Bay Area Diaries


Day 2:
Was up before anyone else in the house this morning. The wind and pouring rain actually woke me up. I hoped that the weather would clear by the afternoon to give Ms. Penny and Stud Muffin a beautiful day.


I dropped off my mom down Mission to get her hair done and headed to visit my Apu. It's funny because everytime I drop by, for some reason I answer the door with a nice and loud "Trick or Treat!" Don't ask. Anyways, I visited with my grandma for a bit, hung out and got the latest tsismis, and got to eat some yummy pasalubong treats from P.I. It was so nice to see my Apu all smiles and such. Being the typical grandma, I was offered all kinds of merienda stuff, all kinds of soda (it's too early for Sprite, Apu!), and any other foods that she could pull of the fridge. Of course, I had to oblige...because you just HAVE to.


Picked up mom and proceeded to get ready for the wedding. Thankfully, the skies cleared up and it was nothing but blue. Yay! By the time my sis and her family got to my parents, it was all rush, rush, rush. I forget how "excited" my dad could be when it comes to big events. He likes to be there early and likes to leave when he says so. It got to the point where all us gals were cramped in the bathroom doing last minute stuff to our hair and faces and had to keep yelling, "We're coming! In a minute! Hold on!"


I forget how beautiful Epiphany church is. I remember wanting to walk down that very aisle for my own wedding. The church was decorated in a simple fashion, but as in most cases, simple = classic beauty. Aside from the white runner, there were orangy flowers every couple of pews and the lighting backdrop to the altar was in pink. The choir, which was a combo of Creed and St. Patrick's, were decked out in barongs and if you can believe it, they truly sounded like angels. I was looking forward to hanging out with Creed because it's been a while since we were all together...the O.G. peoples anyway. The music selection and direction under Francis definitely set the tone for the ceremony.


As the procession began, everyone stood and had cameras at the ready. Something different that I haven't seen before was that Ms. Penny walked out solo and met her parents halfway down the aisle. The sight of her in that amazing dress got me all teary-eyed! She looked so pretty and I had one of those "she's-all-grown-up" moments. The rest of the ceremony was standard wedding stuff and being the goofy couple that they are had their laughs here and there. At the end, the bride and groom kissed amid the applause of the congregation.


The reception was held at a restaurant in Chinatown in downtown Oakland. For me, this has been the wedding that everyone's been crossing their fingers about for so long and we're just all happy that it's finally happened. The way I see it is that it was definitely worth the wait. Ms. Penny and Stud Muffin are both well into their careers, they've got their own place, and well, they just had to make it official now. The 7,8,9, or 10-course meal (I lost count!) was yummy and her cake was simply melt-in-your-mouth de-lish. The favors were these lil' red ceramic apples with a gold leaf that had their names and the date on it. Very appropo, don't you think? Staying with the Chinese tradition, Ms. Penny changed outfits twice. The first was in this spectacular red, sleeveless and sequined Chinese dress and the second outfit was traditional filipino. Even Stud Muffin wore a barong tagalog! After making toasts and taking pics at all the tables, they had the money dance. This is where things got all freaky deaky! Lol! It's not unusual anymore for group dances, men with the groom, and women with the bride, everyone getting their freak on. Creed choir got together to dance with Ms. Penny and we had this huge group hug, too.


It was a nice reunion of sorts because there were so many of us who grew up together, but who have lost touch somewhere along the way. This was one of the first times where we were all together in one room, but unfortunately, we couldn't manage a group pic. It's funny to see how we've all grown up, to see where we are in our lives, careers, and own families, and to see how much we've changed or stayed the same aside from the physical. Lots of hugs, lots of updates, lots of pics. All in all, I have to say that the Gee's had THE perfect wedding on a perfect day.


Much love and congratulations to the Gee family. May God bless your union and fill your lives with much love and happiness. Love each other and take care of each other always. OINGO BOIGO TIME!!!!