties – REQUIRED!

9) Payment of Php350.00

10) Release of Marriage License on the 11th day – due to the 10-day publication requirement, as required by law.

11) Death Certificate or Annulment Papers, etc, in case you are previously married.

The actual process is very easy. There is a family center beside the Antipolo City Hall (I forgot the actual name of the center). Go up to the second floor, turn right, and enter the door to your right. There are signs which will point you to the persons processing the marriage licenses. Here is the procedure:

1) Upon presentation of the original documents, they will ask you to photocopy the birth certificates and CENOMAR, along with another form which they will use in the publication. You may want to photocopy your documents before going to the center (at least 3 copies each), so that you will only photocopy the publication form. They will get the orignial CENOMAR but return the original birth certificates to you.

2) They will also ask you to pay the Php350.00 marriage license fee. Payment will be made at the room beside the City Hall (where the Cedula can also be obtained). You have to go out of the family center to get to the payment area. If I am not mistaken, payment is made at window 12.

3) Upon presentation of the receipt and surrender of the documents, including the photocopy of the publication form, you will be asked sign a logbook.

4) They will inform you that the marriage license will be released in 11 days. You may also ask a representative to claim it for you, just provide an authorization letter.

And you’re done! The entire process will just take you 10-15 minutes, provided that you are the only couple at the time you are processing your marriage license (which is the case for us).