Three Years

A sweet treat from the folks at Aubergine

Three things I've learned from three years of marriage:

1. Choose your battles. You can't make an issue out of every little thing, because eventually, you'll either just resent each other or tune each other out. Besides, who wants to live in a state of constant bickering? Learn to let some things go, and make your case when it really matters.

2. Learn his language of love (and yours). It sounds cheesy, but it helps. You can love a person with all you've got, but if you speak different languages, there might be some miscommunication. For example, his language may be "receiving gifts," so he shows his love for you the way he knows how: by giving you little presents. You, on the other hand, may be a sucker for "words of affirmation," so the gifts--with no sweet nothings behind them--may do nothing for you. Talk about lost in translation.  

Sometimes you can figure out what an underlying problem is when you know what your language is. I've realized that my languages are "quality time" and "physical touch," which means proximity is important to me. (I'd have a hell of a time managing a long-distance relationship!) So when I'm feeling particularly pissy or lonely or hormonal, it might be because I feel like I'm not getting enough QT with my man, and the solution is to spend a couple of hours together.

3. The secret to a happy marriage? Choose wisely. It all starts from there. Some girls have some sort of messianic complex--it's the reason we fall for the bad boys. Deep down, we want to be the ones to change them. But when it comes to men, what you see is what you get--so marry someone for who he is, not for who you think he will (or should) be. I married a man who opened doors for me, waited for me even when I was hours late, loved spending time with me, was very secure with himself, let me do my own thing, made me feel safe, respected my family, did random acts of kindness, and loved my mom. He still does. I was overjoyed to marry that man, but after saying "I do," I was quite happy to discover that he would also cook for me, give me back massages and foot rubs, wash the dishes, call me on his way home to ask if I was hungry and if I wanted anything... The thing is, even if I didn't get all these surprising extras, I would marry him all over again. Because from the start, I already loved him for who he was.

Two Years

Happy second birthday, Here, Tishie Tishie!

Photo from here

Been so busy that I haven't had time to get a giveaway together. Sigh. Hope people visit the site for more than just freebies though!

Scenes from December

Because I barely got to blog in December, a few snapshots.

Brunch at a fairly new all-day breakfast place, Milky & Sunny...

Cheery, isn't it?

Dinner at my favorite, Ninyo, to celebrate 11 years with shekh ma shieraki anni (GoT fans would know what that means!)...

Oysters, three ways

D's "21st" birthday. Another "intimate" celebration that wasn't quite so...

The sweaty me can attest that I had fun dancing all night!

Two weddings in one day (one in Daang Reyna, one in Tagaytay!)...

Outfit details here

Our group winning first place at the Summit Christmas party...

Cheerleader na cheerleader! Photo by Red Redrico

The Warriors Christmas party, with our new recruits (woohoo!)...

Ang sosyal ng venue!

Noche buena al fresco with the family...

One brother, back from NY. Not shown: Our adopted British brother (long story)

A very quiet birthday...

At Silya't Sili for dinner

A quickie trip to Baguio for a wedding, my first time back after about 15 years. We took the deluxe bus, complete with fully reclining chairs, a lavatory, wi-fi, and even a "stewardess"!

At Camp John Hay. Sunnies can't conceal my eye luggage from the red-eye road trip.

On the road for about 10 hours. From Baguio, straight to Casa San Pablo to spend New Year's Eve with my family...

Dad stepped out for a bit.

Family, friends, food, and an extra five pounds--that's what December's all about!

And They Ate Happily Ever After

Once upon a time, a prince and princess wanted to celebrate two years of wedded bliss by going to a magical place called Lemuria. On their way there, they were met by all sorts of enchanted creatures.

After making their way around the Kingdom of Horseshoe, they finally found the fabled palace, set amidst lush greenery, all bright and inviting underneath the starless sky.

The prince and princess went up the Machuka-tiled steps lined with candles...

...and found themselves in the great hall.

They found a cozy spot by the window, with vines swaying in the breeze outside.

The people of Lemuria were ever-gracious, welcoming the couple with freshly baked bread.

The prince and princess soon found out that Lemurians feasted on seven-course meals every night, and they were expected to do the same. The first course was set before them: Beef carpaccio with almonds, fleur de sel, olive oil.

It was followed by prawn bisque, made using prawns from the surrounding seas. (The Lemurians were kind enough to serve the prince mushroom soup, to keep him from getting a royal rash.)

They were then served more fare from Lemurian waters: tender squid. This was cooked with porcini mushrooms and essence of Berlinoise.

Afterwards, the prince and princess cleansed their palates with a refreshing strawberry sorbet.

They were then served almond-crusted white fish fillet with eggplant parmegiano and balsamic reduction...

...as well as beef perigourd with foie gras (the princess' favorite!), anchoiade and port wine reduction.

They also enjoyed two kinds of dessert: a medley of ice cream flavors topped with whipped cream and striped chocolate chips...

...and a rich mousse au chocolate parfumee' a l'orange.

After they had their fill, the prince and princess wanted to take a tour of the palace. Their guide led them to the famed wine cellar--a cold place where wines from other faraway lands were kept and closely guarded.

The prince and princes ended their visit by selecting a red from the kingdom of Chile. They bid farewell to Lemuria and went back to their land with satisfied tummies, dreaming about other places to visit in the years to come.

P.S. Happy anniversary to my prince!

Lemuria is located at 5 Julieta Circle, Horseshoe Village, Cubao, Quezon City. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 6 to 11 p.m. (lunch by reservation only). Contact them through (02) 723-7139.

And the Winners Are...

Happy anniversary, Here, Tishie Tishie! Happy birthday, BFF! And happy announcement day to all those who joined my blog anniversary giveaway, sponsored by Cocomo!

Let's get right down to it!

Winner #1 gets the Love Story reversible bikini.

The winner, according to my online random number generator is...

Number 94 said that she wants to win a Cocomo swimsuit because, "I haven't been to the beach in 7 years! I will now have a good excuse to hit the beach because of course I have to show off the swimsuit. ;)" SEVEN YEARS! Sweetie, it's time for you to hit the gorgeous beaches of our tropical country, and now you have the perfect excuse!:)

On to the next one! Winner #2 gets the Vienna tankini.

Who could it be? This winner said, "I want to win a Cocomo swimsuit because these are really gorgeous, perfect for my graduation celebration! :))" Winner #2, consider this a graduation gift!:)

(Che, sorry, you just missed it!!! At least you know this isn't rigged. Haha.)

And finally, Winner #3 gets the Black Savannah.

Number 35 said, "I want to win a Cocomo swimsuit because I can definitely rock these swimsuits! LOL! Kidding aside, I think the swimsuits above look great and will be definitely great for summer! :D" Well, this winner can now rock the oh-so-sexy one-piece pictured above...

Congratualtions to Nina, Snow0016, and Sugar Sugar! Please get in touch with me through heretishietishie@gmail.com. You have until 12:00 noon of Thursday, the 31st of March 2011. If I don't hear from you by then, I shall be holding another draw! (I sense a collective crossing of fingers among the others who joined.)

Thank you to Cocomo and to all those who joined! Again, I was so overwhelmed by the response. I was up til two in the morning just collating everything and cross-checking with the Followers list and the blog posts for additional entries. Haha. (Well, not so haha considering my zombie-esque state.) A special thanks to those who've been following this blog since the beginning, even before I started giving stuff away. Sniff.

Have a great week, everyone!:)

Anniversary Giveaway: Cocomo Swimsuits!

Yup, you read right--swimsuits, plural! Cocomo is sponsoring Here, Tishie Tishie's anniversary giveaway and you have the chance to win one of three swimsuits!!! I so want to join my own giveaway! If all the exclamation points haven't made it obvious, I am a fan of Cocomo (I have two suits which you can see here and here), and am thrilled that a brand I love wants to share some goodies with my readers!

Swimsuit 1: Love Story (available in small, medium, and large. Check Cocomo's site for size chart). It's a fun and flirty bikini with a reversible top and bottom! It's padded, and the top ties at the neck and back.

Swimsuit 2: Vienna (available in small, medium, and large. Check Cocomo's site for size chart). This fully lined tankini has removable pads. The vertical stripes aren't only cute and playful--they're also slimming!

Swimsuit 3: Black Savannah (available in small, medium, and large. Check Cocomo's site for size chart). This ultra-chic one-piece has adjustable gold loops and removable pads, and is fully lined.

Now for the mechanics.

Rules

*Open to Philippine residents who are public followers of heretishietishie.blogspot.com. (And yes, it's open to men!) By public follower, I mean you have to be visible in that little box on the side labeled "Followers."

*Open until 11:59 PM (Manila time) of March 27, 2011.

*Each entry will be assigned a number, and I will be drawing a number at random using an online generator. First number to be drawn will win swimsuit 1, second number will win swimsuit 2, third number will win swimsuit 3.

*Winner will be announced at 12:00 PM on March 28, 2011 (Happy birthday, Here, Tishie Tishie! And to my BFF, Mads!).
*Winner will have 72 hours to claim the prize after announcement.

How to enter

1. Again, you MUST be a public follower of Here, Tishie Tishie. If you aren't, then step one is to start following!

2. Leave one comment (let me reiterate: just one comment) filling in the blank: "I want to win a Cocomo swimsuit because _______________." This counts as one entry. (E.g., "I want to win a Cocomo swimsuit because it would be perfect for my Boracay trip in April." Now, if only I were really going to Boracay in April! Sigh.)

3. Bonus! For one additional entry, post a link to this entry on your blog, then include a link to that blog post in your comment.

Please please follow the rules, otherwise your entry won't be counted. Good luck, everyone!:)

Giveaway Alert!

Here, Tishie Tishie is celebrating its first anniversary on the 28th of March (which also happens to be my BFF's birthday!)! To mark this little milestone, I'll be hosting another giveaway. I'm still working on the prize but it's 1) perfect for summer, 2) something I want for myself!

Who wants to win?:)

Kiss #7: 10 Years with the Love of My Life

2000...

Hanging out in Ateneo, where it all began

2001... I used to have a photo in my wallet, of me and Hamil after Game 3 of the UAAP finals--the year Ateneo made it back into the finals after sooo long. I was in my cheering outfit, Hamil in his work clothes. It was the last time I cheered in front of a filled-to-the-rafters Araneta Coliseum. Unfortunately, I think that photo was in the wallet that was stolen some weeks ago.:( And this was pre-digital age, so no back-up. Unless I can find the contact prints. Sigh.

2002...the year I graduated from college. Photos in my old house!

2003...

My Print Screen wasn't working so I took a photo of this collage from...Friendster! Har. (Clockwise from bottom left) In Paradiso, Bataan (the cheerdancers' private getaway c/o Nikki!); in the infinity pool at Punta Fuego; after a 20s-inspired party

2004...

Hamil and a non-tan Tishie Tishie in Galera

2005...

The year Hamil finished his masters. My graduation gift to him: a trip to Boracay. (Other pics at my old house)

2006...

Bohol

2007

With my number one fan, the year I first started playing competitive disc

2008...

The night we got engaged

2009...

The day we officially became husband and wife

2010...

Back where it began: Ateneo

Ten years ago this month, a college senior professed his love for a college junior through a good old-fashioned harana. With the rest of his all-male org, boy sang "The Promise"--and it was the start of, well, forever. Nearly nine years later, girl walked down the aisle to that very song, and a video of the actual harana was played at the reception.

Today, girl thanks her lucky stars, fate, God--all that conspired to bring her the best Christmas gift ever.

To my husband, my soul mate, my best friend, my everything, I love you.

Mini Santorini

We couldn't possibly fly to Greece over our anniversary weekend, so we settled for the next best thing...

These, my friends, were taken at Thunderbird Resort, La Union, about a five-hour drive up north from Manila. The structures (white with bits of blue, as in the dome over the lobby) stand on a cliff overlooking the sea--reminiscent of Santorini, one of the places on our must-visit list.

The room we were given had two queen-size beds, so it was big enough for a family of four.

But since we still didn't have little Hamils and Tishas with us, one of the beds remained unoccupied, except by this little fella...

My friends, after seeing this photo, debated over what animal this was supposed to be. Elephant, pig, dog were all mentioned. This remains to be one of life's great mysteries.

The room we booked had a jacuzzi but, alas, it wasn't working! Even if we had transferred to another room, the jacuzzi still wouldn't have worked; we were told that there was something wrong with the motor. At the whole resort! Boo. So much for jet streams of water pummeling my sore lower back. Luckily, we had a flat-screen TV, WiFi, our books, a pool, and each other to keep us occupied!

We had dinner at the in-house restaurant, Olives. The prices are typical of resorts (about P400, more or less, per dish), but the servings were hefty, and the food was yummers.

Fettuccine with prosciutto, mushrooms, and artichoke cream

Hamil's half (!) chicken was oh-so-flavorful and, he felt, so worth the price.

We visited the nearby casino after dinner, but the place kind of had a depressing vibe, so we just went back to our rooms to rest our expanded tummies. There really isn't a lot to do here, unless you play golf. (Hamil biked around for a bit; my protective husband refused to teach me how--I never learned how to ride a bike!--because I didn't have any kneepads!) There's a hint of a beach which I didn't get to check out, a basketball half court, a boardwalk. But I guess that's kind of the beauty of it: no crazy partying, no full day overloaded with activities. It was just pure relaxation.

Would I go back? Sure, but probably only if we had someone else to drive us. It's so unfair to Hamil that I get to sit back while he does all the driving. The ability to stay awake for over five hours straight in a comfortable car is just not in my skill set!