As I am in the market for a wedding band, googling "diamond wedding rings" will take you to a million different places. Of course, I always stop by sites that showcase beautiful engagement rings. And those that have educational tidbits about the quintessential 4 C's. Therefore, I learn.
As I learn more about diamonds, I came to realize that Carat should be the last C to consider when choosing a stone. I used to think the bigger the diamond, the better it is. It is really not the case.
Take note that Carat does not refer to the dimensions, but the weight of the stone. Why the distinction? Because weight can hide in different parts of the stone. You can have a) well-cut, b) deep, or c) shallow diamonds. Some may appear larger than others due to its cut.
To me, I think Cut is the most important because it determines the diamond's sparkle and brilliance. With an ideal cut diamond, rays of light that pass through the stone reflect back to the eye. They call this "maximum light return". A poorly cut diamond does not reflect light well, therefore appears a little darker than it should.
Of course, Color is important too, so if you have the budget, avoid anything faint yellow or lower (K-Z color). As for Clarity, you can get away with this in lower grades so long as the diamond is eye clean.
Most importantly, make sure that your stone is backed up by a Diamond Certificate issued by a reputable gemological laboratory (i.e. GIA: Gemological Institute of America). In laymen's terms, they are the "authority" in determining your diamond's true 4 C's, which obviously affects its actual price. Many diamond sellers fool buyers with fake 4 C ratings, jacking up the actual price of the stone. So, be careful.
However, at the end of the day, it does not really matter what size or color or cut your diamond is. What truly matters is the pure intention of the person who has decided to give you something to symbolize his everlasting love. (Cheesy!)
Friday, June 30, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Lunch
It's interesting that an hour and a half of lunching with half-MBAs from Harvard, Yale and Stanford made me realize many things, those that I will just keep to myself. ;-)
Daily Words
Leverage: "You may use the same copy and language that was approved by legal, but we would like to leverage the new design of the creative."
Back into it: "We can use these results and back into the latest click through rates for the hottest bachelors campaign."
I hear these words every single day at work, that they had become part of my vocabulary.
Hello, how is your leverage morning. I am sorry I am back into it today, I guess I need to use the bathroom and leverage myself. I'll be back into it with you.
Yikes.
Back into it: "We can use these results and back into the latest click through rates for the hottest bachelors campaign."
I hear these words every single day at work, that they had become part of my vocabulary.
Hello, how is your leverage morning. I am sorry I am back into it today, I guess I need to use the bathroom and leverage myself. I'll be back into it with you.
Yikes.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
In Love and In-Law
Being somebody's fiance/e is a joy if you get along very well with your potential in-laws. I guess I got lucky that David's folks are gems in their own way. (And of course, on his end, David is very lucky with my parents!)
For some reason, I talk to David's mom more than he does now. We just keep getting carried away talking about wedding plans and more about David's lovely childhood.
Meanwhile, I got a very pleasant surprise a couple of days ago from his dad in my Inbox. I was so moved. Here was what he wrote:
First of all, I want to let you know directly that I am very pleased
about the decision you and David have made to marry.
As I expect you and David will find out sometime around 2030, there is a
special joy, not unmixed with relief, when your child makes what you
consider to be a fine choice of a life partner. I feel that pleasure now.
I am glad that you are coming into our lives as well as into David's and
I look forward to getting to know you better over the coming years.
With much love.
For some reason, I talk to David's mom more than he does now. We just keep getting carried away talking about wedding plans and more about David's lovely childhood.
Meanwhile, I got a very pleasant surprise a couple of days ago from his dad in my Inbox. I was so moved. Here was what he wrote:
First of all, I want to let you know directly that I am very pleased
about the decision you and David have made to marry.
As I expect you and David will find out sometime around 2030, there is a
special joy, not unmixed with relief, when your child makes what you
consider to be a fine choice of a life partner. I feel that pleasure now.
I am glad that you are coming into our lives as well as into David's and
I look forward to getting to know you better over the coming years.
With much love.
***
Hold on for a second... 2030? If we have a kid 3 years from now, that's 2009. That would make our child just 21 years old? And choosing a life partner already? Or maybe, he is subtly suggesting that we should get pregnant by next year? That's too soon :) I am probably analyzing silly? Or not? Ah, the little secret wishes of grandparents-to-be! I'm sure my folks would not dare deny it.
Hold on for a second... 2030? If we have a kid 3 years from now, that's 2009. That would make our child just 21 years old? And choosing a life partner already? Or maybe, he is subtly suggesting that we should get pregnant by next year? That's too soon :) I am probably analyzing silly? Or not? Ah, the little secret wishes of grandparents-to-be! I'm sure my folks would not dare deny it.
Work-Life Balance
Where I work for the summer, the company culture is very particular about work-life balance. They encourage people to have a life outside of work, which is awesome! One of the ways they push people out of the office when the clock strikes 530 is giving a week's worth of free trial yoga classes from this place called Yoga Works. (Yes, it is a marketing ploy to get people to sign up after the trial period, but still, it is free!)
I had already attended 3 and I am beginning to love it. All the instructors are very good. Tonight, I attended the Ishta Level 3 (my very first advanced class!), and believe me, I was sweating like hell. It was good exercise. And I was able to find and make use of my chakra.
Namaste.
I had already attended 3 and I am beginning to love it. All the instructors are very good. Tonight, I attended the Ishta Level 3 (my very first advanced class!), and believe me, I was sweating like hell. It was good exercise. And I was able to find and make use of my chakra.
Namaste.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
The White Dress
I must say that David and I are on the right track with our wedding preparations. Within our two week Manila visit, we were already able to secure a church, pick up the wedding clearance requirements from The Chancery, book the reception venue and caterer, pick a couturier, have my wedding dress #1 made, decided on wedding dress #2's design, narrow down on our photo/video supplier and talk to our priest. Shew. And those were the hardest to get done.
You can totally prepare for a wedding in a month if you are only creative. And if you have a super mom.
Tonight, I was able to see wedding dress #1 on videocam, with my sister modeling it for me. It looks lovely. Lovelier than I expected. I picked the design off different magazine pages - strapless, pick-up skirt made of duchess satin and hints of beads. The veil is made of fine tulle, and the edges have lace. It felt so surreal - I guess more surreal than how my sister was feeling wearing her sister's wedding gown!
There it is, the white dress I will wear when I commit my entire life to David... :) Isn't that pretty intense?
I don't want to be a bridezilla, seriously. I'd like to think I'm not one. Wedding talk tires me sometimes that I want to take a break and just think about life AFTER the wedding... which really is what is more important.
A couple of weeks back, a married friend of mine texted me her congratulations and gave me her unsolicited two-cents, following a lovely wedding - but a failed marriage. She said that no matter how beautiful or not-so-beautiful a wedding turns out to be, never forget that it really won't matter much at the end of the day. It is the marriage that follows after that I should be prepared more for. Your wedding make-up, your 5-tiered fondant cake or your fancy tiffany chairs won't make your marriage last forever anyway. Good point.
Makes me ponder -- what if David and I just head to city hall in jeans and skip through all these wedding costs and save for a big house and a fancy honeymoon? Then, reception will follow at Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Brooklyn? That's barely a $50 wedding! Hmmmm... but then again, there's the white dress effect... hahaha. (I'm kidding okay?)
You can totally prepare for a wedding in a month if you are only creative. And if you have a super mom.
Tonight, I was able to see wedding dress #1 on videocam, with my sister modeling it for me. It looks lovely. Lovelier than I expected. I picked the design off different magazine pages - strapless, pick-up skirt made of duchess satin and hints of beads. The veil is made of fine tulle, and the edges have lace. It felt so surreal - I guess more surreal than how my sister was feeling wearing her sister's wedding gown!
There it is, the white dress I will wear when I commit my entire life to David... :) Isn't that pretty intense?
I don't want to be a bridezilla, seriously. I'd like to think I'm not one. Wedding talk tires me sometimes that I want to take a break and just think about life AFTER the wedding... which really is what is more important.
A couple of weeks back, a married friend of mine texted me her congratulations and gave me her unsolicited two-cents, following a lovely wedding - but a failed marriage. She said that no matter how beautiful or not-so-beautiful a wedding turns out to be, never forget that it really won't matter much at the end of the day. It is the marriage that follows after that I should be prepared more for. Your wedding make-up, your 5-tiered fondant cake or your fancy tiffany chairs won't make your marriage last forever anyway. Good point.
Makes me ponder -- what if David and I just head to city hall in jeans and skip through all these wedding costs and save for a big house and a fancy honeymoon? Then, reception will follow at Grimaldi's Pizzeria in Brooklyn? That's barely a $50 wedding! Hmmmm... but then again, there's the white dress effect... hahaha. (I'm kidding okay?)
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Smartphone Poll
Vote: Treo 650 vs. Nokia N70?
Sometimes there are just suckers in this world who are willing to sell 2 mildly-used smartphones for $400.
At first I thought he was a Craigslist scammer, but it turns out he's a 20 year-old uber-spoiled model (Dolce, Gucci, Abercrombie and Fitch, T-mobile, etc. etc.) who easily gets bored with his gadget freebies. He's actually nice and shared some very graphic detail on the stereotypical life of an international model: sex, drugs, money and indecent proposals. Yup. He's French and lives in alphabet city. Is he cute? Not my type, but he is to a gazillion girls from his travels who text him they want to f*ck him (another careless effort to NOT delete text messages from old cellphones).
Now, I obviously don't need three phones -- that is why I am battling which one to keep, and which ones to Ebay for a good price enough to make my purchase "free" in the end.
To my Filipino friends (and family) who live in an obsessive environment of cellphoning and SMS-ing, please give me advice which one is the best to keep before I find the next Ebay sucker.
Sometimes there are just suckers in this world who are willing to sell 2 mildly-used smartphones for $400.
At first I thought he was a Craigslist scammer, but it turns out he's a 20 year-old uber-spoiled model (Dolce, Gucci, Abercrombie and Fitch, T-mobile, etc. etc.) who easily gets bored with his gadget freebies. He's actually nice and shared some very graphic detail on the stereotypical life of an international model: sex, drugs, money and indecent proposals. Yup. He's French and lives in alphabet city. Is he cute? Not my type, but he is to a gazillion girls from his travels who text him they want to f*ck him (another careless effort to NOT delete text messages from old cellphones).
Now, I obviously don't need three phones -- that is why I am battling which one to keep, and which ones to Ebay for a good price enough to make my purchase "free" in the end.
To my Filipino friends (and family) who live in an obsessive environment of cellphoning and SMS-ing, please give me advice which one is the best to keep before I find the next Ebay sucker.
Monday, June 05, 2006
I Hate My Razr
I've only had it for 10 months but I feel I need an upgrade. It is all form, no function. As I browsed through Ebay and Craigslist, I haven't found any good deals on smartphones. Either the posting is overpriced yet legitimate, or undervalued and a hoax.
In any case, I still have to get the hang of using a QWERTY keyboard. I am still having a hard time playing with David's complicated and overutilized Treo.
In any case, I still have to get the hang of using a QWERTY keyboard. I am still having a hard time playing with David's complicated and overutilized Treo.
Back to Leftover Land
I had started my summer internship today and everything is going smoothly. I was fortunate to be in a room full of smart people with diverse backgrounds. I think it will take me another day to get into the New York vibe again, as I haven't totally gotten over my jetlag - or my leaving Manila again.
When I got home yesterday, my friend Rizza gave me a warm welcome. She is one of my trusted friends who carry a spare apartment key, so I let her come in and out of my place when needed. Despite having plenty of food in the pantry (but no energy to cook and wash dishes), we decided to eat out and indulge in giant New York portions. I flew via AA, which scrimps a lot on food and snacks, so I got here hungry!
I had said this many times over, but it felt so surreal walking in my neighborhood again. The pouring rain added to the drama. I convinced myself that it's good to be back again, so I called on my NY girlfriends for a dinner full of catching up. Smelling the pungent streets, seeing my trusty doorman and paying $9.70 for a cheeseburger meal (and eating leftovers for my next meal) had awoken me. I am back in New York, and it welcomes me with glee.
When I got home yesterday, my friend Rizza gave me a warm welcome. She is one of my trusted friends who carry a spare apartment key, so I let her come in and out of my place when needed. Despite having plenty of food in the pantry (but no energy to cook and wash dishes), we decided to eat out and indulge in giant New York portions. I flew via AA, which scrimps a lot on food and snacks, so I got here hungry!
I had said this many times over, but it felt so surreal walking in my neighborhood again. The pouring rain added to the drama. I convinced myself that it's good to be back again, so I called on my NY girlfriends for a dinner full of catching up. Smelling the pungent streets, seeing my trusty doorman and paying $9.70 for a cheeseburger meal (and eating leftovers for my next meal) had awoken me. I am back in New York, and it welcomes me with glee.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Farewell Manila
The past couple of weeks in Manila went by so fast, that before I knew it, I am flying back to New York again. Each day that passed, it gradually sank in that I have less and less time to spend with my family and friends. And at the back of my mind, it breaks my heart to know it will take another year before I see them again, for us to go to Greenbelt again and together have Chickenjoy again.
Panic shopping and spa-ing aside, there are a million other things I will truly miss about Manila. More than the cheap buys and my regular visits to the salon, I will miss the people I had the littlest, yet most meaningful, memories with. People I grew up with. Sure, I make dozens of friends and good company abroad, but they can't compare to those who had seen me in pigtails, in braces and saw me freak out when I had my period. Those who comforted me when I had my first heartbreak, and were right behind me on my second - or third.
The past couple of weeks, I did my best to make time for the important people in my life amidst my long "Manila to do checklist". I know the time we spent will never be enough to compensate for my year-long absence, but I tried at least. (And took plenty of photos!)
I bid you farewell, Manila. Do not fret though, as I will see you again. It won't be for long.
Panic shopping and spa-ing aside, there are a million other things I will truly miss about Manila. More than the cheap buys and my regular visits to the salon, I will miss the people I had the littlest, yet most meaningful, memories with. People I grew up with. Sure, I make dozens of friends and good company abroad, but they can't compare to those who had seen me in pigtails, in braces and saw me freak out when I had my period. Those who comforted me when I had my first heartbreak, and were right behind me on my second - or third.
The past couple of weeks, I did my best to make time for the important people in my life amidst my long "Manila to do checklist". I know the time we spent will never be enough to compensate for my year-long absence, but I tried at least. (And took plenty of photos!)
I bid you farewell, Manila. Do not fret though, as I will see you again. It won't be for long.
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