WEDDING FILE : THE FINALE

My wife asked me, "When am I going to write the last file of our wedding?" I said I will try and find the time. Lately, I have been working overtime and I can’t seem to find time to write. As a consequence, the number of visitors to this site has dropped...How sad. But now I'm back! And you will have the pleasure to read it. And it goes a little something right this...

Now that everything is prepared, and all the hassles of getting married like unavailable ninang, dress alterations, missing paraphernalia’s etc, I guess we are ready to walk the altar. For our parents who are going to give away their first born there is a little drama involved. For them there was a sudden realization that their children will fall into marriage and leave the family one by one. It is a big change for them, we know. Because when they started out in life almost each year or a couple of years, they make a new sibling for us. And as the family gets bigger, they got used that we are around. Taking care of us became their life long task. For Lany its 28, and for me its 30 years when I left the nest.

My father told me a little story about my mom. There was one time a week before the wedding when my mother shed her tears while doing the laundry. Sad that her only boy is leaving her side, she now remembers her father before their wedding. She said that my grandfather cried for her when it was her time, and that prompted her to cry. I guess everybody will have that experience when the time comes.

And so, before our big day we checked in at The Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel. Lany encouraged my parents to stay with me in my room to make sure that I don’t have the chance to stage my stag party. As if I wanted one..huh! (The truth to this is out there! Just ask my friends...hehe!) She on the other hand brought the whole caboodle in her room one floor above mine. It’s like insurance, just in case yours truly goes commando in the middle of the night for a quick deposit.The room that we got is great! We got the one overlooking the pool. And on our left side is the Manila bay. It’s pretty, day in and day out. In fact, the romantic couple that we had with us (my sister Diane and bf Rodel) couldn’t help themselves, that they moved the chairs to the veranda and spent hours looking at the city lights. But for me that night was spent working on the small things for the wedding. I worked a lot with my laptop to finish the AVP. I learned that it’s not easy doing a 5 minute production in a month. It’s my first that’s why... In the middle of the night her sister Cherry called up to check if I was already sleeping, and invited me over to play Tong-its. Unfortunately, I still have something to finish and I can’t go.

The next day I woke up early and headed for the veranda for a look at the famous pool with just my boxers on. It was awesome! I have never checked in a classy hotel like this. The best place I have checked in was either Anita Inn or Victoria Court, but this is nothing like it! I told myself that I will do this again next time. You bet ya! I snapped several pictures of the view. After a while Rodel was up and we had a bonding talk. He complained about the air-conditioning. He said that it was too cold for him, and that he wondered how I could sleep with my shirt off the whole time. After a while I heard some giggling and a person was calling my name. We looked up and there were faces looking at me...with just my boxers on! It was Lany's family at their 8th floor veranda! I shriveled up and covered my body in shame. Must me what Adam felt when he hid from God. Totally embarrassing!At 10am I already prepared for a long bath. I figured, this is a long day. I don’t want to spend the rest of our special day stinking. After that was a nice snooze while I wait for the paparazzi that we hired to shoot my pictures. An hour later one of the coordinators came to my room and took the candles, the misalettes and the cue card holder. Then I waited again. I was wondering why nobody was attending to me. When I called the brides room they told me that the coordinators, the photographers and the videographer were there to document my wife’s preparation. I would have been jealous of the attention if it wasn’t for the groom’s men. Alfred called on my cell to say that he is in the hotel lobby. When I picked him up I was just in time to meet up with the bridesmaid's and a few other guests. I took them to Lany's room to get their make-up done by Ross Regala. The room was jam-packed! It’s a perfect contrast to my room. At 12NN I decided to get dressed without the photographers. I don’t want to be late because of them. Sayang! That was the perfect photo opportunity for them. In a few minutes my relatives flooded my room. Shortly after that the photographers came in and started to snap their cameras. I felt like one day celebrity! Imagine 3 professional photographers merrily snapping away their cams. I can tell that my parents and relatives were impressed. My parents and I had a great family picture. Cool!

When Arvin my co-staff at the hospital we used to work in and Richelle, my college buddy came in the room it was almost time to leave the hotel and head on to Paco Park Church. Richelle volunteered to get me and the guys there. As soon as we were at the hallway, the guys gave teased me about getting married and what happened to the other girlfriend that they heard about. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. I’m too nervous. And there was a thought running in my head saying that these are the last minutes of my bachelorhood. I tell you, if I wasn’t in love these thoughts could make any man become an instant a "runaway groom".On the way to the church, Richelle kept asking for the directions. He apparently does not know how to get there. We were just relaying on the map that Lany's cousin Richard made for the guests. The traffic was bad and we knew that we are going to be a little late. My best man Philip gave us a call. He is already at the church waiting for us. He was cussing at Richelle saying that he shouldn’t have brought the groom with him if he doesn’t know the way! So there I was kidnapped. There was only 15 minutes before the wedding starts. Fortunately, we found it!

....stick around for part II

Our baby at 5 weeks & 2 days. What a sight!

PARENTAL GUIDANCE: "THE A/C"

A while ago a guy from the hospital's maintenance department came to the recovery room to check on the cetral airconditioning. Apparently, there was a complaint among the nursing staff, the doctors and the patients about the room temperature. The guy told us that temp reading is 2o C and its not that cold. I told them that the report was this morning. There is a difference between temperatures during the morning and in the afternoon. If thay had come when we first complained they would have felt how cold it is. Moron! Mornings here felt like being in Siberia! Imagine wearing scrubs in a cold place. I told him that his digital thermometer is not accurate. My nipples are far more sensitive than that damn gadget! If I was The Rock, I would have probably said: "Take that digital thermometer... squeeze a generous amount of KY Jelly on it...twist it on one side...and SHOVE IT UP YOUR *$$!!!" But then again I'm nothing like him. But in my worst day I would have put "please" in both ends of that message. =>

posted by Dennis

OIE! IM BACK!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update. I have been seriously up soaked up with work and I didn't have the time to blog. So what's up? We are currently preparing for the baby, re-thinking previous plans and savoring the little joys of parenting our unborn child. But the bottom line is, we just want a healthy normal child. We get scared when we hear from friends about a child born with congenital defects and stuff. It just breaks our hearts. I hope the Lord bless us with a healthy one. It doesn't matter what sex the baby will be... for now! Hehehe! But we are really hoping for a girl. Well, I think it will be a girl. To be a person who makes a baby for a living I would think that it will be one. Want to make a bet? Although, my wife doesn't agree that we should spoil the surprise once the gender is already visible. She said there are some things that should be better left alone. That makes it more difficult to think of a name.

Oh! Which reminds me, a friend of ours said it should be a Lance or a Lancheolot. Nice name girl, but I didn't like the role that this guy did on King Arthur and the Knights of Round Table. We wanted a distinct name. They said that there is something in a name that leads a person who carries it to greatness. Do you believe that? There is no Inday or Dodong who made it to the history books. Sure they are popular, but there is nothing great about it. I wanted our baby's name to have a recall. A name that never leaves your mind like Brad Pitt or Diana Zubiri. Hehehe! Kidding aside, don't you think that they would make a great movie?!

Some months ago I've been receiving invitations to view my friends new "FriendsterBlog". I was just surprised to see an empty page after going through the trouble of signing in! What is wrong with you people? I followed it up, and I constantly tried to view each one of them everytime I sign in, but all I see is an empty page. So to all of you out there who keeps a blogsite in the works, please write something! We want to hear from you.

posted by Dennis

"M-Day"

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL YOU MOTHERS OUT THERE!

And to the woman that I made a mom,

have a great one! I love you Honey!

The Honeyspot has a new baby!!!

THE ONE WITH THE PREGNANCY KIT

They say that the best gift comes in small packages... and I guess they are right! We are very sorry to skip from the sequence of events. I haven't even written wedding file no.7! Yes my friends, Lany is pregnant! Life can't be any sweeter.

We really didn't expect it. Our plans to visit her relatives in Europe has to wait for a while. But we are not disappointed. Perhaps the next time that we plan to go there we can bring our baby! I can just imagine how happy Tita Helen and Uncle Dieter would be when the new guy reach German shores. Oh! And Che might have to wait a little longer to get married, for the flower girl is still going to learn how to walk. =>

We are both positive about this. We pray that the baby will be healthy. Baby names start to come into mind. And as a Catholic, we have to choose a set of godmother and godfather for the child. I have already picked a few candidates... and I know that my wife is also considering a few. We also have to chose which grandmother will come to Bahrain to assist us in the transition period. At the moment I have to take a shot at a Bahrain Drivers License. We need a car. Anybody want to donate one?

There is also the dilemma of what would the baby would look like? Will it look like me, or Lany? In Lany's opinion, it would be more likely to look like me! (Thunder and lightning roaring in the background) Lucky child! But!!! But!!! But!!! (here comes the punchline) The baby might bear the curse of stardom. Pang-showbiz ang daddy e! ;>

But enough of the jokes. The preparation for the little guy is tedious. 9 months is not even enough. I can't imagine that I waited 'till I'm 30 to have one. But no matter. I found the perfect mate to make it with.

The other thing that I'm proud of is that, now I know that I am capable of making my own baby. I have made a lot of them during my career as an embryologist, but never my own. And all these years I thought that I was impotent for having the mumps. Its a breath of fresh air knowing that I'm not shooting blanks. Hehehe!

Does anybody have suggestions for a name? If its a boy we will definitely cross out the names Potpot, Totoy, Junior, Perfecto, Bengbeng, Dingdong and Sixto. If its a girl we would never call her Nene, Rosa, Violeta, Aida, Lorna, Fe, Kringkring, Linlin, or Auring. Just for kicks we were joking of auctioning the babies name to the highest bidder. Talk about business huh?! But if you guys have a really good name hidden inside your head might as well put it in good use. Use the tagboard and let us all know. We promise that we wont ridicule you. wink-wink! (fingers crossed behind our backs). So what are you waiting for? Get your noodles working and start writing!

Noel and Cherry Nuptial

December 29, 2004

WEDDING FILE 6 : "The PRACTICE"

Hi guys! I'm surprised that our visitors had grown so much in the last couple of weeks. I would like to thank the members of W@W for it. Apparently, my wife gave an invitation to visit our website and see her make-up by Clamar. Ganda ng wife ko no?! Everybody tells me that. And they also said that the photos were great. Of course they are! Its a Chito Vecina. The guy is gifted! Unfortunately, I didn't get a single comment on me...uy! fishing! Except for this Angel Locsin character who gave me a nice comment on our tag board. (Promise I didn't make this person up...hee-hee! Liar-liar!)

So on with my story...
The following days after the prenup shoot we got a glimpse of her cousins wedding. We attended the wedding at St. Peters Church in Fairview. Grabe! I was tense that day. Not only am I not ready to see a real wedding, but I was also going to be seeing her relatives for the first time. Yipee! I expected a lot from it...but I also wished that their wedding would be not so great. Mean? Yeah...Maybe, but I only wanted our wedding to be best. I know that there will be a comparison somehow.

I was late for the wedding that day. Instead of picking up my honey at her place, I ended up going straight to the church. I went to towards the side door since the church doors were closed. I cant open it up either 'coz I don't want to make a scene. What kind of impression will that going to make on me? So I looked for my honey upon rows of pew all the to the altar. The church was big and I envy that it was new. But not cozy. I feel like I was in the middle of the Cuneta Astrodome for its size. The echoes from the choir bounces from the stone walls creating a distorted sound. More like an over-echoed videoke machine. And I hated the industrial size electric fans that sprays water every 5 minutes. It disrupts everything. To top it all, the sermon from priest is not exactly well done. 50% is allocated on church advertisement on how good the architecture is, and the other 50% on the relevant wedding liturgy. No offense to the couple! But right then my ego is building up, and I told myself that it only takes Paco Park Church to impress them.

That day I have established myself as the official photographer of the family. Because I always took pictures of all the occasions for my personal documentation. I can force everyone to smile at me because I have the camera! hehehe! Not even a toothless granny can resist posing for me! But I served my purpose well. My wife's sister Che, actually looked forward to my documentation so that she can have a copy of the pics to show Papa Genaro! So for you guys out there, if you want to impress your future in laws and make new friends its a must that you have a digicam. I worked for me!

The ceremony didn't last long (coz I'm late? hehehe). I felt the shivers when they said their vows. And I was rattled when they kissed. I cant imagine that in a couple of weeks I we will be the one at the center of all these. Can I endure to smile for hours? I am not exactly the smiley type. One of my high school friends told me that my smile can be bought. That's why I don't smile a lot. But what the heck! I wont waste 5 digits of my pay check on a good photographer if I wont show my pearly whites. Even if I look silly, I'm still looking forward to the day when my children would ridicule me.

After several clicks I became known to my wife's relatives as the "future so in law". I feel celebrated because they are actually looking forward to attend our wedding. It also created an impression that my wife is the darling of the clan, or even the superstar of their family. It gave us another 5lbs of pressure on us, but its ok. We can take it! So bring it on! Suddenly my jealousy over her last boyfriend disappeared into thin air. I thought kasi that he was the favorite. The wisdom of my elders were right all along. No need to worry. I'm the new favorite now! (wish ko lang!)

The reception was held at a clubhouse in Fairview, to be catered by "Hizons". They transformed the gym-like clubhouse to a sophisticated ballroom filled with flowers. The ambiance was great! But their wedding coordinator suck! She needs to go back to the-school-of-coordinators. She lacks coordination! But nevermind her. I was more amazed with the bubbles that are floating by. Before this I couldn't imagine that the bubble machine is a good idea for a weddings. You see, I'm more of a party popper guy. Bubbles are for a kids party, and it is not good when you have an exposed buffet on the side. I fear that the lechon will taste like soap! And nobody likes a soapy lechon.

The other thing that got me impressed with the caterer is that they have a good host for the ceremony. It was a short mestiza nymphette who speaks english very well! Impressive! She handled the occasion well if I may say so. It would have been perfect if only she knew who and where the sponsors are. Most of the sponsors that she called were not there. But I forgive her...but only because she is cute...BUT NOT AS BEAUTIFUL AS MY HONEY!!! (Ok ba? No need to get jealous hon!)

As the celebration went on her relatives couldn't help but tease us. Afterall, we are the next to tie the knot. I could only imagine what will happen to us when that day comes. For now I can only put myself in the newly weds shoes. From where I'm standing I could feel the love flow from Kuya Noel and Ate Cherry. Its infectious! And as the days unfold before us as we prepare for our own wedding, I know that we are on the right track. How can I get lost when I'm following my heart? Right hon?

"I'm happy that we've been married for 3 glorious months now. I love you honey!"

Posted by Dennis

1,000 AT LAST!!!

We got to the point that we can't stop blogging... this is currently our baby ladies and gentlemen! To everyone who reads my crappy blogs thanks a million! I never thought that sending evil subliminal messages can be this fun! So to all of you out there reading, thank you and keep reading. Zig hail! And uh-uh! HAPPY EASTER TOO!!!

"...and just in case I don't see you...good morning, good evening and goodnight!"
--Jim Carrey (Truman Show)

A shot from our first location. Chito was preparing us for the next shot.

(CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR LARGER VIEW.)

Look ma! I'm doing the Panday pose!

The two blind mice...

Eat your heart out Jingoy and Loren!!!!

Look hon! A bird dropped you something!

Intramuros

Pull me finger...

PG 13 at The Shrine of Jesus.

Be still honey...theres a snake on my foot!

Romeo... Maganto and Julie... Yap Daza

Zero gravity...she is a wrestling fan.

Just having fun...

She practiced sitting on an egg. This is where babies come from right?

The Baywalk

The Valentines Day Pedestrians

(CLICK ON THE PICTURES FOR LARGER VIEW.)

WEDDING FILE NO. 5: "I'M TOO SEXY"

"I'm a model you know what I mean and I do my little turn on the cat walk...I'm too sexy for my car, too sexy for my car, too sexy by far..."

--Right Said Fred

If there is one memory that I don't ever want to forget it would be the prenuptual pictorial with Chito Vecina. Ever since I was a kid I am fond of pictures. Up until today I look at a picture in the magazine and I get intrigued on how the photo was taken. Sometimes I try to shoot digital images of subjects and display it as my desktop. And ever since I bought my first digicam I became an instant photo critic.

Have you ever tried posing like a model infront of a cam?
The only camera that I feel comftable posing for is my digicam... with me taking the picture. There is a certain feeling of discomfort feel whenever I am facing the lens. "I feel like a microbe under a microscope." As if every part of me was being judged. Its like when you go to the mall and you face the security camera... that kind of feeling. To top it all I'm not that good looking to feel good in a picture. I never liked the camera when in zooms in on my face...

My wife however, becomes possessed in front of a cam. She can pose like a cat! And in every picture 90% of the time she looks good! Even better in person! (that's another 50 pogi points for me!)

When Doc Philip recommended Chito Vecina to cover our wedding I didn't hesitate to get him. Me and Philip share a common way of judging things. Whatever we decide whats best, it went under our gold standard. Take our wives for example! They are much sexier that the Viva Hot Men...Babes pala! And a lot sweeter than sugar. (that's 100 pogi points for me and Philip!)

Chito has been in the business of being a photojournalist for many years now. He has won several awards and had earned a big name for himself. He is currently working for the Philippine Daily Inquirer. You can see some of his work on the Lifestyle page or check out his website at www.chitovecina.com

One of the qualities that I'm looking for on a photographer is his patience and his tolerance for inexperienced models. We didn't have any background on modeling. naa-uh! Even if we did our own photoshoot in here in Bahrain we can't say that we are experienced. Its different when you take your own pictures. If you don't have a tripod your arms are always streched out, and you hardly get any of the background. Its just a photo of your face.

During the photoshoot we started our day with the usual beauty regimen. I don't know about Lany but I had a few drinks the night before. This brings out a different aura in me. My face looks pale and my lips look red. (weird huh?) And maybe if I put vulcaseal on my face I would definitely look like a celebrity! Unfortunately the nearby hardware store was out of stock. For Lany, a trip to Clamar at Tomas Morato is a must. They did a good job at her with minimal supervision. I on the otherhand felt sleepy while I watch the make up was being put on. Its not badingish, but very educational. I decided that if I ventured on the funeral parlor business I would definitely take them as a beauty consultant! Joke! They put very little make-up on my Hunny. The only problem with the make up was that she had the allergies later after washing the make-up off.

We then traveled by taxi to the meeting place, Fort Santiago Manila. Since we arrived about 30 minutes early we headed straight to Chowking for a quick lunch. BTW, the meal that is being served in all fastfood in Manila, especially in Chowking, suck! Because you don't get the food like the one in the picture. Most of the time it has less of what they have in the picture.

After 45 minutes we went to the Fort Santiago entrance gate. We payed something like P.40/person (when I was a student we only pay like P.10) as we wait for Chito. He arrived soon after with 2 digicam with a huge lens. I actually got so nervous at that time. Its my first modeling stint! But after the security guard saw him we were asked to pay about P.1,000 because we brought a professional photographer. Chito told me to return the tickets for a refund saying that its not fair. He asked the guard with angry voice, "Why can't I take pictures here?! I'm a Filipino and this is my country! How dare you let foreigners in to take pictures and you don't charge them extra?!" The guardia sibil turned pale and told us that it was their policy. So we refunded the tickets immediately and left for another spot. This time Chito decided the location. I felt a bit upset because the Fort was my personal choice. In all the years that I visited the place, I felt like it was home. During my college days we use to frequent the place for practicing our plays and for just hanging out. What a stupid policy I told myself. They shouldn't charge us at all. Our forefathers fought and died in that place.

Our first location was at the back of WOW Philippines. There were a few bystanders there but it didn't matter. But sometimes we felt stupid posing because we didn't look like professionals. And at times, the uziseros (on-lookers) think that we're nuts while we pose without a camera! They couldn't see the photographer because he was shooting the photos from a mile! I tell you, those camera lens are so powerful. I bet if he moved really close he could take an x-ray picture of us. He took several shots of us in every corner of the place before moving on to a much better location.

There is this picture of us behind PLM that I like a lot. The background was great! It was not long that we ran out of poses. The sun was bright in that almost cloudless sky. I am not used to taking my shades off in that kind of weather. Our eyes were hurting and we were sweating like pigs, but we have to project a seriously in love, and a ridiculously happy face! Its not easy to look sexy. And its not easy to show your true self in a crowd of people. He also made us kiss in public! We can do it in a disco or a cinema where its really dim and romantic, but in front of people we don't know?! Its a challenge. And we both felt like we were on a Reality Based TV show.

We walked on the Old Intramuros wall facing the golf course. The view was great. We saw a lot of green. There was also this one shot... Lany was standing before me then a golf ball went pass her. It almost hit her head! It would have been a great view but you are in front of a driving range. Its a dangerous spot for lovers.

Before the second location, a change of wardrobe is a must. We kept it simple. Just like a regular line of clothes. We picked a red (to match the motif for our wedding), a white and a black shirt. All of which are plain in color and design. We figured that after 10 years, these pictures would look funny to our children. Not like my elementary picture in which my mom curled by bangs to make me look like Robby Rosa of that boyband Menudo. I had that in my ID picture so I had to display it for a year. After the school year I decided to burn it! For the benefit of those who are just 25 years old and below, this popular group was very popular in the 80's. One of its successful member is Ricky Martin (no relation to Martin Nievera). He was still a kid back then.

Chito took us to a new church in the Macapagal area. I forgot the name exactly but it sounds like the Shrine of Jesus. We were suppose to be in the center of a grassy lot. But to Chito's surprise the vacant lot was partly mixed with cement from the building that was being constructed nearby. And the place was a dumping ground for the construction workers. And not just excess cement. I'm talking about human shit!!! So we stayed away from the tall grass and took our pictures near a clear area. I decided to put a different approach to our posing technique. I lifted my Hunny off her feet and started to carry her around. We became very creative and for the time that we spent there was fruitful. Being in a vacant lot without any people is a big break for us. Its hard to work with a lot of uziseros.

Third location was a challenge. This will test us to our limits. Chito briefed us about how to handle the shoot at "Baywalk". This super crowded place is a hang-out of all sorts of people. He said to watch out for hecklers. He had an experience before that his clients were being dissed. He just included the hecklers in the photo, and then they became friends. Its a big no no to fight back, you won't win.

We posed infront of the sunset, we hugged, kissed, layed down on the dirty bench etc. But the most embarrassing part is when we decided to have a shot at the pedestrian crossing ala Beatles while they cross the Abbey Road. I don't know how many times we crossed the street. The people are starring at us thinking that we are nuts! At that time we were sweating bullets. I almost lost our composure at one point. But it was fun! We made our first experience modeling a real memorable one.

We capped the day up with a well deserved meal at Max Fried Chicken. Chito brought out his laptop to burn the CD copy for us. Afterwhich, we talked about the upgrade that we want in our package. He agreed after a good haggle. It was an exhausting day for us. You really have to prepare physically and mentally for this.

We saw the photo's when we got home that night. We looked like Jingoy Estrada and Loren Legarda! I guess I made a mistake in hiring a photographer rather than a magician to make me look like Brad Pitt. I accepted the fact that it is so. Like they say in Bahrain... "What to do yani?" The thing is that we had fun on the eve of our most important event of our life... were going to tie the knot at last. This is a good story for our kids in the future. I'm also glad that I wasn't a model... what would happen to Brad Pitt then? Haha! I'll keep on dreaming...

ALMOST 900!!!

Im really happy that our blog visitors had almost reach 900! Thanks for making it happen. I never thought that blogging would be this fun. To top it all I'm happy because I got to chat with my cousin Mylene Hendrick the other night. Its been a long time since I have spoken to her. Keep in touch young lady!

I was wondering what we can post on the 1000th blog visits. I was thinking that maybe I can give a gift to the 1000th visitor, but I think its impossible. There is no way to know who that person will be. Well think about it...

If you guys will notice my wife did a few small changes on our site. Its those arrows and the tittles, plus the new counter design. Isnt that cool? She is also studying the html lingo, so later on you might see a whole new blogsite. I'm so excited!

Watch out for the prenup shoot blog...coming soon.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Life is like a box of chocolates. You'll never know what you gonna get. 

WEDDING FILE 4: "PREPPING UP"

On our 4th file, my wife decided to write me the dates and the details of our preparation. Maybe I'm missing a few important details of the events? Perhaps... But I'm the one typing the keyboards so what the hell! hehehe! I feel so powerful today!

In preparing for a wedding, you need to do a lot of travelling, shopping and a lot of cash on hand. These are the 3 important things that I learned. If you are up to a bling-bling kind of wedding you really have to be prepared. Mental, emotional and spiritual preparation is easy...trust me! Travelling for us has been made easy thanks to Daddy Tony and his new love...Crosswind. Probably without his help we wouldn't be able to finish our requirements on time. I admire his willingness to help us get through this thing. And I thank you very much dad!

After securing the 2 important elements of the ceremony (the church and the reception), we were up to shop for a few things. Floral arrangement, shoes, arrhae, candles, the cake etc. You know, those little things that for you bacholors and bachelorettes doesnt look so unimportant. Well think again! When you single people get married you would swear you wanted to do another year of ROTC training.

First stop on our list was to go to Greenbelt to look for a suitable barong, shoes and a unity coin holder for the ceremony. When we were in Bahrain we asked Mama Mila to get us those nice looking coins in Ortigas. Its composed of 13 gold with silver coins, each of them have an inscription which stands for the basic elements in life...and I only manage to remember 3 of them. Love, peace and prosperity. They look really cool! I tell you, whoever invented them is cool. Its a replacement for the traditional arrhae. But they are so pretty that they needed a fancy jewelry box to match it.

We wondered around the mall for hours looking for shoes. Even if they were on sale, its hard to find what we like. The ones on display doesn't really suite our taste. I dont know if weve been out of the country too long, thats why we dont jive with the current fashion or are we just too damn picky? I on the otherhand have to admit that I'm very particular with the shoes that I have to wear. It doesnt have to mean that it has to be over the top expensive, but they have to look expensive and snazy at least. My wife gets furious about this. She is willing to pay a lot just to get me the right one. She knows that mens shoes are expensive. Her shoes wont be as expensive but classy. She wants it that way. She needed a plain white pair for her because her designer made her a pattern to put on her shoes to match the dress.

We went to King Philip for the perfect barong. Since it was on sale, we figured that they may have the one I'm looking for. But it came as a surprise for me that the cheapest fabric itself was already worth P.7,000.00. Whoa! No, its not made of gold. And we don't know why it is so expensive either. But while we were there, I recieved a phone call from Chito Vecina the photojournalist. He wanted to set a meeting for us the next day to talk about our prenup shoot (now this is an intersting blog! watch out for it!). When I stepped outside to pick up a signal on my phone, I got a glimpse of Charles! What a surprise! I heard of the term "its a small world" but this is a cool coinsidence.This guy is also on vacation, and works with us here in Bahrain. He invited us to dinner just in case we would still be in the area for a couple of hours. How can we resist? It would be our first time to have dinner with our friend from abroad, right here in Makati! How exciting!

For a few minutes, our mind had a quick break from shopping. We called Mae (Lany's friend) and my cousin Ria to come with us, since they are just working around the corner. We met up with them and they showed us the Makati area labrinth. Its amazing how these malls all come together to form a chain in the Greenbelt and Glorietta area. We went up and down the escalators and through the buildings. Man! I feel like Super Mario entering a warp zone. Totally amazing!

We found ourselves at the Greenbelt area. And God it changed so much in a year since we were gone. Restaurants everywhere! And there are so much people wearing fancy clothes everywhere you go. Its like New York or something. Its really a surprise because on the news that we get from abroad, the country is suppose to be poverty striken. This aint a third world?! Well, at least not it Makati!

Charles had been so generous that night, that we could guess that he is not coming to our wedding. Can't blame the guy. We only get this once in a year. And he wants to go to Singapore. The only thing that a good friend can do in this situation is to put a litttle understanding to his comrade. Since he's insistant to pick up the tab (although my pocket was loaded that time.) we looked for nice resto to feast on. At this time my belly is not yet fed up from Pinoy food, Chinese food or the like. "Red Crab" was first on our list. But the line was too long! 30 minutes of standing was a torture to our burning stomachs. We settled for Bubba Gump instead.

The resto was inspired by the movie Forest Gump. The serve New Orleans style dishes. Everything is inspired by Forest Gump! The place looks like a fishermans warf. There are nets, wood and F. G. pictures all over. Its an interesting place to go to. Try it! The atmospehere would be most enjoyable if our eyes weren't bloodshut at that time. Lany and I were really tired. Stress had overtaken us. Imagine me for example. I have to take a ride so early in the morning from Navotas, to our meeting place, around the metropolis, to Fairview then back to where I started again. I felt like a migrating bird! Well, imagine my apetite! Poor Charles...He must have paid a huge bill. => He said it was a wedding gift...Thanks Charles! But we still prefer if you were there on our wedding day. No gift can replace a friends presence on that special day.

We had a lot of food that night. My cousin Ria went home early. Afraid that she would take the public transpo instead of the FX service that she would comfortably ridding home that night. I cant blame her...she lives in Navotas for Christ's sake! And its also dangerous for women to roam the streets at that time.

We had a good time with them. The topics where a bit shallow, but fun. All that I was thinking the whole time was our wedding. I wonder how it will end up? We wanted it to be successfull. We wanted our guests to enjoy as much as possible. But at that time we didn't really know what will please them. We had an idea of a showbiz wedding and a simple one. We wanted a mix of both. A wedding that we can afford but something to be proud of.

The night ended with a simple goodnight kiss from my wife. I silently travelled from her place to mine by jeepney. And my mind started to wonder how life would be with her. And what our future would give us. We both have our own ideas. We have our parents to tell us about it. But will all fairness, I think that our future will be bright. And we need shades just to look at it. IN SHALA!

THE FLICKY THINGY

Lately, my wife has been busy uploading new pictures from our Flicker tagboard. The one we agreed to show is the Boracay Honeymoon pictures. It reveals islands beauty as well as our own. Not to mention my perky-brown-man-tits! Its disgusting I know. But my wife insists that its a beach and showing a little bit skin is needed to get a nice tan. Speaking of tan, its hardly impossible to get one because of the occasional cloudy weather that time. And even if you bake us on the sun's surface I dont think we'd get one because we consumed a huge amount of sunblock on that trip. (very Pinoy right?)

This week I'll be posting another wedding file. Watch out for it! And thank you all for reading this nonsense blogspot!

ciao!
posted by: DENNIS

I REALIZED...

I realized that a doctor is like a wine...the older they are the more experienced they get.

My friends son was diagnosed to have a chronic muscular atrophy condition. They said he will die after sometime. From the time that I heard about it, I couldnt erase his picture in my mind. Poor boy! I pity his big brother and his parents. They are the one who will be scared and burdened by his absence. I dont ever want to have that experience. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer around 6 years back, i felt that my world has collapsed. I have to be stronger. I could still remember my father's phone call during my mom's operation. He was asking me if he should sign the consent to remove my mothers right breast because they found out that the cyst is malignant. Imagine a woman having a bad hair day because her hairdresser messed her hair up...now thats only hair! Can you imagine how a woman would feel like after waking up to find that her right breast is missing?

I realized that friendster is a modern day "pen-pal service"...

When I was a kid, I remember our maid sending letters to her pen-pal. How lonely can she get?! She mailed each one of them from the magazine but there wasn't any reply that came back. I was thinking she probably said that she works as a maid. I told her that after I mentioned that after I told her to use rexona. And then after a month she said she was going for a vacation. She never came back.

I realized that learning a new language is difficult...

Last year I was trying hard to learn French. But did you know that this is by far one of that hardest language to learn? I didn't take heed to my friend Sarah's warning that its really difficult. I was relaying to the fact that the Filipino tongue is more flexible than rubber. I still dont want to admit that I was wrong. Because I know that with practice, I can learn the language perfectly. Never underestimate the power of a pinoy's will I say. But come to think about it, I've been in Bahrain for almost 4 years. And damn! I can't speak fluent Arabic! Your fault Sarah! ;> Now I'm trying to learn Spanish. It's easier I guess. Lets see how I do with it in a week.

I realized that I'm fat...

Yes! You've seen the pictures! This is what love has done for me. They say that this is a sign of contentment. Fine! But I refuse to be fat! (im eating a left over of Lany's baon of chicken nuggets while I write this piece.)

They said that admitting the problem is the first step in solving it. And yes I am fat! But what am I going to do with it? Its really hard to take a diet. When I skip a meal, I always comeaback with a vengence! I eat more the next time I have food in front of me. I tried the after 6 diet. But I overeat before 6pm. Does anybody have a suggestion about my problem? Please email me at sinneddc@yahoo.com. I would appreciate the help.

posted by Dennis

FRIENDSter...

I use to hate it when my inbox becomes full of junkmail. But what is a junkmail? For me, junkmail is those useless, nonsense, irrelevant, unwanted and unsolicited mail that you get from you personal email account. This includes forwarded messages and chain letters that I swear to God, do not read. I'm sorry friends but I do not like forwarded messages. Specially the ones that say that I will die if I don't forward it to 15 people in 5 minutes. This sucks! How can your friends send you these things?! They might as well send me a message telling me to "drop dead"!

A couple of years ago when Friendster started, I use to get tons of invitation from friends. And this is not only one time! And everytime it comes I just quickly erase it and poof! its gone. I never realized that its important. Until one day, my wife recieved an invitation from one of her friends to join. And when she did, I was amazed that she got hooked up to all her friends from different parts of the world. Man that was good! And then I remember that there was a time that I registered to that site....hmmm...I immediately browsed my inbox to try and find the my friendster password. It might be worth it?

And there I was inside friendster figuring out how it works. CJ and I have been trying to locate our friends from our batch a long time ago. And this is my chance to find them. Good thing that I still remember some of their names and kept an old email address of them. The concept of Friendster is funny. You get interconnected with each friend that you find. Amazing! I found myself finding names one bye one, and I giggle like a schoolgirl with each succesful search. How corny can I get?!

But with all the searches that I've made I didnt send any message to everyone. My face that was on my profile or the invitation to join me as a friend already meant something. That I can be reached anywhere in the world as long as I'm connected to the net. Kinda makes the world a small place does it?

Would you like to join me at friendster? =>

posted by Dennis

WEDDING FILE 3: "IN OR OUT" ('AM I IN OR OUT?)

"IN OR OUT", this is what Korean teenie bopper Sandara Park is singing now a days. I hate this song but it somehow got stuck in my mind together with the Filipino radio stations catch phrase "Kailangan pa ba'ng i-memorize yan?!" To tell you the truth, I have never imagined that my countrymen would be this corny. The melody is a mix of childrens songs fused with Charismatic melodies. WTF is going on?! With the number of coffee shops mushrooming all over the country I have always thought that we are heading towards the cappuccino fad or the elite culture. But what is this? It has been 4 long years since I left the homeland and look at how these bubblegum songs thrive! Nevermind the Sexbomb Dancers or the Viva Hot Babes. They are so cute even if they look dumb while they sing their cheap songs...ahhhh... NO OFFENSE GIRLS! I'm a big fan of yours!

So what is the connection about Sandara's song to my story? This song popped up in my head after the Pamanhikan - (asking the girl's parents for their daughter's hand). My head was still hanging on cloud 9 after it was over and done. But the question was, am I in or out? (ok! I better stop saying the in or out phrase because I know that some of you are already having goosebumps. hehehe) I think that I'm in! The event was a success! I managed to patch things up with dear o'l mama Mila, meet the family, and my family seems to like Lany's family. We finally got it made! So to hell with Sandara and her sick song!....although I still can't get it off my mind! Damn it! =(

The next day we were already working our butts off finding a real nice Barong for me (Traditional Filipino Mens wear. A formal attire for a very formal occasion like a wedding or for funeral...sounds synonymous right? Just kidding!). It is so hard to find a nice one in Divisoria. Most of of the designs are old and floral. And trust me I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a floral Barong! I a very picky person when it comes to these things. And what made me more pickier, is the fact that I'm the only one in the entourage to not have a barong yet! Lany's parents had already bought a very snazy design made of Pina Suqsoq (Pineapple (flavor...NOT!) fabric. One of the expensive variety). So, the thing here is that I have to exceed the beautiful fabric they have. I have to be unique. Afterall, I'm the freakin groom!

During the barong hunt in Divisoria I was with Lany and her mom. We have several errands at that time. One of which is to go to the printing press to hand in the final proofing of the invitation. And let me tell you, it wasn't easy to find this place. Lany found this press on the internet. They were suppose to make very good quality invitations for a very reasonable price. But the catch is, its very hard to find the place especially if you dont know the Binondo area (China Town). At that time I forgot to bring the address, which makes it more difficult to find the place. Stupid huh? So who knows the place better than the residents right? But it is also dangerous to ask just anyone from this place. Divisoria and Binondo is a haven for pick pockets and hooligans. We figured it is best to ask the Diaguars! (Pretty macho name for "guradia" huh? Astig no? Tagalog slang for security guards.) Most of them don’t know the street. Some of them were just plain dumb and pointed us to the wrong direction. Anyway, we found ourselves lost and drifting to a familiar Chinese deli… ENG BEE TEN. This place rocks for selling the best hopia and tikoy in town. It was packed with costumers buying their new year supplies. My mouth was already watering from the smell of their goodies. Yum! Yum!

After falling in line at the cashier, I found out that it was my destiny to become a porter. Mama Mila bought a dozen tikoy (Chinese rice cake) to give to their relatives in the province. (…she’s not Chinese…) That’s how thoughtful she is.

After shopping we tried to hire a pedicab to find the street. But these guys are asking us for a lot of money so I figured that we just ask the other security guards near Binondo Chruch. We asked a couple and marched our way towards nearby bridge. Much to our surprise, there was a man tailing us. Before we got to the bridge he was already volunteering to take us there…the fishy part is that he wants to take us to use the other route. If I was not there, my honey and her mom would have been held up. The man was so nice that you wouldn’t get a hint that he is luring us away. Then I said: “We don’t know this guy! And we didn’t even ask him to help us in the first place, so why follow him?” So we walked as fast as we could. On the way I asked for my pen. Maybe I can use it as a weapon! Right then I felt my senses heightened, like a wolf. I try to keep my pace as I peer to my sides. Constantly looking for the danger that might surprise us.

In minute I saw a man who just popped behind us. I tried to look tough. I tell you, if somebody touches me at that time I would have sprung to my Kung-Fu mode! I was already reviewing the enemies weak points and martial techniques in my head. And if these men touches a hair on my honey I will definitely kick their ass! Whoaaa!!!

When we got to Metrobank, we were scared shitless about our stalker. He just disappeared! Good thing that the nice security guard pointed us in the right direction. And as soon as the coast is clear, we hurriedly walked towards the printing press. But as we turned, Lany has spotted the scary looking guy standing near a sari-sari store waiting for us! He might be a professional stalker/hoodlum, but he aint no match for our feet! damn were fast!

Even evil has its limitations. After an hour at the printing press I guess the fugly man left us. He knows how fast we were on foot. I'm thankful that nothing bad had happen to us that day. Just a brush with danger, thats all. But it has its advantages. Atleast my dear mama Mila knows that I won't let nothing bad happen to her daughter. And thats 100 pogi points for me!

As the day went by we found ourselves at SM Manila scouting for barong. I'm so picky! I still cant find the perfect one. Our invitations were redesigned and ready before Christmas. And I have another experience to blog about.

posted by: Dennis

...we finally got married! 

Our doves wouldn't kiss each other. They were both male! 

Prenuptual photo at Baywalk Manila by Chito Vecina 

MANO PO 3 (LAST PART NA PO!)

Mano Po 3 continued…

This is the last of the mano po series. It's hard to finish this with my busy schedule. Nowadays time is a luxury thing for me. But I have to finish…Your imagination might be running wild after mano po 2. So before my blog becomes misinterpreted, here is the rest of the story.

We were received warmly by Lany's family. Everybody is wearing their best smile. I have seen Daddy Tony receive guest before, but this time it's more personal. I'm glad everything is running smoothly. How wonderful! But I still can't remove this funny feeling inside me…

I try to become a part of the household and make myself useful. I figured this is the time to practice being a family. So in my own little way I try and help them. But it's hard to be helpful if you have Che-che around. She is the second eldest in the family. She put herself in charge of overseeing that everything is in order.

After gathering everyone in the sala, the old folks went to their strategic position. Brandy has been served to the men, and light refreshment for the women. At the sight of it, looks like it's only going to be an acquaintance party. But after a few minutes everything fell into position. Like a chess game. Touch move!

We were in the center, like two stranded individuals in an island surrounded by sharks! Daddy Tony is firing the questions left and right. I can't remember everything. My mind at that time was blocked and in a shock. The questions become personal, while the one answering questions is getting loaded with brandy. Thank God that all the questions were properly answered. Lany and I are so tensed! Especially when it was her moms turn to speak.

I knew that there is something wrong with the way she looks at me. She told everyone how she felt about me. And being a parent, I know that it is her right. And that she is only being protective about her daughter. She made it clear that she doesn’t like what she saw in me that morning. She didn’t like the fact that I am impatient when it comes to waiting. She doesn’t like the idea that I left the meeting place despite the fact that they are late. It comes to her that I am not right for her daughter. I know that I am not at fault. Lany knows it! She kept whispering “I’m sorry” to my ears as the roasting goes on. She tried to shield me, and explain why those things happened. And it's entirely her fault that she didn’t communicate with me at all. Clearly I was misunderstood. I tried to reason out, but her mind was set on it. For her “Dennis spells EVIL” no matter how you mix the letters.

The debate concluded with good remarks coming from the head of the household. We all ate a delicious meal care of yours truly and Lany’s family. All the men went outside to continue the male bonding that they so enjoyed. Our women stayed in the sala where they entertained themselves singing songs from the videoke. I, on the other hand felt like Osama bin Laden. I wanted to tunnel underground and hide myself in shame.

I joined the men and try to be with bond with them. I felt good knowing that my father and Lany’s father were getting along so well! The two bigotillo’s (men with mustache) are really connecting. Advice comes very cheap that night. They really wanted our relationship to work!

And as the night becomes deeper, I knew that I have an obligation to explain myself to Lany’s mom. And when we were ready to go home, I found her in the kitchen alone. It's my chance! I held her hand and thanked her for the nice reception that we had in their house. No hospitality can compare to what they have done for my family.

I tried to explain to her what had happened that morning. And that there was a miscommunication between me and her daughter. I couldn’t remember my exact words, but I knew I got through her. So, in that very spot, we settled our differences. At last, we buried the hatchet and try to understand each other. It’s the start of a good relationship…

So we said our goodbyes, and went home. Another page of our book has been turned. Now its time to move on with the wedding preparation. It's only a few weeks before our wedding. We need to pull ourselves together and make it happen. And for the meantime, I can finally sleep and stop worrying. No blood has been spilled. Peace reigns.

THE END (with a capital "T" for tikoy)

Hey Doc Philip! I saw your moms pic at Chito Vecina's webpage. Why is she crying? Chito is one of the best photojournalist in Pinas. We love how he covered our wedding. He's a real master!

Posted By: Dennis

...singit lang...

HAPPY VALENTINE HONEY!!!

LOVE,
DENNIS

WEDDING FILE 2: "MANO PO 2"

Mano Po 2, continued...

As you might have guessed, there is a "Mano Po 3" after this blog. I'm sorry if I have written a long one. But you've made it this far. => so whats the point of quitting!?

So there I was cornerd. My plans of perfection was shattered. To tell you the truth I really hate it when my plans don't work out. No matter how small it is, the disappointment that I feel is huge. Although for years I try to remove this bad habit from me.

When Lany, Daddy Tony, and Mama Mila got to my town I took my better half and rushed home. It was rude of me not to have entertain them, or even invite them to have some refreshements at nearby fastfood shop. But I know that this is all for the better.

We had a quick lunch and ask my aunt to help us find her friend at the town hall for our marriage liscence. In most of the government offices it pays to have someone you know. It somehow removes the red tape, and moves your document request forward. Ofcourse, we need to lube it up with money grease! How convinient! At that time, we only did not bring extra lubricant, we also brought imported soap as opposed to their request of chocolates. Unfortunately, sorry for them. My chocolate supply had been consumed by relatives and friends in a matter of 3 days! Hah! Beat that record! Hehehe!

The processing of the marriage liscense was a breeze. There is nothing that a motivated government employee couldn’t do if they just put their mind to it. Thanks to my Tita Wena and her friends, things were easy for us. They were even kind enough to exempt us from the Family Planning Seminar. Anyway, there is nothing that the FPS can give us. We are medical professionals! I myself work at an IVF Center which deals with infertility day in and day out. I probably know more than them. Their kind of seminar is the “Family Planning: For Dummies” type. Yes its true! My friend Ferdie told me all about it. He said that they gave him the wrong instructions for the Billing Method (the rhythm or the calendar method of contraception). Therefore, giving his wife 2 pregnancies in a span of 1 year! Wow!

We finished about 3pm, then we headed to my place to prepare for the main event. The whole household was busy. We prepared a welcome gift to them, composed of fresh sea food, Pancit Malabon, Puto and a bottle of brandy. If there was room for fish sauce I would have generously bought some. But, there need to be room for the relatives in the vehicle. We are packed like sardines in one Tamaraw Fx (Pirated version! Who disguises to have an air-conditioning system that doesn’t work at all.) care of our helpful neighbor Ajie Martin. Thank you very much sir!

At past 4pm, although I know that we are going to be very late, our long time family friends (the neighborhood tambay’s) gave us a warm sarcastic send out! My father was so excited that he told all of them that we are going to my future in-laws to do the pinoy tradition, the pamamanhikan. Its his first time kasi, that’s why. Anyhow, we embarked on our long journey to the far far away land of Fairview. On the way there we Tito Marcelo was on a roll cracking jokes left and right followed by my dad’s smart alec remarks. It would have been a riot if I wasn’t nervous. I know that something fishy is going to happen to me.

If there was one thing that I could wish give our country , I would wish that we don’t have “traffic”. Its been 2 hours and we’re still in Sauyo road. My dad who had been experiencing a discomfort in his stomach was begging that he be let out of the vehicle or be dropped to his brother’s place in Novaliches. He couldn’t bear shitting on my in laws toilet and spreading his lethal gas. I would cause a big embarrassment on our part. Poor dad, he is sweating bullets. I know that he is going to explode. I have to agree that we have to drop him at my Tito Ernesto’s place.

When we got there, my father immediately jumped out of the vehicle and rang the door bell. I could see from his eyes that he is using his x-ray vision and heat vision to get through the steel door while he waits for the maid to open up. He must go or else! Hehehe! The consequence for not visiting your relatives for so long is that, the household doesn’t know you. Specially the new once, like this housemaid. She wouldn’t let us in without a clearance from her boss. After a few more minutes, Tita Sianing opened the gate. She looks stupefied by the sight of us. She didn’t have an idea why the hell we were there! After a few seconds of rubbing her eyes, she welcomed us with open arms. Dad was quick! As soon as the door opened he already rushed to the toilet to find his ZEN.

We were received at the family’s sala. Tita Agring (my cousin Ria’s mom) and my mom reminisced the past. How much they have grown old, and how fast the kids were growing, preparations for my wedding etc. etc. Not that I mind, but we are so late! And so, as soon as my dad showed up I gave them the signal to go. Lany’s mom has already been calling her mobile now.

When we got to the Caras territory there were already men having drinks at gate. After a few seconds, Daddy Tony had already made himself visible and gave us a warm welcome. I gave him the Mano Po, then introduced my parents. Tita Glo came out and gave a cheerful greeting while Mommy Mila gave a mysterious smile….Oh no! That mysterious smile again!


To be continued…

Does Marina prefer fish balls rather than squid balls? Will the Mulawin clan die from bird flu? Tune in next time as the drama unfolds in “Mano Po 3”!!!

WEDDING FILE 2: "MANO PO"

Before I start, I would like to thank Richard Vinluan for the invitation to write comments on his blogsite. Nice piece of work!

Secondly, I'm happy that our visitors reached the 400 mark! I never knew that anybody would be interested in these things. It surely gives me a reason to blog about. To everyone out there, keep reading! And don't be afraid to write your comments.

MANO PO:

I never really watched any of the Mano Po movies, but I felt that I was in it during the Pamamanhikan thing. I don't even know how the movie goes but I'm pretty sure that it will be as cheesy as what I will tell you. All these will be from my point of view ok. Let my wife tell you about her's. Hee-hee!

And so, two days after the arrival we planned for the first family visit to Lany's family in Fairview. I felt so nervous! Finally my folks will be stepping on Caras territory. Knowing a little bit of our family's differences made me feel uneasy. All we wanted is that our families will get along very well. Like they say, "First impressions, last...". And I haven't made a good impression to her parents yet!

This day didn't start well. You see, we wanted to secure a few documents during the day before we take the big move during the afternoon. We were suppose to meet up in Jollibee Cubao at 8am. And then well go to the Navotas City Hall to apply for our Marriage Contract, have lunch at my place then bring my parents to Caras territory in at 4pm. But as always, my better half is always late.

And so there I was in Cubao, earlier than usual. I took extra care in planning for my trip to Jollibee so I won't be late and not waste any time sitting there. I want to get things done asap! Afterall, I haven't had a descent sleep before and during our trip to pinas. We've been very busy with the preparation. (And I thank God and Bill Gates for the internet! If it wasn't for this medium we would have organized this whole event.)

After a cup of coffee and 1 order of Jolly Longanisa Breakfast, it was already 8am and Lany hasnt showed up yet. So I ordered a glass of Jolly Iced Tea to cool my nerves. My intuition tells me that she will be very late. And it will make me very mad! Afterall, patience has never been my best virtue. I messaged her time and time again, but with no reply. I tried to call her but she wouldnt answer....little by little, the fiber of my ever thining strand of patience is running out. Thank God, Farmers Plaza has opened a few minutes early. I have walk to cool down. And so I messaged her that I will stroll around the mall while I wait for her. Message sent! A couple of minutes inside National Bookstore I still didn't get any message from her. And so I took out my phone. My grip starts to tighten as I peek at the LCD... "I have a full signal. What happened to her?! I hope she is ok."

Hours later I found myself tired, unproductive, and sitting on a chair at malls internet shop. I found myself blogging for some reason. Trying to get my feelings out to anyone who wants to read it. I felt that its easier to pull a chicken out of my ear that to wait for someone who might not even show up. (sorry honey! I felt I'm murdering you. But I have to justify the event. =>) I texted her to say that Im going home. I have to go and get our marriage liscence. See you tonight.

I rushed for the bus stop. My head is throbbing from thinking what had happened to her. My battery is running low. After finding the most comftable seat in the bus, my phone rang! Its my Honey and she already in Cubao! Darn! I have not passed SM North! "Do I have to go back there?" I asked myself My Jolly mood that I got from Jollibee has changed already. And so I told her that I will meet up with her tonight. I can't go back there. My mood has changed. Bad mood na! but she was persistent even as I hang the phone twice. She messaged me to ask directions to my place. Her father will drop her at my house. I got angrier. My folks dont expect the meeting to be so soon! The house is a mess! We didn't prepare anything for them! My GOD! I felt a Tsunami hit my chest. I want everything to be perfect, but whats happening?! Am I cursed? All these things were crushing my brains, as the funny voice on the radio said, "Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan?" I knew I'm doomed!

I gave her the directions to my place. I also send a message to my sis Bab's to get ready. They might meet my inlaws early. She did not reaply but I know she will do something...some sort of a miracle perhaps.

When I reached home, my parents were already busy preparing food for them. The house was semi-presentable now. I bought a can of air freshener to lighten up the smell of seafood that my dad is cooking. Its the best that we can do for a surprise visit.

to be continued....

SLEEPLESS IN MANAMA

There are times in our busy lives that we just can't sleep for no reason. In my case, we slept at 4:00 in the afternoon and woke up at 1am. I might had my fair share of sleep earlier thats why I can't get any tonight.

I opened my laptop to check my mails. Maybe there is a friend who will share an experience that will make me sleep! hehehe! Joke! I read all of your mails. Except for the forwarded messages! I dont like those things. I had one that said I will get bad luck for seven years if I dont forward his email. What a friend?! He might as well send me a bolt of lightning to go with it.

Anyhow, I'm giving myself up to 3am to cybersurf and then close my eyes and try to force myself to sleep. Or! There is a bottle of vodka lying around here. I'm tempted to give myself a shot or two. But I don't want a hang over later. I have an important job to do.

Its almost 3am and I have to go. Wish me luck that tomorrow when I go to bed everything will flow smoothly. Be sleeping in my side of the bed with my brand new wife! hehehe! goodnight to all! bye!

WEDDING FILE 1: "ARRIVAL TO THE PHILIPPINES"

December 17, 2004

It was 7pm when our friend Don dropped us at the Bahrain International Airport. We unloaded his car with the usual Pinoy travel necessities like: a suitacase full of clothes, a huge balikbayan box full of goodies (fruits, appliances, chocolates, coffee...etc.), a hand carry full of more goodies, a bag of laptop and accessories, and Lany's wedding gown (very huge box...very fragile...if you tilt or knock it over she will give you a nice concussion!). Very light indeed considering that its only our 3rd trip back home. I guess veteran expats carry heavier than usual packages.

When we got to the airport, we met up with our friends the Caday family and their well-wishers. We took a few photos and then went on our jolly way to check in our laguages. I was praying hard that our things wouldn't weigh more than it should. Or else I have to unpack and unload some of my stuff. I heard a lot of nasty rumours about airport personel, and I don't want to be in trouble with one of them. I also made an extra prayer for the immigration guy to let us through on this date. Because our "exit pass" is a day ahead of our departure. He has the right not to let us pass. I did this trick last year and it worked. Good thing that he was nice, or else it would have led us in to a much bigger mess.

My things came over the weighing scale and was taken in without any hassle. Darn! I could have put an extra kilo in it. When it was Lany's turn it went over an extra 2kg! Could the fruits inside the box got contaminted with soil and germinated into a tree?! It can't be! (I haven't tried to use this alibi before. But if you have the balls to do so, then the best of luck to you. Hope that the person behind the counter is a blonde! hehehehe!)

Bahrain's Duty Free is small but complete. The showcase of items are immense and well displayed. I took photo of the the dancing Santa near the toy section. I even danced to his tune of jingle bells! I really felt the spirit of Christmas because we were on our way home. Yipee!!!!

As we boarded the plane, I felt the stigma of another agonizing trip home. 12 hours is a long time to sit. Even if there is inflight entertainment, I can feel my but flatten as the minutes pass me by. My problem with sleeping on the planes uncomftable seats seems to be my biggest dilemma. I tried alcoholic beverages, but these things makes you got to the bathroom every now and then. Nah! I will stick to the movies instead.

So there I was, sitting beside my future wife as she sleeps on my shoulders. For a minute I thought I was getting some well deserved sleep, but the thought of the work ahead of this wedding wakes me up like coffee. Oh well! Another film flashed before my eyes. Time to watch another one.

To make the story short...we reached the Philippine airspace at around 4pm. We took small clips of the landing, and NAIA airport along the way. My heart pounds as we near the arrival area. Oh man I cant wait to see my fathers expression when he see's me and Lany! We were about to see them in a minute, but Lany's trolly has a break problem...wait!...no breaks on either of our trolly's! I have to come back up the ramp to get her. At that time I felt like an Alaskan Salmon swimming againts the rush of travellers trying hard to gain control on their descending trolly.

I spotted my father in an instant! I guess its an instinct to distinguish our parents from a crowd. Never have I been lost since I was a child. And I won't lose sight of my old man now! I saw my future mother inlaw at the arrival station...and she ain't smilling at all. Well, atleast not at me. Probably a maternal instinct too! Hehehe! Anyways, I will let it go this time. I know that she has this feeling that her daughter will be taken away anytime soon.

And so we parted ways for the mean time. For now we join our own biological family towards home. I am glad to be with them...I can't wait 'till we get there. I miss home cooking so much, I swear that anchovies will taste like gourmet food in my mouth. ahhhhh!!! I know that my dad has cooked something special because he kept asking what I want. Let me guess, hmmm...Adobong Pusit! Hahaha!

My night ended with a bottle of cold San Miguel Beer after shots of Emperador Brandy. My tired body was ready to give in from my beds invitation of sleep...Tomorrow is another day...a working day! We have loads of preparation ahead of us. Thank God for my cousin RIA, Tita Wena, Babs my sis and My inlaws for all the help that they gave us when we were away. Godbless each one of them!

to my Dear cousin Geoffrey, who is now serving the people of Kosovo through the United Nations...I wrote each and every blog here. Thanks for the wonderful comment! Tell Mylene about this site will ya? Keep reading and stay off o' those landmines will you?! Take care! Send me a few pictures if you have time.

love,

Dennis (I use to be little John when we played Voltes Fivaaaa!!! Now I'm not so little anymore. I can now play Big Bird! Haha!)

BACK TO BAHRAIN

Marhaba!

We are back in sunny Bahrain since last tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005. And this time we came back married. There is a different feeling inside me coming back with a wedding ring around my finger. Suddenly, I don't have the fear of people's comments that we are very sweet in public. Being in an Arab country, you have to act proper most of the time. Otherwise people of different races look at you differently. Now, we can flash our shiny wedding rings in their faces and tell the whole world that we tied the knot!!! In your face man! (ring finger up in the air! bling! bling!)

The sad part about all these, is the fact the we left home once again as we look towards the future in another country. We will surely miss our parents, friends ,and the hamock tied between two coconut tree's in Boracay. Damn! That piece of net is a slice of heaven for us... I wish we had more than 40 days to spend back home. Oh well, all we have now are just memories to cherish and an empty wallet. Hehehehe!

In a couple of days I will be blogging about our experience preparing for the wedding, the wedding itself, the honeymoon in Boracay, and our days running around Pinas. I hope we keep you entertained and informed. So if you are still interested, keep reading!!!

Dennis and Lany

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Over the holidays, I experienced having a family again. Not just one but two! Weve been living our lives so far away from them for the past year. I use to remember when I was a kid that we cant live without them. We use to cry because we have to go to school and leave them...and then we grew up! When we reached the age of 12, we hate being kissed by our parents in public! yuck! That would be a total disaster.

But now, since we long so much of the warmth of being with them, we cherish every moment spent. Nevermind if they nag. Its ok. What is a month anyway? we lived with them most of our lives.

So whats keeping us busy? Wedding preparations. We didnt get any rest since we got here. Money is like sand in an hour glass...we only hope that when it runs out, and we start to tilt it, there would still be sand pouring down. I believe that its a cycle! in shala!!!

Last night, I spent the night at Lany's place. Noche Buena is a happy one for this family. Eversince Lany and her sis worked abroad, the family was not complete since then. Only last night! Her parents are so happy! Especially mama Mila.

I on the otherhand is happy just watching them....I wonder what happened to them? We dont spend christmas anyway.

Anyhow, Happy Holidays to one and all!!!

And Happy Birthday Honey! You are Santa's gift to me.

love,
Dennis and Lany

WE'RE HOME!!!

December 18, 2004

We arrived in Manila in one piece! Its nice to see the country again. Although we have a lot of buisness to transact here. In a period of 2 days not much have been done. It's sad...we are behind schedule.

I already had my share of San Miguel Beer. There are only 3 beers that I like. Corona Extra, Miller Genuine Draft and our good old SMB light. Smooth! It goes down well on my throat, and not so heavy on the belly.

I met Lany's parents. They are cool! I did the "mano po" and called them mom and dad. Hehehe! I never thought the day would come that I would actually do that. I met her sister Che-che. She is nice...more talkative than my Honey-bunny! Hehehe! But talk is good! I never did like the silent type. It was funny when we were driving towards Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel. Daddy Tony would always tell Che-che to zip her mouth. But she was refused to do it! After dinner at Liquid, the van got noisier! I had a blast of their family's humour...the "Caras Family" style.

Later, we are going to do the pamamanhikan. My family will go to her place. O-MI-GOSH! This is the first time that I will be sitting in one room. I'm so nervous!

I am waiting for Lany at the mall in Cubao. We are suppose to meet at 9:30am at Jollibee. Its way past 11 and she still aint here. Might as well get a haircut and update the blogsite while I wait. It sucks to wait!

Ok. Its time to go to the saloon. Im crossing my fingers that they do justice to my hair. I've been maintaining the long hairstyle for sometime now. I will need to shave my goattee too! I look like a goon. See you guys later!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JINAN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JINAN!!!

It's our favorite baby's 1st birthday today. Our beautiful cutie doll has become an adorable little arabian princess. I will be posting her picture here soon. There are no words to describe her. Of course she has taken the features of her dad Hameed Alawi...I just hope she doesn't look like her father when she grows up. Hehehe! Sorry siddiq!

Anyways, I just ate from the buffet here at the Alawi residence in Manama. Ate Fe (the mother) cooked a terrific set of pastries. I'm sure that Lany will love it when she gets here. Poor thing. She is stuck at the hospital until 10pm. She has already called me for the fourth time now. I bet she would like to get here asap.

CONFIRMATION CERTIFICATE

Can anyone tell me about this? Earlier I went to the Sacred Heart Church in Manama to claim her Confirmation Certificate. After examining the document, was surprised to see that it doesnt have the "FOR MARRIAGE PURPOSE" stamp on it. According to the secretary and the parish priest, the addition of this stamp is applicable here. So it is not a requirement. But how come Paco church is asking for a stamp? It doesn't make sense. Who is doing the right thing? Paco Church or Sacred Heart? I know that the Pope is reading my blog. So to you Mr. Holy See sir, you can email me at sinneddc@yahoo.com . And for anyone out there who knows about this, you are most welcome to write me one. I'm looking forward to hear from you guys.

SHORT BLOG

Yes! We are now counting the days for our trip back home. Yesterday we went shopping for a few essential items. A few things that the common OFW goes shopping for. Lots of soap actually. I don't know why our folks like them so much when they are bought from here. It is now available anywhere in pinas.

Im going to try and publish this short post. I sense that there is something wrong with the net today. I can't even access my yahoo mail. I would also want to announce that I have a new blog baby. Check it out at www.theblogeater.blogspot.com you might get a kick of what I will be writting there.

---Dennis

"S" HAPPENS

Sh!t happens!

A couple of days ago I was on fire writting good words and mentioning names that had made an impact on us. I have reached the length of a worthy blog to be published. But darn it! Right after I click "publish", the words "error in page" appeared on screen. And all my hard work is gone! It whipped my like Yoyong the typhoon did to your country men several days ago. It was a moment of s@*^!

So here I am a couple of days after that blog-mishap, sitting infront of the laboratory pc while waiting for the surgeon to make his grand entrance. It is raining outside when I left home. For sure Lany had forgotten to take yeterdays laundry this morning. We had attempted to take it last night but it's still damp. Now for sure it's soaking wet! And when I get to her place later she will be fuming mad!

(45 mins after the operation)

I'm back from the operating room! There was a big fuzz with the urologist being 20 mins late. It surely pissed the anesthetist. But who isn't on the edge now a days? Me and Lany on the other hand have been like a "siamese fighting fish"over the past few days. Well, who wouldn't be? When your own relatives decide to diss you in the middle of the preparation to your OWN WEDDING, I guess you have the right to be mad. Poor Lany, whe was crying, and very frustrated over the entourage last night. Why? Because our Primary Sponsors list is like a ballot being counted after the election. Sometimes their names are in, and sometimes they are out. Who has the right to make decisions to this wedding anyway? If there is anybody who should call the shots IT'S US! I don't want to go to details anymore. We just want to express our disappointment with the rest of the brood!

We would like to extend our thanks to our friends who expressed their concerns over us. You guys are so sweet! Marianne Manalo and Evelyn Dabu (Lany's close friends), called a "barangay chat", when they heard about our flight sched being cancelled. I called it "barangay chat" because they are like a barangay capt and his men, calling out an emergency meeting. You guys are cool!

Later on I will be checking my part of the guest list. Our budget dictates that we can only invite 200 guests. It is extremely difficult to pick and eliminate the ones that you love. We have read articles over this matter. It say's that we should give priority to close relatives and close friends in choosing. We should also take in great consideration our suppliers (for example the quartet, photo and video etc.) that will be present on that day. Like Philip said, "you can't make the photographer hungry! Or else he will take horrible shots." And so, to our relatives that won't be invited, we are very sorry! We can only wish that it is possible to accomodate all of you. We hope that you understand.

On the otherhand, there are a handfull of friends that we wish could be there, but can't. CJ Blase, my dear friend and constant chat mate. You have been wonderful to me. We never lost communication even after she went to the windy city. Gladys, who is now working in a laboratory beside the morgue in Jerssey. Me and the guys will miss you! You still are our baby sister with a baby.
To Ellen "Texan Ilocana", and Onat "Latik", Jhen Cusipag will be there in your behalf. Please get in touch with me.

Hmmm...the weather seem to have clouded up my mind. I wanted to write some more, but I can't think of anything. Winter in Bahrain has started about two weeks ago.Today, there is a little bit of rain. Its a nice day to sleep. Unfortunately, there is still work to be done. Time to space out for a while, and sip a cup of hot coffee before I start to work. Ta-ta!

---Dennis

ANGELS AMONGST MEN

Hi! As you can see, I have posted my friends pictures here! Maybe because I'm so excited to see them. The last couple of days had been a roller coaster ride for Lany and me. Last 17th of this month I went to my airline agent to confirm our ticket reservations. I was looking for the lady in charge of our company's ticket reservation but she wasn't there. Apparently on leave daw. So I guess its ok since she's only an agent. There are several tables in their office all occupied by smiley faced agents. All I have to do is pick one! And so I did. I went for the person nearest to me. She's Indian and nice, and have that plastered smile...and I'm confident that she knows what she's doing. And so I asked her to move our return trip to the 26th of January, just to have atleast a days rest before we go back to work. When she typed in slow-mo, I knew there is something wrong. And after serveral minutes of more typing she said, "It will be better If I come back on saturday because I'm not sure of something in your booking. The person in charge of your company's booking is on leave, and will be back on saturday. But everything is ok..." Then I told myself, shit there is really something wrong here! To make everything short, when I came back that week they told me that our reservation expired last week! The same day that I came to their office! I am so mad at that Indian girl! Because this isn't just a vacation, we are getting married! And of all the times that there will be a snag, it picked the most important time of our lives!!! If there was a complimentary shot gun in their office, I would have loaded it with a couple of 12 guage shells and BANG!!! However, it will be unfair to say that the entire House of Travel agency is a F*!$-up because of one rotten agent. Afterall, all my other bookings are efficiently well taken cared off. We must all be very careful of our dealings. (moral lesson #1)

How did we fix it? (okay! I said I will make it short. But if you want to find out what happened you have to read the long part of the story!)

I believe that there are angels amongst men. Not the ones with fancy wings, and carries a harp! Because any women can have wings (whisper with wings! hehehe!). I mean, I believe that there is good in everyone. Even from those who we don't expect to recieve a good deed from. Friends are Angels, and some men are angels. After our ordeal with the agency we called some friends that could help us. Someone who have connections from up above(....and when I say above, I meant Cathay Pacific... they own a portion of the skies you know. I will mention the "G" word later). We called Mrs. Weng Caday, a long time friend of ours. She is also our godmother when we get married (and we picked a good one!). She recomended us to BTTB travel agency, to Mr. Reggie to be exact, to help us with our problem. Reggie did a good job. (Very professional. Next time I travel I will go straight to this dude!) He made reservations to the several dates and he called Angelo Abonis of Cathay. Problem solved!

Sure, there was hope hanging in the air. Afterall, they managed to get us on the waiting list. But we aren't there yet! There is still something that has to be done! We decided to call several friends. Ate Babes was kind enough to say that "If nothing happens, call me!" We informed Ate Telly as well. She said "No problem, I will call my friend." All these "angels" are pointing to one person. The man in charge!

ANGELO ABONIS
Cathay Pacific
+973-17226226

He is the man of the hour. He made it possible to book us, eventhough we had an expired booking. So if you have a problem with Cathay Pacific, call this guy! It doesnt matter even if you are not in Bahrain. He can do wonders! He told me that Ate Telly and sister Mayeth called him up, to extend us a helping hand. (how nice of them! we owe you!)

There! This is my testament that there are angels amongst us. They may not have wings, but they have mobile phones! A phone call can be much faster than a physical flight you know. But more than that, we are glad that we are surrounded by friends. Thank GOD for giving them to us. We are truly blessed! al-hamdal-alah (Thanks be to GOD in arabic!)

On another topic, my friend Dr. Philip Lopez, and Dra. Zen Lopez have been reading this blogspot! Its a nice way to keep in touch di ba? Philip is my best man. That makes Zen the best woman of the groom! Please tell Richelle (can you believe that he wants to be called Ritchie?) to make himself useful and read this blog! He didn't greet me on my birthday this year! Not like the past years! Wala kwenta talaga! hehehe!!! joke lang!

Yours truly, Ritchie (sometimes I dont know who I'm referring to when I call him like this) and Philip have a way of roasting each other when we get together. Most of the time me make a secret alliance with one another and we ambush the third guy by roasting him! Very crispy!!! I guess we like embarassing ourselves in front of an audience. Good thing Mama Ester (Philips mama! Godmother to us also this January) is there to save me when the two evil boys have pinned me down. But now that I have the upper hand, I can tell the whole world how retarded you guys are! Bwa-ha-ha-haaaaaaaa!!! So be extra nice to me! That goes to you Dr. Lopez! Bwahahahahahaha! You told me that my cheeks are huge, just like a patient who just finished his dialysis session in our blog pictures. Cute! You ridiculed me with medical terms man! Galing! you really are a doctor. We are not finished yet! Har-har-har-har!!! (evil laughter)

Anyhow, my next blog is about the evil of mankind and my friends. Promise! For now my boss is coming back to the lab now. I don't want to be caught eating, or surfing the net here at lab...Again! I don't want to get in trouble with her before I go on vacation. I don't want to have any bad blood between us. I love my job!

To my honey, we'll get over this soon. Think positive! I love you!

>>>>>Love,
>>>>>>>>>Dennis

Last vacations picture at the Lopez's residence in Laguna. Wish we'll have more fun this year! 

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

Thanks a lot to those who responded to my last blog. I didn't expect that kind of response. especially from my friends whom I haven't seen for years. It only goes to show that friendship transends all barriers.

I'm convinced that a blogsite is a powerful communication tool, to send keep in touch with friends. Maybe not directly. But our friends become first audience and critic (thank God I only get good response!). And now, whenever I make a post, I keep in mind that whatever nonsense I write counts in bridging the gap between us. Like a satellite hovering above us.

So on a personal note to Shay and Gigi, thanks for keeping in touch. And thanks for being there when I needed help. Just like old times when mobile phones aren't available. We use to call each other and talk for hours. You guys are great! Keep in touch!

WORK ETHICS

What is your motto when you started to work? I'm sure that you picked or switched a job that you like so that you can continue working. Maybe you like the job and the people that you work with thats why you continue working. Well, whatever it is you didn't work just because of these reasons. You work because you need to support your daily needs. Or sometimes more...you need to support your family's needs.

I was mad when somebody told me that we work regardless of the pay. And because our nature of work gives us the benefit of gaining knowlege that nobody else can get access to. I would probably fall for that if I'm as rich as Bill Gates! Or if i wanted to be a priest and enter a vocation that pays you charity money. I have a lot of wants and a lot of needs. We work hard to get what we want. We work to upgrade our living conditions. To be comftable enough to eat more than 3 times a day, and watch satellite tv for at least an hour. Its a shame when our employers put us down and not care about us. Shame on them!

MY BLOG WAS ERASED!!!

HI EVERYONE!!!

Before I explode and burn into ashes, I regret to inform you that the blog I uploaded last night was erased! Dear God, I swear I only used the spelling check to polish up that blog. But not only is this blog my reason for despair, we also have several concerns that hasn't been addressed yet. The plague is as follows:

1. CHURCH REQUIREMENTS- not yet completed. There is too much red tape going on within the family.
2. MARRIAGE CONTRACT- according to the Navotas Municipal Gov't, we should personally go to them and get it ourselves! Dios Mio! We are here in Bahrain and we can't possibly get it ourselves! Even if we do get home in December, the processing will be slowed down by the holidays.
3. INVITATIONS-believe it or not, up to now we still haven't got a supplier for this item.
4.MISALETTE- not even this.
5. DRESS FOR THE ENTOURAGE- if 1-4 isn't complete, I'm not surprised that this isnt either.

If we get any of these things done, especially number 1 & 2 we will be very happy. Unfortunately, we are only relying on special people to do this for us. We know that they too have obligations to themselves, and at home. But in our desperate case I really think we should take fast action.

To everyone who are trying to help us, thanks a million! You don't know how much these things mean to us.

And to honey, I wish you pleasant dreams and peace of mind. And for God sakes! stop crying! We will get through this I promise. I love you!

--Dennis