Well, remember how I told you I was having some issues with my dresses and the alteration lady told me to look for another dress? I took her advice (for now) and went to J.Crew to order me some dresses today. Of course, I still don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a dress. So, I ordered 3 dresses and here's the summary:
merchandise total: $1,015.00
gift options: $0.00
subtotal: $1,015.00
promotions: $(18.50)
shipping & handling: $0.00
tax: $93.89
order total: $1,108.89
gift card redemption amount: $0.00
total charge: $1,108.89
For all three dressess, it's $1,109.89!! That's pretty good, I think. LUCKILY, I found a coupon code for free shipping!! Whoo hoo!!! I don't know how other people do it with shopping online. I mean, all the shipping costs will just kill my wallet. Of course, I also had to make sure that the J Crew retailer store was going to accept the exchanges too.
So, I'm going to try on these dresses and hopefully I like one of them. Let's cross our fingers and toes, shall we?
If not, David's Bridal, here I come!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
If I could turn back time...
If you had a chance to turn back time...what would you do differently?
I'm thinking I would have a small wedding at City Hall and save the money to either travel or to buy a house. We toyed with this idea for a few minutes (yeah, just minutes) but Mr. JB thought that I would regret this decision. And he may be right. And I'm not sure if I am feeling this way right now because I'm being frugal at this moment due to the recent economy development. Who knows.
But here's what I'm thinking at this current moment: we would have our intimate wedding ceremony at our lovely city hall (look here for more pictures!) with just our immediate family members (the ones that are going to Hawaii). I will wear a white short dress with color heels and Mr. JB will wear a suit. And of course, bright bold bouquet. And after our ceremony, we will go to Cliff House Restaurant and have a great yummy dinner. Oh what a day it will be.
But here's the thing: I know we wouldn't use the money to travel or buy a house because....I'm not working. We would feel guilty for spending $20K to travel for a few weeks. And because I'm not working, I would feel stressed to enter a big committment like buying a house. IF I got a job in few months after finishing school, then of course, we would've had the money needed for our down payment. BUT ... would I have regretted the decision of having a small wedding at a local area? Maybe... Maybe not. Who knows!
I've been threaded...=)
: picture courtesy of flickr
We were at Stonestown mall, doing some shopping and we noticed that there's a "threading" cart. You know, the carts that are in the middle of the mall? Well, I was curious and stopped to look at the video. One of the girls there offered to do the top of the eyebrows for free and if I like it, then she can do my whole eyebrows for $15. I said, oh sure. And she threaded and I sweated and felt pain, and then I looked at the mirror. I swear the top of my right eyebrow looked bare. It was like, whoa lady, you took too much off. But Mr. JB was there and he said it looked fine. I was shocked!! But I said, oh just do the whole thing. So, after some more sweating, I looked at my face and said, "oh not so bad".
And the lady offered us this deal where you can get as much threading you need for the next three months for $40, and I don't have to pay for this threading session either!! So, Mr. JB and I went to the side to decide to see if the $40 was worth it. I can thread again for my graduation and for our wedding. So, if I just come here two more time, then the entire card will be worth it. That being said, I folded and bought that card for $40. What do you think of the result..?
:I don't like my brows too thin and I just wanted to have it cleaned up a bit without taking out any portion. So, it's a little thicker than what some of you may like. Oh well. hee hee.
What a disappointment!!!!
I'm not sure if I told you all about the dress I ordered. I received it and it was a bit loose in the shoulder area and such. But I thought it would be so easy to take in. So, I didn't think it will cost me a sh!t load of money to have it altered.
Well...I was wrong. I was budgeting $150 to have my dress altered. I took it to the shop and the lady looked at it and pin it in 2 places under my arm area and said it will cost $180! What? And then the neckline area needed to be adjusted as well because it was way too high up there and she said it will cost you a lot more. She said, "Don't do it". It will cost you about $400 and you can get a nice looking dress that fits you for $400. Think about it before you decide to have it altered.
WHAT!!! I thought my search for my wedding dress was all over. And now, I have to look at some more. UGH!! Of course, this time, I'm going to try J.Crew. There are a few dresses in my budget that I like. We shall see.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that lady told me the honest truth. And she's right. Having to pay $400 for alteration is just not very smart when I can get another prettier dress for $400 that will fit me to the T.
I also contacted my dressmaker to see if he will alter it for me and he said he will, at free of charge and will express mail it back. So, I'm going to ship it and see what he can do for me. But I will keep looking at J. Crew for more ideas..
Well...I was wrong. I was budgeting $150 to have my dress altered. I took it to the shop and the lady looked at it and pin it in 2 places under my arm area and said it will cost $180! What? And then the neckline area needed to be adjusted as well because it was way too high up there and she said it will cost you a lot more. She said, "Don't do it". It will cost you about $400 and you can get a nice looking dress that fits you for $400. Think about it before you decide to have it altered.
WHAT!!! I thought my search for my wedding dress was all over. And now, I have to look at some more. UGH!! Of course, this time, I'm going to try J.Crew. There are a few dresses in my budget that I like. We shall see.
Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that lady told me the honest truth. And she's right. Having to pay $400 for alteration is just not very smart when I can get another prettier dress for $400 that will fit me to the T.
I also contacted my dressmaker to see if he will alter it for me and he said he will, at free of charge and will express mail it back. So, I'm going to ship it and see what he can do for me. But I will keep looking at J. Crew for more ideas..
Monday, May 4, 2009
A good friend...
A classmate of mine, who I considers as a friend said: "just because people don't go to your wedding, that doesn't mean they care less about you".
I don't have a lot of friends and those I do have, I consider them dear. And when I started school, I remember a few people saying that you will make friends that will last you a life time. I didn't believe it. And it wasn't until recently (maybe cuz I'm graduating now..) I realized that there are a few that I can call "my friends".
Meet L.W. She and I have always "hogged" the front seats of each class. Me, cuz I hate "missing out" on my teachers' lectures. I feel like I hear them better and I understand better when i'm up there. And so, last year, when we had to have our class at night time, L.W. and I ended up sitting next to each other. So, we got to talking and believe it or not, there's someone that thinks that people are stupid, as much as I do! ha ha. Of course, there are other qualities I like about her too: her honesty, her smartness, her humor, etc. And I remember some people telling me that she looks stern and that she rolls her eyes too much and such. Of course, I never noticed. That might have been because when there's a situation that calls for rolling eyes, I'm also doing it. ha ha.
Well, we became more talkative since that quarter of school. And of course, she knows my likes and dislikes and I've told her about our wedding plan and such. Well, today was like every other day in lecture. I was telling her about my emotional breakdown yesterday and she said "just because people don't go to your wedding, that doesn't mean they care less about you". It put things in perspective for me, of course! I mean, this whole time, I felt kinda hurt that people don't care enough about me to go to our wedding. And then L.W. said that and I was like...well, that's true.
Oh damn her. I don't like it when she's right...ha ha. =) So, I'm all better now! Well, just for the time being. I may change my mind tomorrow and may start having emotional breakdown again. =)
Thanks L.W. for being a good friend!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Emotions have taken over me...
I just cried my balls out to Mr. JB, as soon as he woke up from his nap. Poor thing. He didn't even know what was waiting for him as he was slowly trying to snap out of his nap.
I just saw my cousin on facebook and started talking to him about his situation and our wedding. And he made me cry. Well, okay, he didn't MAKE me cry. I just cried. A little background: this is my boy cousin that I'm close to. He's my mom's sister's son. We (all my mom's siblings and their children) all lived together and we grew up like each other's brothers/sisters.
Well, he and his wife are currently living at an in-law in DC. And because of the recent financial situations across the globe, his landlord's children are no longer able to help pay the mortgage. And his landlord basically asked them to move upstairs for almost twice the amount of rent my cousins are currently paying, so that they (the landlords) can live downstairs. Well, of course they don't want to pay double the rent. So, the landlord basically said, we're moving downstairs and we think it'd be best if you find a place. And you have until June.
So, my cousins thought: why pay for someone else's mortgage when we can get our own place? So, they started looking for a place. And you're probably wondering right now what this all has to do with me, right? Well...for them to get their own place, they have to use every penny that they have, right? And guess what? They haven't bought their air tickets to go to our wedding just yet cuz they were trying to figure things out with their vacation time. So, that means ... they're going to be using the money they saved to go to our wedding. Yeap. That means....they are no longer going to our wedding.
Of course, I'm totally bummed out and upset. I couldn't help myself. I mean, I understand where he's coming from -- an opportunity to own your own place! I'm totally happy for him. Believe me. This is a very exciting time for him and his wife. I totally understand. BUT I guess I'm also being selfish. How can he use the money he saved to go to our wedding? He said they were going to go for sure!!!
I don't know why I cried my balls out. I mean, it's not like i don't understand their situation. I totally do. I guess I'm more hurt because I think of him as one of the members of our family -- he's truly like a brother to me. And his wife and I became close after the front I gave her too. ha ha. How can someone I love dearly just deny the opportunity to see me on my special day?? Maybe I'm being selfish. I probably am. BUT he said!!!
:sob sob sob
Oh, to top it off, he said something like: "you know you're my favorite cousin". I said: "you're just saying that" and he said: "no I really meant it". That punk!! I don't even think he knows that he made me cry my balls out. ha ha.
I just saw my cousin on facebook and started talking to him about his situation and our wedding. And he made me cry. Well, okay, he didn't MAKE me cry. I just cried. A little background: this is my boy cousin that I'm close to. He's my mom's sister's son. We (all my mom's siblings and their children) all lived together and we grew up like each other's brothers/sisters.
Well, he and his wife are currently living at an in-law in DC. And because of the recent financial situations across the globe, his landlord's children are no longer able to help pay the mortgage. And his landlord basically asked them to move upstairs for almost twice the amount of rent my cousins are currently paying, so that they (the landlords) can live downstairs. Well, of course they don't want to pay double the rent. So, the landlord basically said, we're moving downstairs and we think it'd be best if you find a place. And you have until June.
So, my cousins thought: why pay for someone else's mortgage when we can get our own place? So, they started looking for a place. And you're probably wondering right now what this all has to do with me, right? Well...for them to get their own place, they have to use every penny that they have, right? And guess what? They haven't bought their air tickets to go to our wedding just yet cuz they were trying to figure things out with their vacation time. So, that means ... they're going to be using the money they saved to go to our wedding. Yeap. That means....they are no longer going to our wedding.
Of course, I'm totally bummed out and upset. I couldn't help myself. I mean, I understand where he's coming from -- an opportunity to own your own place! I'm totally happy for him. Believe me. This is a very exciting time for him and his wife. I totally understand. BUT I guess I'm also being selfish. How can he use the money he saved to go to our wedding? He said they were going to go for sure!!!
I don't know why I cried my balls out. I mean, it's not like i don't understand their situation. I totally do. I guess I'm more hurt because I think of him as one of the members of our family -- he's truly like a brother to me. And his wife and I became close after the front I gave her too. ha ha. How can someone I love dearly just deny the opportunity to see me on my special day?? Maybe I'm being selfish. I probably am. BUT he said!!!
:sob sob sob
Oh, to top it off, he said something like: "you know you're my favorite cousin". I said: "you're just saying that" and he said: "no I really meant it". That punk!! I don't even think he knows that he made me cry my balls out. ha ha.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The key to a happy marriage is....
COMMUNICATION!!!
Yes Ladies and Gents...
I'm realizing that the key to a happy marriage is all about COMMUNICATION. Of course, I'm starting to notice various things about different relationships that surround me. Mind you, most of these relationships I've been examining are long term relationships, where they've been married for many DECADES! ***** Although I'll tell you most of what I know about these relationships, I probably am not telling you the whole story since I'm not in these relationships...*****
Let's start by talking about couple #1, who has been married for ... I think 20+ years. Recently, I found out that this couple is financially doing bad. I couldn't understand why. I heard that they had to close the shop they had for ~10 years and the husband is now driving a taxi. WHAT?? Really?? What happened? I was thinking: did the economy tank so bad that they had to close their shop? Mind you, their shop is like a "all trinkets" type of store. And the business was doing really good for a while, as far as I knew. And later I found out that his business started doing bad since a few year ago but he didn't tell his wife about it. I also noticed that he was always out and about, and never really at the store. We went by there a few times last year and didn't really see him there. His wife works for the US government and the store was his "thing". And because they had joint bank accounts, the invoices for the business were all paid for them. Appearantly, the wife didn't know what was going on with their business. AND he lied to his kids too. Two of their kids were going off to college and they needed money for dorm, books, etc. Instead of telling their kids about their situation, the husband wrote checks for them and they all bounced! How embarrassing for the kids! And now, their house is in foreclosure. And the husband's response to this: "oh, it's okay. we can go back to our country." Wow..really? All of his kids grew up here and have been in this country for over 20+ years and just because he made a bad decision, they should all be up rooted to be in another country they know nothing about? And I also heard that the husband and the wife aren't really on talking terms. How sad, right?
So, what did I learn from this couple? No matter how bad the news may be, it is better to embrace the situation together than to try to solve the situation on your own. You are married and should be PARTNERS in all your decision making. Not just when it's convenient for you. You shouldn't choose what you situation should be appropriate for discussion. All and everything should be shared.
Next up: couple #2. This couple were together for 27 years! But they are now getting a divorce. Why? Well, simply because he cheated. Okay, maybe there's more to it than that, but I don't know. The wife is who I know and she said it's because he has been having affairs the last few years they were together and she just found out about them. So, the story goes something like this: the husband's father was sick and the couple decided to let his parents come and stay with them. Well, as the father got sicker and sicker, the husband was further and further. Of course, they also had two children. And the parents and the children were watched after by the wife, while the husband was gone. He always had "business meetings" and "business trips" he had to attend to. And the wife was a "home-body" and didn't really go out as much. And when they did go out, they were always hanging out with people who looked up to him since he was a big shot. Of course, he asked why she didn't laugh at his jokes or why she didn't do this or that. And she didn't much about these then. And she thought everything was okay between them two. Fast forward a few years ... she found out that he was cheating on her this whole time.
What did I learn from couple #2? It's always good to have a date night every so often and it's always good to do a "check in" every once in a while. Find out what the person is thinking about as far as the relationship goes. And what your future plans are. Remember to not expect your significant other to be a mind reader.
There are many other couples that are having a GREAT time of their lives being together. I'm getting a bit tired...so I'll write about them in a little while...
Yes Ladies and Gents...
I'm realizing that the key to a happy marriage is all about COMMUNICATION. Of course, I'm starting to notice various things about different relationships that surround me. Mind you, most of these relationships I've been examining are long term relationships, where they've been married for many DECADES! ***** Although I'll tell you most of what I know about these relationships, I probably am not telling you the whole story since I'm not in these relationships...*****
Let's start by talking about couple #1, who has been married for ... I think 20+ years. Recently, I found out that this couple is financially doing bad. I couldn't understand why. I heard that they had to close the shop they had for ~10 years and the husband is now driving a taxi. WHAT?? Really?? What happened? I was thinking: did the economy tank so bad that they had to close their shop? Mind you, their shop is like a "all trinkets" type of store. And the business was doing really good for a while, as far as I knew. And later I found out that his business started doing bad since a few year ago but he didn't tell his wife about it. I also noticed that he was always out and about, and never really at the store. We went by there a few times last year and didn't really see him there. His wife works for the US government and the store was his "thing". And because they had joint bank accounts, the invoices for the business were all paid for them. Appearantly, the wife didn't know what was going on with their business. AND he lied to his kids too. Two of their kids were going off to college and they needed money for dorm, books, etc. Instead of telling their kids about their situation, the husband wrote checks for them and they all bounced! How embarrassing for the kids! And now, their house is in foreclosure. And the husband's response to this: "oh, it's okay. we can go back to our country." Wow..really? All of his kids grew up here and have been in this country for over 20+ years and just because he made a bad decision, they should all be up rooted to be in another country they know nothing about? And I also heard that the husband and the wife aren't really on talking terms. How sad, right?
So, what did I learn from this couple? No matter how bad the news may be, it is better to embrace the situation together than to try to solve the situation on your own. You are married and should be PARTNERS in all your decision making. Not just when it's convenient for you. You shouldn't choose what you situation should be appropriate for discussion. All and everything should be shared.
Next up: couple #2. This couple were together for 27 years! But they are now getting a divorce. Why? Well, simply because he cheated. Okay, maybe there's more to it than that, but I don't know. The wife is who I know and she said it's because he has been having affairs the last few years they were together and she just found out about them. So, the story goes something like this: the husband's father was sick and the couple decided to let his parents come and stay with them. Well, as the father got sicker and sicker, the husband was further and further. Of course, they also had two children. And the parents and the children were watched after by the wife, while the husband was gone. He always had "business meetings" and "business trips" he had to attend to. And the wife was a "home-body" and didn't really go out as much. And when they did go out, they were always hanging out with people who looked up to him since he was a big shot. Of course, he asked why she didn't laugh at his jokes or why she didn't do this or that. And she didn't much about these then. And she thought everything was okay between them two. Fast forward a few years ... she found out that he was cheating on her this whole time.
What did I learn from couple #2? It's always good to have a date night every so often and it's always good to do a "check in" every once in a while. Find out what the person is thinking about as far as the relationship goes. And what your future plans are. Remember to not expect your significant other to be a mind reader.
There are many other couples that are having a GREAT time of their lives being together. I'm getting a bit tired...so I'll write about them in a little while...
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