not knowing anything about jewelry is bad.  hahaha.

Kris did research regarding engagement rings via the internet and solicited the help of his good friend Earl regarding the matter. He was led to Blue Nile (http://www.bluenile.com/) and eventually ordered my engagement ring there.

most wedding-planning guide will tell you about the 5 C’s of diamonds: Carat, Cut, Color, Clarity & Cost, so read through and pick up a thing or two:

Carat: AAs described by we The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language - a unit of weight for precious stones = 200 mg. In other words, the metric carat equals 200 milligrams. Remember, carat only deals with the weight of a diamond and has nothing to do with the size. The heavier (in mass) the diamond, the more carat it’s got.

Cut: This measurement can affect the price of a diamond by significant amounts. There is such a thing called an ideal cut. Two diamonds with the same carat, color, clarity can have varying cost based solely on how it is cut! Not to start a physics tutorial but depending on how a diamond is cut, the eye can percieve it as being larger. So cut is also another important measurement of a diamond.

Color: I can remember old James Bond movies where diamonds were poured from a velvet pouch and all I can think of was, wow, they look colorful! Little did I know that the color of a diamond can be a big determinant in it’s cost. The scaled runs from the letter “D” to “Z”. Letter “D” being the most white diamond and letter “Z” being the most yellow diamond. White diamonds cost more than yellow diamonds.

Clarity: This is the clearness of appearance when you look into a diamond. There is also a clarity scale ranging from “flawless” to “Imperfect”. Of course, a flawless diamond will cost more than a similar diamond that is less flawless.

Cost: Finaly, the cost. The final cost of a diamond is determined by all the independnet variables in the GIA report (above) but mostly, the first 4 C’s (carat, cut, color & clarity) make up the biggest determinant of the price of a diamond.

(from http://www.ads-links.com/diamonds/)

as for our wedding bands, nakakalito talaga sa dami ng designs when you go to jewelry shops and/or bridal fairs.  after browsing sa mga magazines, i wanted these styles:

for Kris…

for me…

pero, siempre, cost matters, so pinakonti ko na lang the princess-cut diamonds sa band ko.

we eventually ordered our wedding rings from Matus at the Bridal Congress.  we contracted there, but full payment and rings’ pick-up were at their store in GoldCrest sa Glorietta. a little over than P30,000 for both bands…  the contract included a diamond inside per band, a set of mock rings in a box, and the real rings in a box too.

advance notice regarding their ‘friendly’ service:  they  took a photo of us for their log, they send sms quite frequently, they offer free cleaning of the rings.

illustration from http://www.samkass.com/theories/RPSSL.html.

okay, okay.  i think i am starting to take seriously them geeks!  hahahahaha. i downloaded said illustration and issued a challenge to Jove that we will play Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock.

Fans of “The Big Bang Theory” will get this post.

Bazinga.

when slighted, we say we’re “hurt-ed” by this or that person/statement/event.

when full (from eating), we say we’re “fed up na until here” (horizontal hand gesture at throat or nose or above the head level).

hala, some people who don’t get it might think we are grammatically-challenged! naku, naku, naku.

Our whole Universe was in a hot, dense state
Then nearly 14 billion years ago
expansion started
Wait

The Earth began to cool
The autotropes began to drool
Neanderthals developed tools
We built the wall
We built the pyramids

Math, science, history
Unraveling the mystery
It all started with a Big Bang
BANG!
The Barenaked Ladies group sings the “Big Bang Theory” theme song; copied from: http://www.lexjb.com/lyrics/theme_song_lyrics.htm

medyo na late na ko in watching this sitcom as Kris introduced this to me just recently.

i did a marathon of season 1 and 2 episodes (na may kulang pa raw na sabi ni Kris) and i am soooo hooked!

it is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo funny!  intelligent humor, great acting, super witty lines, and great sarcasm.  walang tigil talaga tawanan sa Sheldon scenes.

geek-humor version of comedy as How I Met Your Mother; both being aired by CBS.

gosh, I am now such a fan that i follow fictional character Sheldon in Twitter!  hahahaha.

photo from: http://www.entertainmentwallpaper.com/images/desktops/movie/tv_the_big_bang_theory01.jpg

background from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory_(TV_series)

The Big Bang Theory is an American situation comedy created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, which premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007.[2]

It concerns two male Caltech prodigies in their twenties, one an experimental physicist (Leonard) and the other a theoretical physicist (Sheldon), who live across the hall from an attractive blond waitress with show-biz aspirations (Penny).

Leonard and Sheldon’s geekiness and intellect are contrasted with Penny’s social skills and common sense for comedic effect. Two equally geeky friends of theirs, Howard and Rajesh, are also main characters. The show is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Chuck Lorre Productions.[3][4] The Big Bang Theory was recently picked up for a third and fourth season by CBS. [5]

List of characters in The Big Bang Theory from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_from_The_Big_Bang_Theory

* Dr. Leonard Hofstadter is an experimental physicist who shares an apartment with Dr. Sheldon Cooper in a building in Pasadena, California.

* Dr. Sheldon Cooper is Leonard’s best friend, roommate, and colleague. He is named after actor/producer Sheldon Leonard.[1] He is calculating and cynical, believing that Leonard is only setting himself up for disappointment as he continues to have a crush on Penny. He displays many of the characteristics of a person with Asperger’s Syndrome, such as knowing that he cannot ‘read’ body language and understanding that he is compelled to engage in linear thinking.

* Penny (the only character whose last name is unrevealed) is Leonard and Sheldon’s neighbor across the hallway and is a “cheesecake-scented goddess” in the words of Wolowitz.[2] Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, she is a beautiful waitress at the local Cheesecake Factory who apart from auditioning for several acting positions, is also writing a semi-autobiographical screenplay about a girl from Lincoln, Nebraska, who travels to Los Angeles to become an actress but ends up working at the Cheesecake Factory.[3] Penny is very outgoing, kind, and assertive.

* Howard Wolowitz is a Jewish engineer at Caltech’s Department of Applied Physics who often hangs out at Leonard’s and Sheldon’s apartment. Jokingly, Wolowitz has stated that both he and Koothrappali visit Leonard and Sheldon’s place because they like Leonard, not Sheldon. Howard often flaunts his Master’s degree before his friends who usually rebut him with a sarcastic mention of their Doctorate degrees.

* Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali is Wolowitz’s best friend and yet another genius. He also works in the Physics department at Caltech, where his area of expertise is particle astrophysics. He approaches women in the exact opposite way of Wolowitz: he is so shy that he is unable to speak to them unless he is intoxicated or does not feel he is directly addressing them.[4] His social anxiety around women seems to be indicative of selective mutism, and is inspired by a former coworker of Bill Prady’s.[5]

* Dr. Leslie Winkle is another physicist who works in the same lab as Leonard, specializing in high energy physics, particularly supersymmetry and dilepton calculations.[6] She is essentially Leonard’s female counterpart equipped with the black framed glasses and sweat jackets, with Penny saying they make a cute couple.

grease-monkey-berby:  changed the batt of Xwind today.

okay, okay; motolite can deliver and install new car batts.  pero, i’ve always been ACDelco batt via S&R with two-year warranty.

in the past though, napapatakbo ko pa the cars until mamatay sa S&R, and great timing mapalitan na dun.  this morning, Xwind did not even give a full cough.  natuluyan na talaga after four years — yeah, amazing, four years ulet!

and so, i bought the batt, brought so home, and installed the same myself.  dyoshkopo, namatay ako sa bigat!  i swear, how can something that small be uber heavy?!

while removing the old batt, nanang attempted to push the new batt ng konti to the side para hindi masyadong nakalabas sa kalye.  ayun, she was surprised she can’t even give it a budge.

xwind now immediately roars like a tiger.

pat on the back…ay, hindi ko pa kayang i-raise arms ko due to over exertion.  hahahaha, puny me.

tips:
– make sure of your batt: may standard and may reverse polarity ha.  so hindi same for all type of cars na ang positive ay sa left side and negative sa right side.

– dishwashing paste does wonders removing grime and grease from the hands after tinkering under the hood.  better reach for said paste first before your usual hand/bath soap and scrubbing your hands like crazy.

i’ve divulged here before my ‘attitude’ of wanting to be ‘different’ as much as i can.  liking things na hindi common; and nawawalan ng gana with things i like if marami na ang nagkakagusto or nagiging common na.

here’s the problem now:

i love star trek since i was young. with the new star trek movie, many people are now liking the trek world.

pano na?

how can i un-like what i love and been a big part of berby’s world?  pero, with the movie, nagiging common na ang star trek?

then, some people are wondering: ’since they loved star trek the movie, are they considered trekkie na rin?’

so, anong uri na kaming mga trekkies from way before who followed the ‘boring,’ geek-y’ voyages of the starship enterprise (A and D)?

browsed The Knot website and several magazines for design of gowns for the flower girls, junior bridesmaids, bridesmaids/lector, and maid of honor.

again, thanks to HS friends, Nicole Abad-Vargas and Jaime Aniban-Legaspi, for referring their entourage gowns maker:

L.M.K. Gowns and Accessories (Liza Kua)

By

K-12, Ground Floor, CB – II

Tutuban Center, C.M. Recto, Manila

started browsing tons of wedding magazines for designs.  I settled for this one, but the type of fabric used in this photo is quite expensive daw.  as alternative, mikado silk na lang; and still retaining the square-line and straps (i got wide shoulders kasi eh).

thanks to HS friend Nicole Abad-Vargas for referring Sunshine Lim* to me.  Sunshine and Van Lim are young designers…sobrang nakakagulat actually how young they are (parang mga kapatid ni Kim Chiu sila); yet they are very professional, talented, and nice.

For P30,000, we got the mikado silk gown with undercoat, train, veil, pouch, 2 pillows, cord, second veil, and arrhae in a giant box. We contracted them six months prior; but everything was ready 2-3 weeks before the wedding.

Since malayo ang wedding/reception venue, the young designers weren’t able to personally help me dress up and lend their gown stand.  Kaya we fitted everything talaga, even the veil…so Julia/Shey/Betty would know how to put them on me/and borrowed Ate Abi’s manequin sa shop niya sa Fort Ilocandia for the bride-preps-pictorial.

Kebs the ‘pamahiin’ na bawal isuot ang gown before the wedding…we thought, goodness, sa kamalasan and mga hinaharap namin nuon sa preparations, can there be anything worse that such ‘pamahiin’ can bring?  Better everything about the gown is good than problemahin pa namin yun sa Ilocos, where wala kaming maaasahan mag-gown-troubleshoot.

(the one in red dress is Sunshine; the one in white shirt is Van)

I super love the swarovski bead work, especially sa train.  Had i known ganun magiging itsura ng train, dapat pina-design ko na with a letter “R” … hahahaha, how vain!

Mga four fittings lang ata ako — contracting and measurements, lining, gown without beads, and gown with train and veil — then, pick-up na.

*Sunshine Lim 09209121977

52 Rocha Street, Executive Triangle Village, BF Homes, Concha Cruz, Las Piñas

La Preciosa Fine Dining and Catering Services

Rizal St., Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, 2900 Philippines.
Telefax +63.77.777.5130.

Telephone Nos.: +63.77.773.1162, +63.77.773.2159.

http://lapreciosa-ilocos.com/content/restopckgs.htm