Finally found the “sibling” sheets of the stationery that has started our story. 🙂
Category Archives: beginnings
11.11.11
Along with probably all bloggers in the whole wide world, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to pin down something on our blog on this very unique day.
We haven’t got anything special planned today actually. I’m even now alone in Starbucks waiting for Hubs as he had a project party with their multi-national clients. It has been a good day at the office as well, for my part. Even my allergic rhinitis didn’t act up for the first time in two weeks! Not a sniffle at all.
But even so, I don’t consider this day as a day of “doing” or sort of “reaping” and celebrating. Rather, I consider this a day of planting, with heart filled with joy and hope as I did the “planting”.
Had the idea of planting earlier when I paused from frowning at the HYSYS simulation in front of me and accidentally looked at my laptop clock and a smile lit up my face as I saw it was exactly at 11:11. Perfect time for planting indeed!
Happy. Hopeful. Full of eager anticipation. Thankful.
My translation in TED is out!
So happy and giddy! My first TED translation is finally out!!!
Flashback about a year ago.
I was somewhere in Quezon City doing errands for the wedding. I was wondering why in that day alone, I came along a lot of proof on how the English language is so dominant in our country and how the Filipino language comes in second.
I was inside the train and the announcement I hear was in pure English, no announcement in Filipino at all even after the English one. Segue: it’s really nice to know that when I took the train again early this year, again for the preps, they had the announcements already in Filipino. I’m at peace.
When I got out the train (flashback again), the announcement on the platform is again in English. I looked around me and all I can see are Filipinos. Nary a foreigner around. But why in English?
And then I signed contracts with suppliers, again, it was in English.
For a few days I think I complained about it with my friends so much so that my friends teased me on how nationalistic i am.
Then I came across an article about top websites for the year and TED was among it and among the highlighted talks in the feature about TED was one of my favorite TED talks – Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity. Of course seeing the talk mentioned made me look up the talk again. I saw the talk when it didn’t have any subtitles yet. But when I visited then, the talk had already 42 translations!! But no Filipino translations on it. Now, did I mention how passionate I was about promoting Pilipino days prior to this discovery? Hehe.
So yes, the inevitable happened. I applied as translator.
Two things.
I was VERY busy at that time what with wedding preps just getting started and that I was due to fly to Japan in a week or so for our civil wedding and the paperworks is almost like a nightmare.
But I had LOTS of extra energy as well. I was feverish about almost everything. So much adrenaline was rushing inside me I had to have some outlet. And the adrenaline includes the worries I have for our wedding and migration paperworks. Ergo, I have to have an outlet.
Second. Being a translator is not as easy as just picking out the video you want to translate and voila, it’d be out in public already. No siree. Upon application and upon signing on in dot subs, TED will send you a questionnaire which poses as an interview of sorts to gauge if you are really determined with the task at hand and if you are capable to do so. It took a week before I got the affirmative reply. Yes, needless to say, I was in tenterhooks while waiting for the result. But I passed, yey!
But. I need to finish the translation in a month. Gulp. I haven’t written a full article in Filipino since university, some 10 years ago. And I was really busy. Buy I really want to prove my mettle with my national language and I want Filipino to be in the roster of subtitles for this amazing talk. Hence, I pursued.
I finished it a day before the deadline. O LE! But in order for the translation to be published, somebody else has to review it. It’s like the deliverables we have in the office – somebody prepares it, another reviews it (although in TED the reviewer need not be older in experience than you, as compared to how it is in the office) and finally TED approves it. It took a year for someone to have the time to review it. Thankful still.
And so here now is the talk. Please don’t forget to select the Pilipino subtitle! 🙂
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
Of fairs and flowers
On fairs.
Sharing Hubs’ rendition of Andrew York’s “Fair”. Impromptu guitar playing. Recorded via tumblr app.
On flowers.
Up to now, I still don’t know who’s responsible in keeping our office toilet attractive because of them flower arrangements which varies every other day or so. And the flowers come in different vases at that. Or probably they switch the vases they use in the other floors. Today’s flower arrangement can even pass as a centerpiece in a wedding reception. Simple yet elegant and eye-catching.
On great news.
Was pretty busy but I had to hurry home to wait for my passport to be delivered. Was in tenterhooks while waiting for it; praying as I wait that my passport already contains the visa we’ve been hoping for. And. It was an answered prayer. Thankful.
we’re in tumblr!
A week with our new gadgets and I could surmise one thing – a lot of photo apps has an option for easy sharing with tumblr. Hence, we did the inevitable – create a new space in tumblr that would probably be dedicated more on photo sharing especially when we’re mobile.
One thing ironic though. A minute after setting up our new tumblr account, I discovered that there’s a quick photo option in the WordPress app that allows you to instantly post the photo you’ve just taken. Don’t you just love wordpress?
Still though, I think we might just keep our tumblr account for more documented memories. Cheers to more blogging fun!
onchocolatehill.tumblr.com
Supplier Review: Vatel Manila
As Dylan Yap-Gozum really was excellent with his services, this post is actually not a “review” but more like sharing the beautiful bouquets that Dylan of Vatel Manila did for us.
As i’ve shared in my previous post, I ran the risk of limiting Dylan’s creativity because of my being a stickler with regards to flower meanings. True, I also ran the risk of not having the most beautiful of flowers for our wedding. But the symbolism is really important for me and since there really are lots of other beautiful (and affordable) flowers that have beautiful symbolisms, I stuck on with my requirement. Besides, I was also pretty confident that Dylan can deliver and can still be creative despite my imposed limitations.
And of course, Dylan didn’t fail me.
The moment I saw my bouquet during the wedding day, the two words that I can describe it with are abundance and profusion. It was a rich ball of flowers. “Rich” not just in terms of quantity of flowers but literally rich because my bouquet was composed of only tulips and orchids which really are quite expensive.
Orchids for love, luxury, beauty and strength. Tulips in general symbolize perfect love, grace and elegance with orange tulips signifying energy, enthusiasm, desire, and passion. Again, somebody sometime ago may just have made this all up. But then again, it’s all in the mindset. If you think you’re surrounded with all these positivity, and even holding one that symbolizes such positivity, I believe it’ll surely influence how you think and how you act.
Our wedding was at 6pm in Tagaytay. Since our coordinator Erika (of Detalye Weddings and Events) picked it up in the morning (Dylan makes his deliveries really early in the morning), the tulips run the risk of opening fully even before the wedding. Hence, I was really glad of Dylan’s thoughtfulness – see the plastic ring round the tulip? 😀
Love this brooch.
My ball of orange flowers went perfectly against my green preps dress, completing our wedding colors.
And of course, it was perfect against the whiteness of our wedding garb.
Our pretty ladies had their share of the beautiful flowers as well.
The day before our wedding was the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Dylan got inspired with the British Royal Couple’s bouquet and included Sweet William – dark pink (?) ones –Â into the bouquets of our entourage. He was confident the flower’s symbolism would pass my strict requirements. And sure enough, it did, with much giggling besides. The symbolism? The flower symbolizes “gallantry, finesse and perfection”. Love it.
Beautiful isn’t it? The rose cactus is really so pretty.
The carnation pomanders were just perfect for the little girls.
Symbolizing fidelity, optimism, joy and long life, the chrysanthemums (or “mums”) were just apt pillow for our rings and arrhae.
I had a fortune bouquet for the bouquet toss tradition. I myself also wanted to pick a fortune. haha.
To top it all off, Dylan gave us a lovely suprise – a bridal car bouquet as freebie. And it’s nowhere small at that!
Thank you much Dylan!! 🙂
Oh, one thing more. Not only were his flowers beautiful and joyful-giving, Dylan himself is one positive person that a bride should hang around with. True, I’ve only had contact with Dylan through emails but all his emails were like a breath of fresh air. Keep it up Dylan!! 🙂
Supplier: Dylan Yap-Gozum of Vatel Manila
Ratings: 5/5
Contact details: vatelmanila@gmail.com, www.vatelmanila.com
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All photos above, save for the one entitled “entourage flowers” (taken by my bridesmaid-friend Cindy), were courtesy of Dino Lara Photography.