Life Lately

Hey everyone! Yes, I admit, I've been MIA for the past couple of months.. but believe me, it's for a very good reason. Allow me to fill you in on this blog post.
This is a very special one and believe me when I say that I've been saving this post for a very long time! The only reason why I am posting this now is because the joyous occasion last Sunday - Mother's day.
When Paul and I got back together last year, he decided that he did not want to lose me again anymore. Of course I did not know this - not until he proposed to me last December 12, 2018 (our 6th anniversary). That moment changed our lives forever! But a few days before that, we knew our lives were really gonna change - for the best.


Last December 4, I took a test - a pregnancy test to be exact. I haven't had my period for 2 months which was quite normal for me as I usually skip a month or two, having irregular periods. Not to mention I also have PCOS in both ovaries (which I was consistently treating together with my awesome doctor Mae Syki-Young from Makati Med since July 2018). But still, it did not cross my mind that I could possibly be pregnant. Until the results from 7 (yes seven! haha) pregnancy test kits came back as positive! You read that right! Paul and I are expecting our first born <3


That moment came as a surprise to us! But it wasn't scary at all, I wasn't scared. To think at that time, I did not know that Paul prepared a huge-ass proposal. I was just really happy. I wanted a baby, Paul and I have discussed of wanting to have a baby for a very long time already. There was no "oh my God what are we gonna do" moment. We were just soooo excited. But we kept it to ourselves for a couple of weeks. We wanted to make sure that everything is okay before we tell our families.
Below is a picture when our little bean was just 6 weeks.

Time then came when we had to tell our folks and similar to our reaction, there was no dramatic moment for both our parents! I actually expected mine to be really ugly knowing how strict my dad is. But he and my mom has always loved Paul and maybe considering my age (27 at the time of telling them) I was already old enough. We told them our plans and they were very supportive.

After telling them that, I also went ahead and cut my hair. I used to wonder why pregnant women cut their hair - but now I know, it's because it's very fuckin' hot everywhere! Cutting your hair short would at least make you feel fresh and less icky.

For the most part, I think Paul and I did mature a lot ever since that time. Fast forward to today, I could really tell that I am proud of how fast we were able to adapt and fix everything before our baby arrives. There are so many changes but all of it are good changes. Paul had to resign from Accenture but got a really good offer at a new company which has a favorable location to where I work. Just last week, we finally got the keys to our condominium which with the help of our parents - is already our own and not rented. And in a few weeks, Paul and I will tie the knot in a civil wedding for now.

Not to mention all the clinic visits we do to ensure our baby's health. I just thank God so much cause I'm not the type who is having a very sensitive pregnancy. I'm actually pretty cool about it. I will update soon how I look like with my tummy getting very big (7 months! Almost at the last stretch woohoo!) I will also blog next time on what are my experiences from the first trimester until today, what are the prenatal vitamins that I'm taking and all pregnancy stuff. Ohh very mama! Haha!

Meanwhile, here are recent pictures of me and Paul getting ready for the parent life very soon.

And oh? Are you wondering on Baby B's gender? :) That you will have to wait. Thought Paul and I know already and my office friends have been so generous to throw me a Gender Reveal. I haven't really posted it on Facebook yet so most of my other friends don't know yet. We have a special thing planned for our announcement and I will post it here. For now, can you guess if it's a Baby Girl or a Baby Boy? :)

Xoxo,

Ellie

(P.S. Happy Mother's Day to my mommy readers <3)

Ola 2019!

Guys!!! Oh my gosh I missed blogging. I am so excited to give updates as I have so many!
But first things first.. I am now engaged! To those who have been following my blog, you know the ups and downs my relationship with Paul went through. We’ve been through a lot!
And last December 12, 2018 - our 6th anniversary, he proposed! Sharing to you some pictures of what he prepared (HE WENT ALL OUT!!!) Those things which you usually see on Pinterest or Tumblr which makes you go “aww” is pretty much what he did! It was such a perfect night.
And oh.. of course I said YES! ❤️

It was just full of love. And I can’t wait to tell you more! I will try to update more for 2019 because this is just THE YEAR!!! Will tell you more about it in my next blog post. Hope you all are having a blast! Let’s all have an awesome year ahead! 

Xoxo,

Ellie

Dhanyavaad, India!

Hey guys! I'm finally going back to Manila tomorrow (after 3 weeks of being here in India) and thankfully, I had the time to write today so I'll be updating my blog. If you are curious about the title of this post, it actually means "Thank you, India".
This isn't my first time in the country. I went here last 2016 and stayed or a week and a half. However, that was purely a work trip. This time though, it's still work-related but we (I'm with 2 co-workers, Eric and Sarah) managed to squeeze in a 3-day side-trip to the north and actually see the beauty this majestic country could offer.


Here's us by the way, we really are working hard here (HAHA):

So from Bangalore (South) we travelled via plane for 2 hours to the northern part of India. We went first to Jaipur. Jaipur is known to be the Pink City mainly because most of its buildings are pink in color. As per history, the city was painted pink to impress Prince Albert during his 1876 tour in India. Here's a picture I got from Google so you'd have the idea on how pink it is:

In Jaipur, we toured around Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Amber Fort, Jantar Mantar, Panna Meena Ka Kund. We also went to this shop (Ratnavali) wherein they showed us how to make jewelries from precious stones. I got a special pair of earrings for myself and ordered some bracelets for some friends.

Sharing some pictures in no particular order:

 

On our first night, we stayed at a hotel in Jaipur. We then left for Agra the following morning. We booked a tour service and it was a whole 5-hour trip with which we actually did not feel at all since we just pretty much slept the whole time.

Next stop, was Agra. Agra is where you will see the incredible Taj Mahal. Without wasting any time, we immediately went ahead as soon as we reached Agra. Most of the landmarks we went to had an entrance fee of around 500 to 600 rupees (roughly around 400 to 450 pesos), while for Taj Mahal it was at 1100 rupees (roughly around 750 pesos). It was Sunday and it was incredibly humid! There were also lots of people. But seeing Taj Mahal made it all worth it. Since this is already our topic, I wanted to share some interesting Taj Mahal facts which I also learned from that tour:

- The Taj Mahal is made up of pure white marble built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In Arabic, the Taj Mahal is known as "crown of palaces". Inside the Taj is where you can see the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal. Unfortunately she died while giving birth to their 9th child

- It took 17 years to build! With the help of 22,000 laborers and thousands of elephants. Some say that when the Taj was finished, the emperor ordered to chop off the hands of the workers so they will not be able to make something as amazing as it ever again

Enough with the talking, share some pictures we took:

After visiting Taj Mahal, we went around and toured Agra more. We ate north Indian food which is my favorite (most favorite I could recommend would be Buttered Chicken paired up with Butter Garlic Naan). We also went to this shop (JK Cottage Industries) which specializes in marble. Their pieces were so beautiful that I know I just had to buy a souvenir. I got a marble mama elephant and a baby elephant as well - they say it's good luck :)
We also went to this place called Red Fort, it could pass as a location for Game of Thrones :D

On the same day, we travelled from Agra to Delhi which was a good 5 hour ride again. But again, we just slept as our itinerary was always packed.
Delhi is the capital city of India - it's your usual city, full of tall buildings and all. But they also have their share of historic places and we were able to tour it on our 3rd day.
We went to India Gate, Qutb Minar, Humayun's Tomb and the Parliament House.

I am now blogging this in my Bangalore hotel and I could say that I am very pleased with my India trip this time around. Taj Mahal has been crossed out of my bucket list and I can't wait to cross off more! But for now, I am so excited to come home to my family and to my Paul. Three weeks is three weeks and I'm sure they are missing me so much. <3

Xoxo,

Ellie <3

India 2018

Hey guys! I've had an adhoc 3-week travel to India (due to work). It's much longer than my stay way back 2016, but the good thing here is that I got to do a side-trip to the north! I will be blogging the whole thing... but for now, here's me at the one and only Taj Mahal! It was soooo majestic! <3

Will do a follow-up post later this week. Right now, I'm just so excited to go back home to the Manila :)

Xoxo,

Ellie <3

 

Alternate Reality

In some other universe, there's a version of us apart
And they are constantly wishing to have each other's heart
They believe that in a different universe, another version of them is together
That is you and me, we are the parallel universe's version of forever

- Mara Manzano (07/24/2018)

Home

When Paul and I broke up last summer, and me having all the affirmation in the world that I'm fine (when I'm really not LOL), I did what any heartbroken person would do - I deleted ALL of our pictures in my phone, Facebook and Instagram. Yes, I took that awful step - which I now regret. :(
As it turns out, we were able to find our way back to each other's arms and thankfully Paul still has his copies, but I lost mine :( And realizing this, I am sooo glad that I kept my blog updated! Good thing I did not lose my mind there and deleted my posts.
With this, I realized that my blog really has become my online diary. I even joke that if ever one day I will lose my memory, at least I have my blog to check and look on to.
Now since I have a lot of catching up to do.. let's start.


Paul and I went to Baguio for his 29th birthday. Baguio is very special for us, so going there again for his birthday trip and our 1st trip since getting back together makes it even more special!

Late June, we had another first! We tried shooting (with a real gun yes) in a shooting range. It's actually Paul's father's day gift for Tito Roland (his dad) and I'm just glad he tagged me along. It was really so much fun! The whole month was pretty stressful for us in terms of work and releasing it through this one is a whole lot of fun.

And just recently, we went to Tagaytay to attend a good friend's wedding. We made sure to make the most out of it so we took a side trip to Batangas and stayed there for 3 days - making sure that we are just near the wedding venue. We stayed at Canyon Woods since the wedding took place at Caleruega. There was a storm at that time but our stay couldn't be more pleasant and relaxing. We took a break from all the riot of the real world and had a quality time together.

Well truth be told, I can say that we've come out stronger than before. We became more mature and with everything that's happening, we're lucky to have gotten a chance to have a glimpse of our future... a life that is happy, exciting and full of love. If I were to ask one thing then that would be good health for the both of us - so we can continue to enjoy and live our lives to the fullest. This time around, it's for good. <3

xoxo, Ellie

P.S. How beautiful is my bouquet? Paul got them for me when

he fetched me from work a few weeks back. Sweetums! <3