Last November 16, 2008 (wow that’s two month’s ago!), we went to Tagaytay (just the Specialists) so that we can simply relax and enjoy each other’s company.

Our first stop was at Jing’s house for breakfast.  We coerced Jing and her family to make some yummy breakfast for us. We had rice (of course), scrambled eggs, hot dogs, spam, and fish.  If any of you want some free conversational English lessons, you can invite us to have a meal with you as well.  Hehe.

Before we headed to our destinations, we took some time to pose in front of Jing’s relative’s house.  It was a perfect day because the clouds above kept the weather cool, but soon disappeared as the day progressed.  Where am I?  I’m taking the pictures!

Our first destination was at a coffee shop called Bag of Beans and had our lunch there.  We met a talking parrot there.  If you like a forest blending into the city ambiance, this is the place to go.  It’s small and modest place, but the food is good.

Then we headed to People’s Palace in the Sky, an abandoned building set atop the highest point in Tagaytay.  It’s a beautiful location with lots of potential, but since the Marcos regime has been toppled, no one has taken good care of it.  What a shame!  The location is so perfect.

We were surrounded by fog.

We ended up at the beautiful Sonia’s Garden; Carmen knows Sonia, and we had an opportunity to meet the owner and visionary of the garden and two of her eager dogs.  Whenever I heard Tagaytay before, someone always made a reference to Sonia’s Garden.  She was a very pleasant woman.

We strolled, took pictures, shared stories, and ate some delicious cookies freshly baked in one of their establishments.  Yummy!  Our trip was a mellow one, and it was a great day to relax with the AIEP Specialists.

I am a wedding singer. I have been a wedding singer long before Adam Sandler’s movie came out. Although I hardly have time these days to indulge in this hobby, I still manage to squeeze in one or two in a year.

I started doing this semi-professionally in 1996. But the very first wedding I sang in from start to finish was when I was a freshman in the UP College of Music in 1987. One of my teachers recruited me and 3 other girls in my batch to sing at his friend’s wedding. We were a female quartet — two sopranos and two altos. I was lower alto. We sang at The Archbishop’s Palace in Mandaluyong. Our teacher trained us for about three weeks. I remember singing “What Matters Most,” “Take and Receive,” “Come Saturday Morning,” and “Anima Christi” in four voices. It was awesome! Only because I’ve never sung in a quartet before.

Fast forward to 1996. My friend, Edith, who is also our church organist, and I started playing at weddings in our parish. We’d have gigs almost every week because we tied up with the Parish office and they’d set us up as an option in the church service. We didn’t charge much. It was just pocket money for us. We considered ourselves lucky if the newlyweds would invite us to the reception. But more often than not, we’d just sing at the service.  

Even if we were partners in the biz, there were times Edith wouldn’t be available so I had to sing with whoever the client hired to play the music. No practice needed. I’d just show up at the church with a list of songs requested by the couple, tell the instrumentalists what key I’ll be singing the songs, and off we go. It was practically a jam session and it was a blast. I’ve had the privilege of singing with some of the most popular music groups in the wedding industry — most of whom were also from UP and were part of either the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra or the Manila Symphonic Orchestra. 

But there were times I had to do double duty — as a wedding singer and as a wedding reception host. It’s fun but it can also get crazy. Not only do I sing in church, but I sing and host the reception. As wedding hostess, sometimes it was my job to think of what will happen during the reception. That part is easy. The challenge is how to make the program interesting. That’s when my wit and humor have to shine. I daresay I’ve done a pretty good job with the hosting part. I guess it’s because I talk with an American accent and that impresses a lot of people. Nyahahaha!

When do I get to eat you ask? After everyuthing’s done! Yup! You heard me right. Usually at the end of the party. Well, not totally at the end. I and whoever else is performing with me get to enjoy the food when the program’s over. By then, we’d get special treatment from the servers. If it’s a buffet, they’d serve us the food. We didn’t have to get it ourselves. Plus, we get to bring home food as an extra special treat!

I’ve sung in a lot of churches in Manila, namely: The Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills, The Archbishop’s Palace, Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (also known as the church beside Mall of Asia), Paco Park church, St. James in Ayala Alabang, St. Jerome in Alabnag Town Center, Mt. Carmel in New Manila, Pasig Cathedral, the Nature Church in Las Pinas, Christ the King in Greenmeadows, Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman, and other lesser known churches. I’ve also sung in Tagaytay, Bulacan (thanks to Clara of the Mafia!), Dagupan, Baguio, and Batangas. The farthest I’ve sung would be my cousin’s wedding in Los Angeles. That was one of the coolest since my cousin’s cousin brought his string quartet with him. So it was a truly a family affair. And FYI, my cousin’s cousin, Carlo, is part of the White House Orchestra.

I love being a wedding singer. I love making people cry….with happy tears. Someone asked me who I wanted to sing at my wedding - if and when that happens. I told her I’ll record my songs and have it played during the church service and at the reception. Nyahahaha!

Neysa singing \”Ikaw\” at the Nature Church