GO: The Ultimate Trip for 2011

UPDATE: Looks like we're postponing this trip because of some pretty awesome stuff happening in our lives.

I'm actually behind in blog posts as there are still some wedding stories and experiences I have yet to tell (waiting for the beautiful wedding photos to accompany my posts). For now, let me kick off March with a preview of THE trip this coming June. Macau and Hong Kong trip was just the warmup, THIS one is the BIG ONE for this year. This is the trip where we go all out, where we come home not caring if we're financially wounded. This is THE trip, where maybe, just maybe (God-willing), little Jeremys and little Joyces get their acts together and come to life!  This is THE ULTIMATE HONEYMOON of 2011!

Where do we plan to be in June? You tell me...

 

 

 

* stock images taken from SXC.

01.30.11 - Supplier Experience: POOFtacular!

Photobooths never fail to bring out the fun in everyone. And that's the reason why we got a photobooth for our wedding instead of souvenirs which are usually thrown away after. At least with the photobooth, it's harder to throw them away because your face is in it. Plus, it serves as a perfect souvenir that could remind one of good memories years after. To kick off a series of overdue wedding supplier ratings, let's talk about our choice of photobooth, POOF!

Overall Rating: 4.5 - Exactly what we expected, great pictures, and tons of FUN for everyone!

What we didn't like? About four weeks before the wedding, POOF contacted me to get the ball rolling on the layouts. I sent them our thoughts a week after, but didn't get any response until about 2 followups. Partly I guess, this was our fault as well since we sent the pictures for the layouts a few days before the wedding.

What we love? The main reason why we got POOF was because they were the only ones who offered photobooths that can have more than one layout. And as far as layout goes, they didn't disappoint. We liked the layouts given that we only had a few days to finalize them. Though the original DVD they gave us didn't work, they were kind enough to send another DVD a few days after the wedding.

For complete set of photobooth pictures, check out POOF's website.

01.30.11 - Feel the Love! (Wedding SDE)

Since everyone's in the mood for lovin', it might be the best time to reminisce a perfect day! Fifteen days after, I'm still having a wedding hangover and I'm not complaining, especially if we have videos like this to watch over and over again. After weeks of thinking which song to use, the perfect song played on the radio at the right moment and the rest as they say is history! It was more than I could ask for from the very talented team of John de Guzman and Cinemaworks.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, can't wait to see the actual wedding photos and the complete set of wedding videos.

Enjoy the video guys!

*sings* Promise me, you'll always be, happy by my side. I promise to, sing to you, when all the music dies. *sings*

 

Just never ceases to bring tears in my eyes! Oh and a friend of mine noticed that I've been sentimental since I got married. Maybe I'm senti all this time, the wedding just unleashed it! (Just like my 'sexful'-ness)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

You may checkout the video on YouTube as well.

The E-Session Experience

Joyce didn't really like the idea of having a pre-nup or engagement shoot. So I tried my best to make sure she won't be too stressed. As it turned out, it was me who got a little stressed over the stuff I needed to buy to make the shoot fab! As always, I crammed my shopping and bought new shoes and new pants a day before the shoot.

Having tons of help from famed and talented stylist Debra Bernales, her make-up artist Sugar and kickass contemporary wedding photographer Oly Ruiz of Metrophoto made the shoot a fun and truly enjoyable experience.

Deb provided great concepts, cool clothes and fashionable accessories while Oly made us comfortable posing and took awesome photos from all angles. We had the all-access shoot in one of the best restobar in the metro located at the Fort, The Establishment.

Hope you'll love the photos as much as we did!

For complete set of photos, check out my Facebook page, just add me up!

BOOKED: Novotel Nathan Road, Hong Kong

As I wrote in my last post, we are destined for HK and Macau in our first honeymoon trip. We plan to spend a couple of nights in HK and a couple of nights in Macau.

Probably the most challenging part in this trip so far is getting a good and not-so-expensive hotel in Hong Kong. I'm used to staying in a hostel when I visit HK, but of course, we won't settle for that in this trip. As we do our research we've come across some nice options that other honeymooners can consider when planning for their trip and intend to splurge a little.
 

Novotel Premier Room

Our Choice
Novotel Nathan Road - I initially wanted to stay in a luxury hotel, but we decided to save it for more shopping. We picked this hotel mainly because it is just minutes away from the Jordan station of the MTR and it's in the heart of the shopping district in Nathan Road. I've read good reviews about the hotel in Tripadvisor (which by the way has a great app for Ipod) as well. Room rates start at HK$1,000 + tax (breakfast not included, no cancellation policy).

Also, check out this blog entry from travel blogger Ivan Henares to know more about their room upgrade promo. I inquired about this promo and true enough your superior room can be upgraded to a premier room (with free wi-fi and buffet breakfast) for free. If this promo is availed, the standard room rate for a superior room will be HK$1,200 + taxes.

Other Options

-> W Hotel - This hotel still makes me drool. From the pictures, interiors are just very modern yet elegant. Would love to try out this hotel next time. Cheapest promo rates start at around HK$1,800+.

-> Langham Hotel - Has good location and is near the star ferry pier. Cheapest promo rates start at around HK$1,600+.

-> Langham Place - Right at the heart of Mongkok, this hotel should be perfect for tourists who love shopping. I was just afraid that the area may be too busy. Still, this hotel might be worth trying in the next visits. Cheapest promo rates start at around HK$1,400+.

-> Luxe Manor - Has really unique interiors. All rooms seem to have a mystic feel in them and their themed suites may be worth a try someday. Somehow the themed room pictures remind me of the Victoria Court rooms here in the Philippines. Cheapest promo rates start at around HK$1,100+.

-> Novotel Citygate - Nice hotel, but just way too far from everything else. Very close to the airport as well. Cheapest promo rates start at around HK$1,000+.

READ: The Dip by Seth Godin

Just finished reading The Dip by marketing guru Seth Godin. I bought his book out of curiosity after watching one of his talks in TED. I must admit, it was an interesting read that gave me a good perspective on when to quit and when not to. It's also a short book, just a perfect book to carry whenever I'm commuting or maybe doing my thing in the restroom.

Godin explains in his book when to know if you've reached the point where you are in The Dip and according to him, it is during this time when most people quit. Successful people though find a way to fight through The Dip. He also shared his perspective of being able to quit on something as early as possible, in fact he encourages quitting and quitting often.

There are a few things that stuck the most in my head.

1. Determine under what circumstances would you quit even before starting something.

2. If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.

3. If you're not going to get to #1, you might as well quit now.

To be honest, another reason I got this book is because a part of me believes I've hit a plateau in my IT career. I don't feel like I want to move up ranks and face the challenge. After reading The Dip, I gave myself a new perspective about my career and when I should quit and definitely now's not yet the time.

BOOKED: The Venetian Macau

Last month Joyce and I booked for our first out-of-the-country trip as a married couple. Taking advantage of Cebu Pacific's 50% off sale, we got MNL-HKG and MACAU-MNL tickets for just P8,500! It's no P0 fare, but it's quite a good deal considering that we'll be greeting the Chinese New Year there.

* Royale Suite

For our stay in Macau, we decided to book a 2-night stay in the very famous The Venetian Macau. And since we were booking early, we got a good 20% discount as part of their early bird promo. Still, the price didn't come cheap as we'll be spending about HKD5,000 for two nights in their Royale Suite (Cotai Strip View) Both Joyce and I wanted to experience the luxury of The Venetian so we never really bothered to look for other options. 

One thing that makes me nervous about our trip to Macau is the timing. We'll be there during Chinese New Year and since everyone's on holiday during that time, I'm pretty sure tons of visitors from the Mainland and Hong Kong will be flocking Macau and gambling through the holiday. Still, I'm pretty sure the atmosphere will be festive and that's something I'm looking forward to. Worst case scenario, we'll end up staying in our luxurious suite during most of our time there. ;)