Understanding Wins the Day, Patience is Just Its Runner Up

The Definition

As defined in an online dictionary, to "understand" is "to accept tolerantly or sympathetically".  Allow me to rephrase this definition using the other term for "sympathy" which is "compassion".  Therefore, to understand is to accept with compassion.  That is the definition I wish to use throughout this article.

One of the definitions of "patience" is "bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness", and again, let me stretch this definition out by adding that "patience is bearing difficulty or provocation with calmness without necessarily understanding the circumstances".  And let me be bold by saying, that is the definition of artificial patience and I will explain why I called it such in a little while.

http://garfield.nfshost.com/1987/05/11/

The Difference

Can a person be patient without understanding?  Yes, but can a person understand and not be patient?  Nope.  If you understand someone or the circumstances, it is imperative that you are patient about it.  So true patience can be likened to a branch, if understanding is the tree, where love is its roots.  If that's where true patience stems from, then what is artificial patience?  It's when you act calm in the outside, but you're still full of resentment and anger inside.  It's when you catch yourself saying, "I'm being patient about this but I absolutely don't understand why he/she did this!"  

The Challenge

http://www.savagechickens.com/2008/05/patience.html

Which is more difficult to do, artificial patience or true patience?  Both can be equally difficult because artificial patience takes a long time (even years) to master - being calm despite of provocations just for the sake of being calm.  It’s like calmness without any reason why you have to be calm that’s why it’s difficult to do.  In the case of true patience, it is difficult because you have to master understanding first before being truly patient and that is a lifelong task.  So maybe the question is, which is more difficult, to be patient (just be calm without understanding) or to be understanding?  And the answer would be simple, the latter is more difficult, but it is more rewarding.  You can train your body and mind to be calm and not react at all to provocations or annoyances, but you can’t train your brain to understand, because understanding is beyond a practice of the body or the mind, but also an action of the heart as it involves compassion.  Saying that, understanding not only rewards your nerves - saves you from a lot of stress - but also rewards your heart equally.  Understanding that people have their own circumstances (problems of their own, reasons for doing things, a point of view that has been engraved since childhood) gives you true calmness everyday even if people give you a certain attitude at work, if other drivers try to bully you on the road even if you're in the right lane doing the right thing, or if a certain crew doesn't serve you with a smile when you dine in a restaurant.  To understand people and circumstances beyond how people present themselves or beyond how situations appear to be, gives your whole being a certain energy that drives you to be more positive in life and in dealing with others.  In return, people see this glow in your smile and notice the spring in your steps and your positive energy rub off other people.  To put it simply, which is better to hear from someone:  “Pinagpapasensyahan kita” or “Naiitindihan kita”?  Roughly translates to “I’m being patient with you” or “I understand you”.

My Personal Experience/Struggle

I have been trying to master understanding, but I admit, I catch myself sometimes engaging over trivial emotions like anger and often the quick solution is to simply shut up and try to be patient, only to find myself ranting about a certain person or experience later that day (or even years after).  Artificial patience does that, keep you calm for a moment and then when you do remember the situation, you get all worked up about it again.  It just works you up and wears you down at a certain point and that’s when it hits me that I failed to understand that there are certain circumstances that make people do the things they do or make them act the way they do.

Understanding them means they're right?

http://www.jazjaz.net/2008/06/the-other-family-parody-comic-strip.html

Wait up… does that mean that understanding people’s circumstances, is also accepting that what they do is right or justifiable?  Certainly not.  Understanding just reminds you to be compassionate and to accept that there are reasons behind actions, but doesn’t mean that the actions or even the reason for them are correct.  If you are willing, if you care enough, then you can teach them or make them realize what they have been doing by tell them how their actions affect you, and ask where that kind of behavior is coming from.  This takes guts and a whole lot of love.    In a sense, it is also a sacrifice because understanding people sometimes requires you to put the well being of another person, ahead of your own.  It’s like, if someone is throwing stones at you, you try to understand that there are forces that have driven that person to throw stones at you (perhaps one of the reason is you even).  Accepting that, you talk to him and ask why he’s throwing stones at you, and tell him that what he’s doing is hurting you.  It’s possible that the person would open up to you about his problems at work, at school, at home, or something that you do that ticks him off because it reminds him of something in his past, or perhaps just having a bad day.  This scenario probably reads like something from the Bible, but that’s really what we should all be aiming for.  Any less than that is just a compromise, like submitting a special project paper because you failed in your subject.  Well, in these times, I guess, practicing patience even without understanding is reason to celebrate.  If everyone does that then we’ll save ourselves from new headlines of brawls breaking out in after parties, or from someone shooting another person because of traffic disputes, and from saying really rude things to people out of anger.  But understanding brings it up to a whole new level.  If everyone would be a tad more understanding even to people they don’t know, I reckon that the suicide rate, as it stands now, would plunge, misunderstandings would be avoided, and marriages would be saved, the world, yes here it comes, would be a better place to live in.

Again...

To understand means to accept sympathetically or with compassion.  This is the definition I used in this article and in my daily adventure, called life.  Understanding wins the day, patience is just its runner up, either one of them is acceptable, but understanding is more preferred.  I hope everyone one wakes up each day with a renewed energy to consciously try to be more understanding today than yesterday.

From,

Remember?
Understanding is the 2nd gift of the Holy Spirit... ^_^

Oh, Double Creepy! - Still About Earthquake in Japan

Earlier today I posted an article about Animation can be made real and I just realized that this earthquake/tsunami, is another example of that...

There's an anime called "Tokyo Magnitude 8.0" that features 2 kids (helped by a stranger), trying to be reunited with their parents after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Tokyo.  The kids were in a robot convention somewhere, while their parents are in another part of Japan when the quake happened.

Photos:

From,

Photo Sources:
http://www.animepalm.com
http://www.anientity.co.uk
http://hanners-anime.blogspot.com
http://animereviewers.wordpress.com

Animation Goes Real-Life - Fantasy Can Be Reality

Ever since I was kid, especially when I started watching animation (both Western and Japanese), I always wondered if people based their animated characters in real-life people, places, or things.  Is there really a basketball team with the line-up of characters like Shohoku High in Slamdunk?  Will I ever meet a real-life Albert of Candy-Candy?  Where can I buy a staff just like in Visionaries, that lets me become a bird, recharged by magic?  Do armies use the same technology that's in Sky Commanders, riding cables to quickly go to one mountain to another?  Can a house really fly with balloons attached to it?

From my Friendster Account

Well, as years pass by, my childhood fantasies never really faded, rather, I've seen so many things that make me feel like all these made-up characters, place, etc, can be made in real-life or these characters are based on real people.  If you think I'm crazy or just naive, check out these real-life versions of the things we just used to watch on TV and the silver screen (or some from games).

Are there animation or movie characters/things/places you wish were real?  Don't give up hope!  They might come true (hopefully within our lifetime)!


From,

Photo Sources:

http://www.zimbio.com/

http://www.2dayblog.com

http://randommization.com/

http://s-ak.buzzfed.com

http://cgforum.org/gamefutures.html

http://news.thomasnet.com/

http://www.ohgizmo.com/

FOUND! UST "Unending Grace" Commemorative Stamps!

Oh yes!  It's for those who've been collecting UST Quadricentennial souvenirs, here's one more to collect!

Photos from PhilPost and you can click here to go to their site for more info!

From,

Videoke - EDSA Style!

Yes, you can relive (for others) or just feel it (for those who weren't there yet during the original EDSA revolution) with this videoke of the iconic song that simply resonates EDSA from one wall to another.  Ponder on each word, and dig deep why those words just came together perfectly and for so many years (25 years), there's never been any attempt to switch to a different EDSA song  (or perhaps there were but I didn't know of them).



Just singing this or even listening to this song and remembering the context of the times it was written and composed, and comparing it with how our country is in turmoil from internal disputes right now, just broke me to tears.

Here's the version with audio incase you just want to listen (with videos from the original revolution):




Have a peaceful day!


From,

Life's Lessons - Through Signs

 Enjoy!

The future isn't set in stone.  The future and your destiny is what you make it. (This psychic probably agrees now.)

Practice what you preach.

Nobody is perfect.

Be sensitive to other people's feelings and circumstances.  (Why is there braille there?)

The fight to save the planet is in dire need of your help.  (Some folks just don't care.)

If you teach your students well, you fly high with them.  (IF you teach them well...)

Read the signs.  Most of the time, you were warned but you didn't heed.

Say what you mean, mean what you say.  (Nice name for a water park...)

Think 7 times before you say something (or else it'll come out like this...  Kudos to whoever can "drive through" and "park" at the same time!)

Sometimes life can be unfair.

From,

Sources:
http://www.oddee.com
http://blog.ivman.com
http://www.decaturmetro.com

What Your Favorite Colors Say About You... Is it true?

  

I was just curious, just as the position of the stars and moon at the time of birth has implications to your personality (as claimed by experts), does your favorite color say anything about yourself?  I would think it does because criminal profilers base (at least on TV) base the suspect's personality on his/her choice of music, art, clothes, style, etc.

Here's a compilation of what my favorite color, RED, means from different sites:

Red: The color of strength, health, and vitality, Red is often the color chosen by someone outgoing, aggressive, vigorous and impulsive—or someone who would like to be! It goes with an ambitious nature but those who choose it can be abrupt at times, determined to get all they can out of life, quick to judge people and take sides. Red people are usually optimistic and can’t stand monotony; they are rather restless and not at all introspective, so they may be unaware of their own shortcomings. They find it hard to be objective and may blame others for any mishaps. Quiet people with a preference for red may feel the need for the warmth, strength and life-giving qualities of the color, or they blanket their true feelings under a sober exterior. Red is usually chosen by people with open and uncomplicated natures, with a zest for life.
SOURCE:  http://www.care2.com/greenliving/favorite-color-personality.html


RED
Bright and dramatic, red is the color of love, joy and bravery. Rooms that are painted red are often warm and cheery while people who wear red are often energetic, optimistic individuals who love attention and being in the spotlight. Those who love red live life to the fullest and are tenacious and determined in their endeavors. 
SOURCE:  http://www.catalogs.com/info/people/what-does-your-favorite-color-mean.html

RED

One small breath can spark a flame that lasts forever. If red is your favorite color, you are passionate in the extreme. You see no object in your path and will aggressively stampede others out of the way until you reach your goal. If you meet another red lover, it's possible that the two of you may spontaneously combust! If you're not a red and find yourself pursued by one, embrace the passion or get yourself a restraining order! 

SOURCE:  http://www.angelfire.com/ga2/sweetgeorgiapeach3/favcolor.html

Red

What it represents: Ah, the color of passion, anger and high blood pressure. Red is a primal color. It represents primal urges, like lust (“I must have you now!”) and fury (you know the phrase “seeing red,” right?). Yes, red is a commanding color: think of how stop signs get you to halt in your tracks and how you stand back when a red fire engine goes whizzing by. 

Understanding people who love it: They act — sometimes without thinking — on immediate desires. In fact, they’re usually the poster children for immediate gratification. It’s up to you if you go for it... or proceed with caution.

SOURCE:  http://yahoo.match.com/y/article.aspx?articleid=6130

Red

Red is the color of passion. If your a Red person, chances are you love attention. If your the life of the party, and love to make head turns, you could very well be a Red person. Folks that love Red tend to want to experience life to the fullest. Lovers of this color may be romantic, brave, and athletic.

SOURCE:  http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Your-Favorite-Color-Says-About-You

RED

Your Favorite Color Says You're Charming

Ambitious --- Energetic --- Passionate

Spontaneous --- Attractive --- Inspiring

Seductive --- Powerful --- Addicting

SOURCE:  http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourfavoritecolorsayaboutyouquiz/

I think the last one was the most "spot on" or closest description to my personality... ^_^;  You knew I'd choose the best one, right?  But here's the thing, I"m not sure if these sites have any "scientific" basis (Did they consult a psychiatrist before posting?  I don't know).  But here's what I know, people have different colors that they like.  If you want to get the most accurate reading of your own personality, you can try doing this:

1)  Rank your favorite colors from the most favorite to the least favorite color (but all of them you like)

Example mine is:

     -RED

     -WHITE

     -BLACK

2)  Next, if you can put percentages of how much you like each color (total 100%) so that when you read the meaning of the colors, you can say, "well, I'm 25% black, so only 25% of the description matches my personality as I know it"... something like that...

Example:

     -RED: 80%

     -WHITE: 15%

     -BLACK:  5%

In the end, you know that's this is just a playful activity to spend some of your free time, right?  Your personality is more complex than what these colors make them out to be.  The important thing is for you to engage in activities that will get to know yourself better - know your strengths, your weakness, your quirks, and your talents so that you can use that knowledge to improve your personality or to pursue a passion in life.

From Anne in Red.

Thoughts About Passion

Exchanging "hi" and "hello" messages on facebook with a friend this morning and we were talking about how we're now doing what we love doing and that sometimes she's missing some meals and how I almost begged for a job related to my passion from every company I applied for the past year.  


In the course of our exchange, here's something I wrote that I hope someone might draw inspiration from:

"If it's something you're passionate about, you tend to see past the adversities that might have set you back normally. Passion drives your soul and mind to do wonders, your body will follow. So even if you 'occasionally' starve yourself doing the thing you love doing, your body tends to forgive you for it and lets you borrow an ounce of strength every now and then. Cheating fatigue through passion..."

And yes, I finally can say that I love my job and I love the fact that it took me quite sometime to get it.  It might be premature to celebrate because I've only been at it for a couple of months, but that's how happy I am that I'm just blurting it out prematurely, probably.  ^_^


Find your passion and set your eyes on it, do everything you can to get it.  It will be difficult, that's for sure.  It might have been easier for others, but for most, you'll have to go through hoops and over hoops to get it... ^_^  But you will get it.


Be energized and find your passion! - from Anne in Red.

I Like Big... Veggies

Yes, I love big veggies!  I don't like peeling (I think it's a waste of time) so if I must peel, I make sure I spend less time peeling than I have to, by buying really big veggies (that way you only have to peel 1 big veggie instead of 2 or 3 small ones).  The photo above, all those chopped onions, came from 1 big onion.  And I have 1 more biggie onions for photo.  ^_^  I used all those onion for my version of tuna sisig (will post recipe soon).

Do you like big veggies too?  Share your rare biggie veggies find!

Happy cooking! - from Anne in Red.

2011 Resolutions - Never Too Late! ^_^

It's February already but I've just pushed myself to write about one of my resolutions this 2011 just now.  The thing is, once it's written down, it doesn't really help much in terms of keeping it, but it does add pressure.  Do I really need or want pressure?  Well, I guess this year I do.  ^_^

Let's see how many I can write that I think I can keep and how many (after 1 year) did I really manage to do...

1)  Be active in the blogsphere.
I have 3 blogs (♫ the left and the right, hold them up high, ♪ so clear and bright...♫ - ^_^; just had to...).  Again, I have 3 active blogs (and yes, there are a bunch of inactive ones too) and they are:

Anne in Red - personal blog, anything goes

The Game Boots - free online games tips and reviews

The Wandering Boots - foodie blog (started out as a travel/movie/food blog)

One would think that writing articles/blog posts (even for a personal blog) is quick and easy, but sometimes you're just not in the mood and you can't find the time, inspiration or reason to write.  ^_^;  The struggle for each blog is:

For my personal blog, I sometimes either have too many things I want to blog and I end up blogging nothing, or I have nothing blog worthy to write about, or I want to write about something but my personal editing says it's too personal to blog about.

For my game blog, the hassle in this one is that each post should have screenshots of the different aspects of the game, and I refuse to post anything without post worthy screenshots and informative or insightful reviews and tips.  It won't be called a tip or review article if it doesn't have enough information in that article.  Another thing is, of course, I have to play games (no problem doing that) but once I start playing games, there's almost always no stopping - thus the problem of finding time to blog about that game... ^_^;

For my food blog, yes, need to find time to go to a restaurant, need to set budget for it too, and shots should be watermarked and out of the dozens of photos, chosen carefully (I want to post only the good ones, of course).  The article itself takes time to do.  Well, yes, not the whole day but still, time.  I'm a fairly quick article writer, but doing the same thing for a long time just bores me easily, so I blog when I get that "mood" to blog.  ^_^

So mostly, the fault is really mine.  All the things (struggles) I've written about on top are excuses.  I can definitely keep to this resolution, and I intend to do so (so far so good - don't jinx it).  My solutions:

To address the boring and time consuming watermarking issues, I will not watermark my images anymore.  Just threaten those who wish to use them without link backs or permission with years of bad luck...  Kidding! I leave it to people to do the right thing whenever they want to use any of my photos from any of my blogs.

I also developed my own technique in quickly cropping screenshots so that's done.  And I discovered that (for my blogger blogs) it's faster and easier to just upload my photos at Photobucket and add them to my blogs via URL instead of uploading to blogger/Picasa which has a ridiculously small space allowance for users.

As for being in the right "mood" to blog, having different blogs about anything should address that already, even the struggle of being bored after doing something for a long time.  I can switch my blogging attention between 3 different topics to keep me sane and to catch whatever mood I'm in.  If I'm in the food mood, game mood or whatever mood.

The rest can be addressed by discipline (knowing when to stop playing - or dedicating just a specific number of hours for gaming) and also by saving (money for food blogging - ^_^).

You see, it's just 1 resolution but it requires many actions and steps just to make sure that resolution is kept!  Just reviewing everything I have typed so far got me tired... ^_^;  But nothing's ever gonna happen if I don't make it happen, so I will.  ^_^

I hope we all keep our resolutions (for those who bothered to make one) or just continue to do better than what or how we did last year.  Be a better person, do more things, meet more people, just more of the good stuff, period.

Good luck to us! - from Anne in Red.

Amateur Mini-Photoshoot - With a Point and Shoot Camera

^_^  Just sharing some of the shots we got from a mini-photoshoot at home.  I needed a solo picture for something (I'm excited to tell you but I can't 'coz it's still in the works...), so I "hired" my Mario to be my photographer (Thanks, Huney! - yes, that's "u" in my version of "honey").  And before we start, because Mario's not the most patient photographer out there, I told him that he needs to take a lot of shots so that we'll have lots to choose from.

Here are some of the good ones...  ^_^

* There's a couple of shots showing me and my new painting in progress... ^_^  I'll post it once it's done.

Camera Used:  Casio Exilim 6MP


LESSONS LEARNED:
1)  Make sure that you get rid of everything you don't want to see in the photo before the shoot.  EVERYTHING!  You'll see some household stuff in the background of some photos, and even my comb, make-up, kabuki brush.. ^_^  Yes, too lazy to put them away...

2)  Take time to retouch every after 3-5 shots.  I was sweating like crazy because we can't have the fan blowing my hair and whatever everywhere so it was really hot for me.  And, because I was too lazy and too complacent that the shots will not get ruined by a little bit of sweat, I ended up with pictures where I had good poses, but really shiny and wet nose, or forehead or cheeks...

3)  Sweep and mop away!  Hahahahaha!  Yeah, I skipped cleaning duties that week and it showed in the photos.  ^_^;

4)  Lighting is everything.  It would have been better if we had better lighting.  I think it's still best if this was done outdoors with natural light, so that's what we'll do next time if there's any need for another mini-photoshoot.

5)  Test your make-up with a couple of shots and adjust if needed.  I wanted a more visible eye make-up but that didn't happen.  I thought that I had already put enough shades on my lids, but it they didn't show in the photos.


In the end, I enjoyed it and Mario seemed to enjoy it too... ^_^  We'll do it again some other time, and maybe next time it will be his turn to be the subject, and I will be the photographer!  That'll be so much fun!  I love taking pictures and for my other blog, I really do take time to get the right angle and the right light.

Have you done any "at-home" photoshoots too?  How did they turn out?  Hopefully better than ours!  Share some tips and your own 'lessons learned'!

Anne in Red

New Zodiac Sign - Ophiuchus ... New Zodiac Dates

I read the article on Time.com about adding a new Zodiac sign and also, obviously, dates that each Zodiac spans also changed.

Here's the list for your reference (as for me, I was Cancerian before, now a Gemini...):

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.

I really have nothing against this change if ever it's binding and, you know, forever (or at least my whole lifetime).  I personally believe that your Zodiac sign doesn't really tell what type of personality you have, because, as a former Cancer, according to my sign, I am a family person, I rule with my heart and always what is good for my family, I prioritize my family in making decisions, and I want people to get along.  Well, I know that I am like that regardless of when I was born, and even if my Zodiac sign changes, I won't stop being like that.  Also, it doesn't mean that people who weren't born Cancer don't or can't prioritize their family and be all that I mentioned earlier on.

While there are people who believe in the connection between personalities and stars, which I respect, but even astrologists say that you hold your life in your hands and nothing, no amount of fortune-telling based on stars or anywhere else, is set in stone.  We create our own future, we decide our own actions, and our personalities or our identities, we develop them on our own.  Whatever your new Zodiac sign is, it's important to continue to live life to the fullest, continue to care for people, your family or not, and to always aim to become a better person each day, each month, each new year.

A reminder from Anne in Red.

MY CHRISTMAS WISH THIS YEAR: A NOKIA C7

If there’s anything that I would like to get this Christmas, it’s the Nokia C7, and the people who really know me would know why I want that phone.  2 things; camera and technology.

Being a food blogger, phone camera is a big deal to me and there’s nothing like HD video and 8MP camera for awesome clear pictures everywhere you go!  For my blog, I make it a point that I post crisp, clear and true to life photos so that my readers can have a good sense of what my experience was in a particular restaurant and how the food really looks like without misrepresenting anything.  Also, more often than not, I would find myself in a situation where I’m dining in a restaurant and I just decided I want to blog about it but didn’t have my digital camera with me.  Of course I have to settle with my current phone, which is not really that bad as it also takes wonderful pictures with its 5MP camera with auto-focus (a Nokia E72 – yes, I only choose the best ^_^), the 8MP camera of Nokia C7 which has full focus, would really take my blog pictures to the next level!  Night time photos (or romantic dining with dim lights ^_^) won’t be a problem with its powerful 3rd generation dual LED flash.  Oh, did I mention that it has 8GB internal memory!?!  *** cue in orchestra playing in the background…  clouds open up, Nokia C7 descends to earth from the heavens***  Seriously, I might never have a need for a digital camera ever!  Not to mention, the phone’s 3.5” display is an awesome bonus!  You get to take great pictures and also see them in a “viewer friendly” size.

Well, aside from the camera, I would of course be getting that state of the art finger gesture technology and the C7 would be my first touch screen phone!  I have been very cautious in deciding whether or not to get a touch screen phone just because I want the technology to develop even more, and now I think Nokia really pushed the envelope this time, with the Nokia C7, by combining touch screen capability of the usual phone and adding features you can only do on PC tablets and some notebooks.  I love customizing my phone’s homepage  and although that’s not really a new technology, the freedom that Nokia C7 gives the user to do that plus the real-time homepage update of your social network accounts and email just blows my mind away!  So if I customize my homepage so that it has everything I need, I can get to the applications that I usually use in, literally, just a touch of a screen!

I know you get the picture and you sense how badly I want this phone (I hope Santa is a big fan of blogs and internet surfing… please read this, Santa).  Nokia C7 is a really solid touch-screen phone with an amazing camera that would make it to the top of anyone’s wish list this Christmas just as it has made to my top 1, 2 and 3 thing/s I want this Christmas.  I just can’t wait to see how my food blog pictures would look like using that phone!  Santa, are you still reading this?  ^_^

I hope everyone gets what they want this Christmas! - From Anne in Red

Wedding Preparations - Where to Start?

In the light of the anniversary of one of the best things that happened in my life, our wedding, I would like to give some wedding preparation tips to all bride-to-be’s out there as they’re planning for their wedding because I know that wedding preparations are one of the most daunting tasks any 2 persons (I assume the groom is going to help the bride) can take on.  I’ll break my posts down into parts because I’m sure it’s going to be a long series of tips.

Where to begin?  What are the first steps?

Once you’ve said yes to one of the most famous questions in the world, “Will you marry me?” or even if you skipped that and just decided you’ll tie the knot, you can start your wedding plans with either of the 2 options:

A. Choosing the Date

This is for couples who have set a date in stone and don’t ever want to change that wedding date for personal reasons like favorite number, favorite date, significant date, tradition or cultural beliefs.  This means, that everything else, like the venue availability and guest availability, will have to work around this.  So, set a date first before going forward.  This will be your guiding star throughout the planning stage.  The best preparation time is a year or more before the wedding so it’s best to set a date a year or more ahead.  Making reservations or services will be a lot cheaper, your guests will have more time to plan their trip if they will be coming from outside the country and you won’t have to rush things and get all tensed on the wedding day.

The Anne in Red Experience:

Personally, we had 2 years to plan for ours, and that’s just fine because we had a habit of relaxing a bit and getting side-tracked when planning.  ^_^  We originally wanted a Christmas season wedding because the hotels and the churches are wonderfully decorated at that time of the year.  But, due to other factors, specifically my dad’s availability, that didn’t happen.  So clearly, this wasn’t our guiding star.


B. Choose the Church (or Ceremony Venue) and/or Reception Venue

This is for couples who have a specific church or venue in mind and everything else will have to work around that venue.  That means, it’s more important for you to get that venue and you’re flexible with the date of the wedding.  Decide if it’s your dream church or a dream reception venue, either way, make sure that both locations, where you’re going to have your wedding rites and the reception, are close to each other.  This is going to be your North star, and your plans will generally revolve around this.

The Anne in Red Experience:

This is exactly the path we went on.  We, well, I had a church in mind and have wanted to get married in it since I was in high school, love at first sight.  When I was in high school, It was a church in the middle of a reclamation area in Pasay and it was the only structure there.  It was like a church disconnected from the city but still very close to it.  Fast forward 10 or so years after, one of the biggest malls in the Philippines (Mall of Asia) was right in front of it and soon many other huge structures around the area that turned it into a metropolis!  Well, I still wanted to get married there so I had to put up with all the buildings and the crowd from the mall.  Later on, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

 Here's The church from the outside.  Clean lines, really neat and just breathtaking in a simple elegant way.  I love how simple and clean it looks.  It's like all outlines and no rough lines.

  Here's the church from the inside.  I love it even if it's huge and really not ideal for small intimate weddings.  Our wedding was small with 100-150 guests, but still, I wanted this big church not for the prestige but because I've laid my eyes on it for a long long time, and I just wanted my dream to come true.  Love it!

And here's how it looked in December.  Yes, the lights change!:






There certainly are other ways you can start your wedding preparations.  It really depends on your priorities and your technique or style as a couple.  Wedding is a big project in which the bride and groom are the project managers.  Create your own style of approach but if you’re lost and find yourself not knowing where to start, you can choose from either one of the options I enumerated.  I know that when it comes to wedding preparations, you'll need all the help you can get!


Happy planning and don’t get stressed out!  Have fun while preparing for the big day!  A reminder from Anne in Red.


* By the way, you can find more details about our wedding on our wedsite that you might be able to get ideas from at http://www.mywedding.com/mariolovesanne/.  You can also create your own free wedsite account to document your wedding preparations!