Bride knows what she wants

I recently hosted a wedding of a friend at Casablanca Tagaytay.  As an Event coordinator who knows how hard it is to put together all ideas, i was very impressed on how her visions came to reality. 

Organizing a wedding can sometimes be very stressful.  Having many ideas does not always mean that you'll have a perfect look of your wedding.  What you need is to have a clear vision of  what you really want to achieve and put each of the smallest ideas you have to make a concrete plan. 

Getting married with the breathtaking view is pretty muck like of a fairytale. Roxanne and Rommel have tied the knot at casablanca tagaytay with the complete view of the taal lake. The wedding stood out for the guests because of the amazing pieces that the couple have added to complete the look of their venue. 

What made their wedding unique and special was the fact that the bride planned it all. She had a vision on how she wanted her wedding to look like. She paid attention to every single detail and spent patience and time to find and collect even the smallest pieces to add on her wedding decor details.  She was able to put all her thoughts to life, nailed every single detail and truly captured the rustic theme she had always envisioned. 

Rustic Wooden Chairs for Ceremony

Classy barn tables and chairs with jute sack runner. 

Wood show plate with rustic collections for center piece. 

Mason jars for Lemonade bar. 

Wood collections everywhere. 

Tri-colored ruffled wedding cake placed on top of the wood. 

Wax engraving for the invitation.

Here are some of the shots at the After Party. 

I had a beautiful wedding.  But it was'nt because everything turned out as planned, but because i married the man of my dreams 

- roxanne (bride) 

Calaguas Island

Many positive blogs i have read about  Calaguas. Many exciting stories i have heard from friends who have already been to the island. High expectations were created from the informations i have collected before finally making a decision to visit the Calaguas with my friends.  

Feeling excited and thrilled on our way to the virgin beach of Calaguas. I was hoping that i could really affirm the  testimonies spreaded in different blogs i have read. 

Its turquoise and crystal clear water, powdery white sand, the breathtaking sunset, picture perfect view of the long stretch seashore with astonishing rock formations on both sides and the unspoiled natural resources are some of the reasons why Calaguas is considered to be perfect for relaxation, camping sites and a place to swim while enjoying the beauty and serenity of the place. 

How to get there??? 

There are many buses bound to Camarines Norte where Calaguas is located.  The jumpoff point is to Daet and from there, ride a jeepney to Vinzons and transfer to a boat at the fishport.  If you  are a group planning to visit the island, I suggest you to seek for the services of a travel agency. It will make your travel easier and cheaper.  We are 13 in a group, enough to fill the number of seats of a van. 

How much???

 The bus fare cost differs, but ranging from P450 - P750 and would normally take 7-8 hours from manila.  The smallest boat that can fit 4-5 pax costs 2,500-3,000 Php and would take 2hours travel from the port. 

For a travel agency, it would normally cost you 3,000 Php per head/all-in. 

The Calaguas Island Experience 

I was mesmerized by the beauty of the Island. The 1st time touching the sand of the beach, i have proven that Calaguas can really rival the crystal clear water and powdery white sand of boracay and can match the serenity of Coron Palawan. 

We stayed for 2 days and 1 night.  There were no private accommodations available, we had to stay in tents provided by the travel agency which i believe made our stay exciting and extraordinary.  The only electricity available is operated by a generator, enough to provide lights for the cottages. Bathrooms are limited and somehow not enough to cater all tourists that causes long lines "i actually took a bath outside".  You also have to pump the water you will use or pay for 10 php and a local resident will get a pail of water for you. The whole experience will take you back to the basics and if you are looking for comfort and convenience the idea would not really work for you but would be very thrilling for the adventurous and outgoing travelers. 

We spent the whole day enjoying the view, swimming in the crystal clear water, playing under the sun, running in barefoot on the soft, powdery white sand. We did not care at all if we burn ourselves under the heat of the sun,  all we did was to enjoy the beauty of the paradise. 

What could be more perfect than concluding the 1st day in witnessing the sunset. The blue sky turned into a fire like red orange reflecting on the blue water really took our breath away. A best way to capture some serious moments with your friends, special someone or a silent Me-time for soul searching :) 

Rating the whole experience. 

It is indeed a beautiful island to visit. I could really testify that you will never go wrong to include this on your travel check list.  

In a tourist's point of view, it was satisfyingly enough to enjoy a 2day travel.  From the accessibility of the place, to its beauty, to the things it can offer, i can get satisfied with it. 

From a travel professional who knows the consequences, i am worried that the island which is considered to be unspoiled and virgin is facing some serious threats. 

Heres why!

As i have seen from the old photos, very seldom that you will see boats on the seashore, now? Boats are everywhere, the situation gives the tourists a small place to swim. You are trying to enjoy swimming underwater and the next thing you will see is a boat next to your face. The boats were there during our entire stay, never there was a time i saw the shore cleared.  You cannot fully enjoy the view in a long stretch. If the boats will not be properly positioned, it will pose some serious destruction of the shoreline

.  

Before, only few people are going to the island. Increase in the demand is normal and somehow means positive, whats not is not having anyone assigned to maintain the clealiness. Tourists are increasingly coming over, they are starting to congest the area. It somehow serves a good opportunity to the locals, I have seen some put up a small sari-sari store to cater the tourists. However i fear that the beauty of the island may be placed at risk. You cannot expect all tourists to be discipline, there will always be people who will dispose their wastes everywhere. 

Calaguas is very beautiful, yes it is! I just hope that the locals, the tourists and the government will be able to sustain its beauty.  In general i enjoyed my stay, i could say that the island could still take your breath away the way it did for me. It is still fresh remembering the 1st time i saw the island from a far and the 1st time that my feet touched the coldness of the crystal water and the softness of the powdery white sand ;) 

How to Avoid or Deal with Employment Rejection

A position of working with the world's top search engines was recently offered to me on LinkedIn. I was very pleased that a recruitment specialist was able to notice my profile and considered me as a potential applicant for a position on a part-time basis, even if its way out of my expertise. 

After reading the job description, i got interested and went through the process of application. 

The process was very quick, i have received quick responses in each level of the application process.  I was impressed with the assitance being given to me by the recruitment specialist. She has guided me well throughout the application.  

The final step was to pass an online assessment.  The examination has 3 parts and the 1st part is the most crucial part of all. Even if you do well on the last 2 sets, if you scored poorly on the 1st part, you will still fail the assessment.  Before taking the examination, i was trained by the recruitment specialist and satisfyingly gave me all the ideas i could use during the exam.  I was provided with the guidelines and was advised to read it at times i will find difficulties in answering the questions. I have only read the guidelines twice! Okay! Maybe four times. :) i could have relied with the material in answering the tricky questions on the 1st part but have decided not to use it. Why??? One reason, i believe it would be better if i trust myself and answer the questions based on my understanding. Second, there were a lot of things going on at my workplace during the examination, i was in the middle of the syllabi review, i have a presentation that i had to attend to - , a graduation celebration at the faculty, and a despedida party of a friend/coordinator, inshort???? I was preoccupied and a bit disoriented, but i know that i should not consider it as an an excuse.  

The photo shows how long i have taken the examination.  It took me forever to finish it.  I had to pause at times i needed to draw my attention with the other commitments i have at work. (good thing, there was no time limit in taking the exam and i was blessed to have a stable internet connection) 

I have given all my effort, time and energy to finish the exam. The application started at 10am, i finished at 7pm and the result was released at 9:00pm. I was very exhausted and drained after.  

The sad news came in.

Awww thats sad :( super sad :( 

But the most challenging part is dealing with rejection.  So how should we deal with it. 

When writing this blog, i had some doubts that doing this may put me in a bad light and jeopardize my credibility as a college instructor.  Hmmm.  But then i believe that projecting a perfect example to students is not the whole idea of being a teacher,  giving a real lesson in life is. You are not leading them to follow the same path you have taken, you lead them to discover and chase their own success. Provide them limitless ideas, one of which is giving them precautions.   

So going back, :) how do we avoid and  deal with EMPLOYMENT REJECTION???

- Even if you believe that you are the most perfect person to hire because of your impressive credentials, never assume that you fit the job. Each company has their own standards and qualifications they have all the rights to be picky. 

- Never take any step of the application process for granted. Be sure to fully commit yourself, stay focused with your goal of getting hired and be sure to always present the best of yourself at all given times. 

- Respond immediately. :) 

- if you are being rejected, should you complain? NEVER! Stay polite, yes you wasted time and effort and so are they.  The best thing you could do if you are still in shock is to ask for any possibilities of them informing you your weaknesses or the specific areas you did poorly. If theyv are willing to do so, you are very lucky! You could use that to further improve your performance! But remember! Stay polite when asking. 

- ACCEPTANCE - that is the best thing you could do. Accept that you failed. 

- never lose your drive, never lose any hope, never look down to yourself. Learn to pick up yourself and continue your chase to success! (believe me it took me several interviews before getting in to my position now, i still get rejected but still i stay driven.) 

 

 The photo shows how i have handled the rejection. (excuse the grammar when i asked for my weaknesses, believe me i tried my hardest to manage the situation. ITS JUST HARD :( ITS REALLY HARD, I KINDA LOST MYSELF FOR A MOMENT :) NYAHAHAHA) 

Lastly! GET INSPIRATION! 

- i seriously do not see your success on that field.  Knowing you and the things you are capable of, you are way better than an online, home based specialist. You will go far! You may have failed to acquire that position but i believe that you know where you should really be. 

-a message from my partner hihihi lol