Hi! Bonjour! I’ve been MIA for the past couple of days. Aside from the reason that I went back to Cebu for a short vacation when I got back to work, I haven’t had the chance to relax and do some updates in my website and in my blog. Hopefully, I will really have the time to do so especially my passion – photography. (I have been dreaming lately that my camera is broken! LOL!)

Anyway, good news is that, my domain www.ninacarmina.com has just turned 2 last 23rd of January, 2012. I was thinking of giving away something to all those who supported me all through out this journey. But I don’t know what it is. So I am asking those who are reading this to leave a comment below or go to my Facebook Page and tell me or pm me for a suggestion. That is greatly appreciated. Just a friendly reminder, I can’t afford to give you money or high-tech gadgets ‘coz even I myself don’t have those. Hehehe.

So here are the reasons why I was MIA for the previous days. I will just have it in one post, since it’s too late already and I ran out of words to express how happy I was during these days.

The night before my flight going back to Cebu, my fellow Filipino workers decided to have a celebration – quote and quote shower party and for my birthday as well. It was just a short eat all pizza as you can party. Hahaha!

On our way home, we happened to pass by a bake shop and found this cake. Barbie on top of it covered with icing. Isn’t it perfect for the simple occassion? But isn’t it supposed to be a man for a bridal shower party? Anyway, it’s my birthday so I think that would be fine. It’s just that I don’t resemble a Barbie body. Hahaha! There was a little drinking session but I passed because I have to wake up early the next day. I just got 2 or 3 shots.

The Elite TFC group!

My trip was on the 13th of January and when I arrived we went ahead to Simala, Sibonga to visit the church of  virgin Mary and to thank her and God for my safe trip.

…and we attended the mass after having to fall in line to kiss her image.

The next day, 14th of January, is my natal day. I am already 27 years old. Yay! It was an unforgettable birthday surprise by my parents together with the people who love me. (*I’m having teary eyes every time I think of this experience*). The story was this:

Ricci  told me the night before my birthday, that he will go back to his boarding house to get something and I insist that he’ll do it tomorrow because it’s already late. After a few minutes, I just turned my attention to something, he was gone. I was disappointed that he didn’t follow what I want. My mom asked me to sleep downstairs, which I kind of wondering why. When I had my previous vacation she always have me sleep upstairs at my little sister’s room. But I didn’t asked her, I just slept there, and I was also hoping that Ricci will be back that same night. I texted him but he didn’t reply and found myself sleeping. Early the next day at around 4:00 to 4:30 am, I heard people singing, I didn’t mind them until I heard the words “your birthday”, and I remember it was my birthday. Actually I was thinking that time if I will open the door or not. I did open the door, but only a little just to peek and yes, they’re singing Las Mananitas for me. Whoa! I still have “morning stars” in my eyes and my hair was messy. They asked me  to go out which I did and stand there watching them and crying, because I really didn’t expected it to happen and my only wish for my birthday is to be able to have a “camera” cake and celebrate it with my family. After which they gave me flowers and candles to blow. I was really crying that time and later then that I realize that my couzin Jessa was there and my two nephews Liam and Chris Michael were there. They’re still a year old and they woke up that early for me. How touching! *teary eyes*. Later then, I know that Ricci really didn’t go to his boarding house, he slept at my big sister’s house. 

Later then I know that Ricci really didn’t go to his boarding house that night, he slept at my big sister’s house. It was the best birthday I ever have.

And that same day, Ricci and I went to get the cake I ordered for my birthday. Funny as it is, it is the only thing that I really want to have on my 27th birthday. Actually I wanted it to be a DSLR camera but it was too expensive for just a cake. So I decided to have the girl with the small DSLR camera on the side instead. It is still the cake I wanted to have though.

Las Mañanitas is a traditional Mexican birthday song sung in Mexico at birthday parties, usually before eating cake and especially as part of the custom of serenading women

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Ma%C3%B1anitas

I never really touched the cake during my birthday, I had the people take pictures together with it. It’s expensive yeah, so might as well take a lot of pictures of it. Hahahaha! It was also during that day that Ricci’s family, mother and his sisters went to our house for the formality of our wedding. Aheee! Yes, that’s also one of the special occasion during my vacation. Ricci and I, my best friend and my boyfriend for 6 years (we will be on our 6th anniversary on March 3, 2012), decided to get married. It’s just a civil wedding hopefully this year, we will have the church wedding.

Aside from the surprises, one thing I love about during my birthday was that, it was also a celebration of the feast of Sto. Nino de Cebu. On that same day, Ricci and I joined the solemn procession. It’s my commitment during January to join the procession before the Sinulog Mardi Gras and hopefully be able to dance after the pontifical mass. But unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do the traditional Sinulog dance after the mass, as I was not feeling well after we’re able to go inside the pilgrimage. I didn’t bring something to smell to avoid the feeling of getting dizzy and get fainted. There were a lot of people who wants to go inside and we were one of them and yes, I get to experience much like a stampede. In fact, the image of the Sto. Nino I brought almost got destroyed, good thing it was only the globe that He’s holding fell out. We managed to go inside but I was not able to hold on for the mass to finish, that I decided to go out so I can breathe some air, I suddenly didn’t feel well.

On 18th of January, Ricci and I got married through a civil wedding ceremony. Just like any other wedding, which I think it’s normal that sometimes you get pissed off especially when the people involved don’t come on time. Hahaha! We arrived quite early at the judge’s office but Ricci’s mom together with the sponsors didn’t. They went to a mall nearby to buy some gifts and that made Ricci quite disappointed. I bet that disappointment disappeared when we got married already. Hihihi.

Oh my, the experience during the wedding was a bit funny. The judge asked us what language to use, and we answered English. But during the ceremony,  there are some phrase that we can clearly hear so we just murmured, hihihi, but that’s only once or twice, I think.

I realized after looking at the pictures, we never smiled during the ceremony. Hahaha! Are we that nervous? LOL! I don’t think so, maybe we’re just to focused listening to what the judge was saying.  Thanks to my friends who came to my special day. They took one day leave for it. I’m so grateful to have you guys.

P.S I really find it hard to find a dress for that day, it took me two days going to SM only to find that I didn’t like any dress there. Actually, there’s one, the golden brown lace dress, I really really love it but unfortunately, it didn’t fit to me. The zipper won’t close when it gets to my upper back. LOL! Tsktsk.

So that’s it. Ricci and I are officially married. For the record, he is my only boyfriend since I started one. Hahaha! Seriously, he is my first boyfriend and my forever, he’s now my ex-boyfriend-now-hubby. Hehehe. We also have had many misunderstanding but what I love most about him when we got some fight is that if I don’t get the moves, he will definitely make it. We just can’t take it any longer not talking about some things that made us have that fight. We are totally opposite in many things, if I am impatient, he is very patient. If I am sometimes serious, he is the joker. He makes me laugh even when I don’t want to. Hehe.

So after we got married, we went to Ricci’s hometown, to visit her mom, now my mother-in-law. We’re supposed to sleep there for a night but we have to go home since we promised to attend the Hubo 2012 or the undressing of the image of Sto. Nino and had it bathe with the holy water. We went to Carmen Copper and to Spring Park to supposed to be take our post wedding pictures but unfortunately, I ran out of remote battery and I kind of didn’t like having the camera on timer mode as I have to run to and fro which is not a totally pleasing thing to do. So we just had some quick snapshots in the place and went back home to eat some ice cream.

The other thing that made my vacation short yet very memorable was that of my nephew Liam’s first birthday. I missed Chris Michael’s birthday but it’s ok, I made it to Liam’s. I was the official photographer?! I think so.

On the 23rd of January, I have to go back to my EENT doctor to have my ears check again. My right ear got infected and the eardrums has currently a hole. Quite big as what the doctor have said. But it will get better when I have it check every month. Tsktsk. That was the saddest thing during my vacation. The infection happened because during New Year I got a fever and got common colds, which I should not have since whenever I get one, my throat and my ears will start to react and get infected as well. I ran out of medicine for the common colds and never really took medication that made the colds lasted for quite a few days, and resulted to the infection. Which was also the reason why I never get to the beach as planned. But it’s okay! Next time, I will. *big smile*

After which, we went to SM just to stroll? I wanted to buy something for my mom but as she always said, it’s too expensive. Which my big brother told her to “…look for the design not the price. If you want it then we will definitely buy it.” But then again, if the size is not too big, it’s too small. And still my mom prefer to buy the cheap ones. Hehehe! Well, what can I say, I’m too like that. Now I know where I got this thriftiness. ^_^

That’s it. That was my short vacation to Cebu in one post. I enjoyed it a lot specially that I get it to celebrate with close friends and most of all, my family.

My nephew, Chris Michael, with a captured smile while waiting for my boarding time at Mactan International Airport.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below or in my Facebook page for the freebies suggestions.

Happy Weekend. Hope you all have a nice week ahead.

Keep smiling,

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Tags: cebu, nina carmina, nina carmina photography