It's our first year wedding anniversary!

Bid me discourse,

I will enchant thine ear;

Or like a fairy, trip upon the green;

Or like a nymph, with long, dishevelled hair,

Dance on the sands, and yet no footing seen.

Love is a spirit all compact of fire

Not gross to sink, but light, and will aspire.

- William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

English poet and playwright

I love you mahal!

I still have the fever

My blog friend, Wella, has been kidding me that I still write about weddings in my blog. Perhaps I feel like I'm an aspiring wedding coordinator, or I just simply love weddings.

I still have the hangover on my own wedding almost a year ago.

Just yesterday, I was surfing the Net looking at the sites and craving at the creations of Dino Lara, Mimi and Karl, Cecilio Abad and Veluz Reyes.

Their works are just soooo great I think I am already salivating.

Why do I still have the fever? I certainly do not know, but definitely there a lot of reasons.

Perhaps because I will be attending 4 weddings this year (I think the most I've attended in a year and at one of which I was tapped to be the emcee! Whewwwww!).

Perhaps I'm a frustrated or aspiring wedding coordinator (I have been urging a sister-in-law to choose a burgundy or wine red and gold motif for her December wedding, gave a friend a lot of wawie tips for her 080808 wedding and gave her the contact number of my favorite makeup artists Angie and Ogie).

Perhaps I love up dressing up on the nines for occassions.

Perhaps I enjoy the friendships I made with my favorite suppliers and keep on recommending them to engaged friends.

Perhaps, I just love reminiscing about my wedding over and over again. It was the moment I felt I was at my prettiest (they say a woman is at her most beautiful on her wedding day. Walang kokontra! Hehehe!). It was indeed the happiest day of my and Mike's lives.

I could still remember every detail of that day as if it happened just yesterday.

And perhaps because, in 2 days, it will be our first wedding anniversary. Maybe my mind and body is in the same feelings and senses as it was on the same day in 2006.

That is, having the wedding fever and wanting to get married all over again.

Of course, to Mike pa rin! Nobody else.

Wedding etiquettes

I've come across the article below from weddingsatwork.com, the single most helpful source for my own wedding day (which marks its first year on the 29th!). Had most of my guests read the article below, it is very much well appreciated if they had observed good manners and etiquette at a wedding. I would have greatly pleased if some guests informed us that they wouldn't be able to make it, we could have invited those who are more deserving because of their sincerest intention to attend. Not included in the Q&A below was the effort of keeping the sanctity and intimacy of the event, rather than creating loud shrieks and hollers at the reception. I like fun and lively guests, minus the unnecessary and pointless screams (what was that?!).

To all veterans and newbies at wedding attendance, let me share to you some pointers on wedding etiquettes. It helps to be reminded sometimes. I know for this year there will be lot of weddings to go to (for me there are about 4 weddings) and these manners will somehow uplift your character and represent you as a well-mannered and a person with good breeding. (Lack of good manners and etiquette just peeve me!).

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You're Invited!
Q & A for Wedding Guests
by: John & Benz Rana

Article originally appeared in print: 12.03.05

It's December once again and it not just time for Christmas shopping and partying, but it's also time for weddings! It's the peak season for tying-the-knot in this part of the earth. So how many wedding invites have you gotten so far?

Unless you're serial bride like J.Lo (saying Liz Taylor would have been more accurate at this point but we want to be "kewl" to relate with the Gen Y peeps!), we figured that most of us would be along the pews more often than being at THE altar. This is the reason why we dedicate this month's column to the wedding guest - the person who gets to prepare the least during the wedding.

Never mind the bride! We're sure she has read countless of wedding etiquette to last 'til her unborn son finally gets married. Actually, she's got too much info that she even prepares a Miss Manners list for her groom and her entire entourage to follow.

If it's your first time attending a wedding, what follows is a simple guide of Dos & Don'ts to get through such a social event. Note that we made these questions up so allow us to be sarcastic and blunt with some of our responses to ourselves.

Questions & Answers

Q. I got an invite but have no plans of attending; should I still send a gift?

A. First thing's first. If you won't be able to attend for whatever reason, please RSVP. A big chunk of the wedding budget goes to the reception and it will be utterly inconsiderate to just give up a reserved seat without letting the couple know. Give them the chance to assign that seat to another guest in their "waitlist." Having that out of the way, let's get to your question: YES, it is customary to still send a gift.

Q. The envelope bears only my name. May I ask if I can bring a date?

A. Don't bring a date unless your invitation specifically says "and Guest." Bringing unexpected guests is very impolite. Neither should you ask the couple's permission if you may bring one or not. Don't put your friends on the spot. We Filipinos don't really like turning down people. So how would you know if their "Yes" means yes or not? Spare them that trouble.

Q. The invite says "Mr. & Mrs." Could we bring our kids?

A. Never bring the kids unless "& Family" is indicated. Soon-to-weds don't usually invite children for a good reason. Kids get bored or cranky during hour-long masses. Their tantrums might disrupt the solemnity of the ceremony. Weddings are usually formal events typically not appropriate for the little ones. To be blunt about it, inviting a child at the reception means added two mouths to feed - the kid's and the yaya's.

Follow-up Q. But my son/daughter is the bearer/flower girl. I'm sure it's understood that my other child is invited.

A. Which part of the answer above didn't you understand? Seriously, if the couple wanted to invite your other kid, they would have specified that on the envelope.
2nd follow-up

Q. But I'm breastfeeding, I'm sure my friends will understand, won't they?

A. Granting that it's an infant and he or she won't eat at the reception - let's even assume that your baby won't wail at the church - the answer is still NO! Not even if you've perfected the art of being a cow in a long gown. Four words: Breast Pump and Babysitter!

Q. I don't have a clue what gift to give them. Any ideas?

A. The average Pinoy soon-to-wed would always prefer monetary gifts more than any other gift. It is the unspoken fact. We're telling you now to make it easier for them to let you know what they REALLY want; unless they indicated that already in their invites which, by the way, is a very tacky thing to do.
If you're not comfortable giving cash, you may ask the couple where they are registered (Gift / Bridal Registry) and choose from what's listed under their names in the store. You can also ask them where they're residing after the wedding and take the cue from there. If you know that they'll be migrating abroad or living with their parents for the time being, a ref or another oven toaster may not be the most practical and logical gift.

Q. I'm convinced. So how much cash should I give them? I don't want to give too little or too much.

A. That's a hard thing to answer. It's really a case-to-case thing. Try to put yourself in the couple's shoes. How much should a guest of your stature give you without being branded a cheapskate? Also consider your relationship with the couple. If you're good friends of the couple's parents, you'll probably shell-out more than if you were simply the bride's Girl Friday.

Q. Could I skip the ceremony and head straight to the reception?

A. You can. BUT you shouldn't! You are invited to THE wedding -- that's the part where they exchange their "I dos." The reception is where the Receiving Line is. You can't be 'received' if you are already seated in the hall, right? "Patay-gutom" is too harsh a word and we assure you that it's by no means what anyone would think if indeed you decide to go straight to the reception. But admit that it struck a nerve just mentioning the word in that context, isn't it?

Q. Speaking of the Receiving Line, what should be the proper greeting?

A. Here's the rule: Say "Congratulations" to the groom and "Best Wishes" to the bride. The reason behind is that "congrats" implies that someone has caught something or won a prize, and it is rather improper to imply that the bride "caught" the man who married her. If this rule gets mixed-up in your head come wedding day, just say the two phrases together and look at both of them. That usually works!
Likewise, saying "Good Luck!" no matter how pure your wishes are will also sound very inappropriate for obvious reasons.

Q. Nice try, but what if the couple makes a Grand Entrance and left the Receiving Line to their parents? What then should I tell them? Note that I don't even know which sets of parents are whose.

A. Didn't we tell you already not to skip the ceremony? The bride and groom usually walk alongside their respective parents at the very start!
Anyway, make your pleasantries short and sweet. Shake their hands and say "Hello! I'm (your name) and I went to school with (name of bride/groom) in (school's name)/an officemate of (name of bride/groom) at (name of company)." They usually respond with "Nice meeting you." Just smile, nod politely, and move on to the next person. If one replies "Hi! I've heard so much about you!", simply smile and nod just the same. No lengthy conversation; just make small talk at most. If you can't find the words to say, just smile again, nod politely, and move.

Q. During the banquet, is there anything I need to know?

A. Nowadays, the Reception Program usually have the guests on each table stand up and have their picture taken with the couple before being led to the buffet. This is done to resolve two issues of past weddings: (a) for the couple's convenience and skip the tiring Table-Hopping ritual just to have their picture taken with all their guests; and (b) for the guests' convenience so they won't have to wait very long for their turn in the buffet line.
Keep in mind that Buffet is NOT synonymous with "Eat-All-You-Can." Do not pile your plate full. Be courteous of those who have yet to be served. Don't worry. You can easily go for seconds.

Q. I'm used to a Buffet setting, but what if it's a formal Sit-Down Dinner? Which fork do I start with again?

A. You're on your own, pal. Watch "Pretty Woman" again and see how Julia Roberts nailed it!

babies and etc

life makes sense when you see how simple a child can be...

School versus on-the-job

I came across the article below at CNNMoney.com. I thought the ideas resemble a bit to those of the famed Rich Dad, Poor Dad series wherein it says that schools don't necessarily teach at how to earn money, but they rather let you learn only the theories. It doesn't write off formal learning though, but it reiterates that social skills and a person's out-of-the-box thinking and abilities can also make one get to the top.

____________________________

The trouble with MBAs

Employers are finding that freshly minted graduates lack key interpersonal skills, so B-schools are changing to ensure that quantitative geniuses also learn how to hug it out.

By Anne Fisher, Fortune senior writer
April 23 2007: 6:31 AM EDT


(Fortune Magazine) -- When Jack Welch gave a guest lecture at MIT's Sloan School of Management in 2005, someone in the crowd asked, "What should we be learning in business school?" Welch's reply: "Just concentrate on networking. Everything else you need to know, you can learn on the job." Sloan's dean, Richard Schmalensee, was stunned because "Jack was essentially saying a graduate business degree was a waste of time."
Not long after that visit, MIT began a curriculum rethink - dialing back on pure quantitative skills and adding more interpersonal coursework. Wharton, Tuck, Chicago, the University of Virginia's Darden, and Berkeley's Haas School, among many others, have also started stressing teamwork and are paying more attention to "soft" skills like listening to colleagues.

What's driving the curriculum shift? B-schools are acting a lot more like businesses these days (gasp) and responding to their various customers - corporate recruiters and students. "MBA students we employ don't need to come in being finance gurus. What's much more important is that they know how to analyze issues and communicate recommendations," says Ken Barnet, a vice president at State Street Corp. (Charts, Fortune 500) who works with both B-school interns and freshly minted MBAs.

The numbers back up Barnet. Every year since 2002, the Graduate Management Admissions Council, which administers the GMAT exam for B-school applicants, has surveyed recruiters. And every year so far, the survey has revealed that several skills employers value most - like the ability to write and speak clearly and persuasively - are also skills that new MBAs lack.
Another spur for the ivory towers to change is competition from online degree programs, which have been eligible for federal student-loan funding since February 2006. Not only is an Internet degree more convenient to get, but a recent survey by employment site Vault.com says 81% of hiring managers look more favorably on job candidates with virtual sheepskins than they did five years ago, and 41% now think an online degree is just as good as a "real" one.

The syllabus changes are most noticeable at the hard-core quant schools. At the University of Chicago, the only course that every single MBA candidate must take in order to graduate is a communications and team-building course, in which specially trained second-year students coach and mentor newbies. Last year Chicago added Spring Launch, a series of seminars for graduating MBAs to help them polish their people skills before they rejoin the working world.
Likewise, in 2005, Wharton - home of econometrics and other arcane quantitative tools - began offering a leadership program that emphasizes one-on-one counseling from professional coaches. It's a hit: Enrollment has nearly doubled, from 50 students two years ago to 90 now. Balaji Krish, who came to Wharton from India by way of Silicon Valley, will graduate this spring. He says the altered curriculum has prepared him for a "team-oriented world. You work on ten to 15 different teams before you leave here."

Students, meanwhile, have pushed for some changes too - notably a greater focus on business ethics. Starting this fall, the Tuck School at Dartmouth will offer a course on using microfinance as a tool for alleviating global poverty. "They want to learn how to give shareholders a great return while also being balanced and principled. It's the double bottom line," says Tuck's dean Paul Danos.

That's not to say that plain old self-interest has fallen by the wayside. The Yale School of Management, for one, just added a required course for first-year students that teaches them how to plan a career, including how to cope with "stressors like job loss [and] aging," the course description says. Notes Jonathan Feinstein, the prof who designed and teaches the course: "We want to stretch their minds to realize that a career is a long-range project."
Ultimately that kind of thinking will help B-schools prosper too. "If our students leave here and get great first jobs but don't succeed in the long run, we've failed," says Stacey Kole, deputy dean of the full-time MBA program at Chicago. "We want them to be successful as their careers evolve." Employers, not to mention MBAs themselves, couldn't agree more.