Modeling 101

Jeng is currently en route to a testosterone-filled weekend of manly mayhem also known as his bachelor party. Where is he, you might wonder. Vegas? Nope. He had his "pre-bachelor party" there a month ago. New Orleans? Nope. New York? Nope. Instead, he went to number 5 on AskMen's top 10 bachelor party destinations: Vancouver, British Columbia. Weird huh? Apparently they have great 'bible study' locations there.

Anyway, this blog is not about bachelor parties. My purpose is to share the activities of my spring break turned 6-day 'vacation' of wedding errands. Fun? Debatable. Every day has been jam-packed with random activities such as: finding engagement picture outfits, hair and make up trials, dj meeting, cake tasting, food tasting, priest meeting, rehearsal dinner restaurant scouting, engagement picture taking, sponsor present shopping, and wedding band picking upping. Exhausting! My lowlight was the priest meeting (4 hours!) but I've already vented about my priest issues so I won't repeat myself.

My highlight was the engagement photos. Although we've been engaged for a year and a half, our official engagement photos were just taken yesterday by our awesome photographer, Augie Chang. We met Augie at the Ferry Building and it was an unusual San Francisco Spring day -- sunny and warm. He began our 1.5 hour session with a brief Q&A:
Augie: Why the Ferry Building?
Me: We lived nearby. We love the farmers market, the restaurants, the overall vibe. I ran on the Embarcadero. And we would have had our reception there if we were rich.
Augie: On the scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being romantic, how would you classify yourselves as a couple?
Jeng (without hesitation): 1
Augie: 1?! Really??
Haha. And so it began. Here is our feeble attempt at being romantic.

Despite our rating at 1, Augie did a great job at capturing our silly relationship, especially in this picture:


After the shoot, Augie emailed his praise: "You two did so well that I can easily consider you one of the best “models” I have had in the last year! Seriously!! I love the laughs and the giggles throughout the shoot." I think my addiction to ANTM finally paid off! Maybe I have another back-up career option in case this b-school thing doesn't pan out.

I'm not one to keep my talents hidden so here are my top takeaways for a model:
• Act natural. Ignore gawking crowds.
• Everyone has a double chin. Stick your head out a tad to make it disappear on camera.
• Since I'm short, wearing short leggings make me look taller.
• Pointing toes, and bending/crossing legs add curves to make the photos look more dynamic and less awkward.
So if any of our readers go pro, I hope I get some credit. . . . read more.

What's in a name? Part 3 - The Surname Conundrum

With the wedding day looming, a question that often arises is -- Will you change your name? For curiosity sake, I googled the meaning of this tradition and stumbled across some interesting facts:

According to Slate.com, "roughly 90% of American women automatically assume their husband's names." That may be true, but "now that women marry later and live more of their adult life with their maiden names, it can feel unnatural to assume another name, even for women who do not consider themselves feminists." I agree.

A more historic article states three key reasons for a bride taking the groom’s name:
1. Protection of family and wealth
2. Designation of a new life direction
3. Acknowledgement of God’s presence in and endorsement of the marriage
Do these 18th century traditions really still apply?

When I introduce myself to strangers, I purposely disregard my last name. It's a mouthful and the other person has no idea what I'm saying. On the phone, I spell my name out loud often. It goes like this: B(as in boy) - UEN - V(as in Victor) - IA - J(as in Jack) - E. Despite the clarity of my message, there is still a high probability it will be spelled incorrectly.

I get compliments on my last name. It's unique and has a clear meaning -- good trip. It can be found in signs all over Spanish-speaking countries. Its the title of a movie from Uruguay that played at Cannes Film Festival. Its the name of a hostel in Cuba that gets great reviews. Its the title from a series of Spanish language books. And I even share my name with the chef from one of my favorite brunch spots in SF.

While the meaning of my name and source of my lineage makes for interesting conversation, the butchering of the pronunciation is something I wouldn't miss. Reyes, on the other hand... it might as well be Smith or Brown. Okay, maybe not quite. To be fair, it does have its claim-to-fames.

Reyes is a type of computer software used to render realistic 3D images. Its the name of a brewer and food service provider. This name is shared by a artist, national park, fashion designer and of course, martial artist. According to About.com, Reyes derives "from the Old French rey, meaning king, Reyes was often bestowed as a nickname for a man who carried himself in a regal, or kingly, fashion. Alternative meanings include "one who plays the part of a king in a pageant" or "someone who works in the king's house." I will not be labeled "the one who works in the king's house". Oh hell no.

If I don't change my name, people may be confused. "What do you mean you're married and don't have the same last name?" And when we have kids, there is a sense of unity in sharing the same name. The Buenviaje Reyes Family sounds a bit absurd.

While I know this decision doesn't need to be made immediately, in some sense it does. Shortly after our wedding, my driver's license expires. I'll need to go through the hassle of renewing it and changing all my addresses. If I'm going to do the name change, I might as well do it then. But do I want to? What do you think?


. . . read more.

Putting the Party in Wedding Party - The Ladies

What's a wedding without the wedding party? Well, I guess its still a wedding but definitely not as fun. Who else will I get to listen to my wedding planning woes and help plan the bachelorette party if not these fine females? So without further ado, introducing the lovely ladies of my bridal entourage:
Maid of Honor: Aimee "Sister" Buenviaje
Matron of Honor: Elaine "E" Chatterton
Bridesmaids:
• Cathy "Cat" Hoang
• Kathryn "Kat" Cabrieto
• Dale Lipata
• Erica Reyes

To some of you, these names are strangers. To others, they are my most logical choices. Either way, a list of names is incomplete without the stories of why I chose these six.

Aimee "Sister" Buenviaje
I think my sister would've disowned me if she was not maid of honor. I would do the same to her. Anyone that knows us, knows that we have a close relationship in our own unique, unusual way. We don't do the "heart-to-heart crying on each others shoulder" thing. It's more like the "oh my gosh I'm shopping and I don't know if I should buy this" thing. There are very few decisions I can make without my sister's input. In fact, I got mad at Jeng after he proposed because he didn't ask for my sisters approval after he asked my parents. Haha. Needless to say, she reluctantly approved of my choice and looks forward to calling Jeng her future brother-in-law. (Sometimes. It depends on her mood.)


Elaine "E" Chatterton, Cathy "Cat" Hoang & Kathryn "Kat" Cabrieto




I combine these three because I've known them the longest -- E and Cat since Kindergarten and Kat since 2nd grade. Combined, that is 73 years (25 for E, 25 for Cat and 23 for Kat)! There are very few friends who have lasted as long as we have. Any childhood memories I have include these three girls and of course, I couldn't have my wedding without them in it. E is my best friend, despite the fact that she currently lives in Colorado with her husband and their dog, Lola. Cat currently lives in LA where she collects degrees and accreditations to see how many initials can fit after DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy). Kat is our steady constant, still in the Bay Area but always looking for adventurous travel opportunities. And she's single in case anyone's interested. Haha. ;)

Dale Lipata
Dale is a "newer" friend compared to the other three, but not by much. I've only known her for 19 years. She joined us in fifth grade and although we parted ways for high school and college, we managed to maintain our friendship throughout the years. Dale, E and I were the threesome you would always find playing sports together. Even though Dale and E totally kicked my butt, I held my own. Now Dale continues to be quite the b-baller, a champion in her league. I don't play with her anymore. Now, the only activity we compete in together is dancing and drinking. She still beats me in the drinking part but I'm okay with that.

Erica Reyes
Erica is Jeng's younger sister and my soon-to-be sister-in-law. We openly speak of my questionable taste in men and she continues to hunt for a more suitable partner for me. (Her deadline is approaching quickly with the wedding and all.) Erica and her brother have an amusing relationship. As the only daughter, Erica must deal with the loving but endless harassment from Jeng and his brother. When Jeng and I first got together, he didn't like the fact that I was becoming her friend. He feared that we would team up against him. We ignored him and now we're friends, united in the cause to dish out to Jeng what he dishes to us.
. . . read more.