Marriage Reality Checklist

The following were taken from the first chapter of the handbook http://www.weddingsatwork.com/publications_primer.shtml published at Manila Bulletin’s Sunday issue dated April 27, 2008 thru Preptalk column of John and Benz Rana.

To quote, “This handbook is every Pinoy soon-to-wed’s guide to the big day and beyond. And when we say beyond, we don’t just mean the honeymoon. We want couples to prepare not just for a day’s celebration but also for a lifetime commitment. It aims to emphasize the fact that marriage is ultimately more important than a wedding”.

I have been keeping this article for quite some time now and I feel like sharing it with you especially to those planning to tie-the-knot soon. Gil and I have tackled already most of the issues in our 1.5 years of commitment- and find this, indeed, a factual guide.

You may ought to discuss this checklist with your partner before proceeding to your marriage plans. Or rather, taking your partner’s stand with these issues could be an exciting activity, which may, in one way or another, help you know and appreciate your partner better. Enjoy! =)

PERSONAL- Do I do anything that bugs you? If I can’t change, could you live with that for the rest of our lives?

CHILDREN- How many children do you want? Who’s going to be the primary caregiver? How would you feel if we aren’t blessed with any? Are you open to adoption?

PRENUP- Do you feel there’s a need for us to have a prenuptial agreement?

FINANCES- Who will handle the household budget? Do we remit our full salary to the same pool or will we be allowed to have personal savings and to spend from our own income? Do you have any financial obligations to your family? Do you have debts?

DWELLING- Where will we live when we get married? Is living with my family or yours an option? If so, when do we expect to move out?

HEALTH- Do we have any health issues the other should know of? Are there any health concerns that we could potentially pass on to our children or should be prepared for financially?

RELIGION (different religion/ beliefs)- Do you expect me to convert to your religion? Or will you respect it if I choose to continue practicing what I believe in? Into which religion should our children be brought up?

PRIVACY- Are we allowed to answer calls on each other’s cellphones? Are we free to read each other’s text messages, emails and letters? Can we just open each other’s purse or wallet without prior permission or will it be a big deal?

SEX- Can we comfortably and openly discuss our sexual needs, preferences and problems?

FUTURE IN- LAWS- Does my family do anything that annoys you? Do you feel they will interfere with our marriage? Will it be all right with you if I keep supporting my family (physically/ financially) even if we’re already married?

CAREER- Do you expect me to be a full-time housewife? Would you be bothered if my job pays better than yours?

CHORES- What household chores do you expect me to do? Are we hiring household help?

LIFESTYLE- What do you wish/ expect me to change in my present lifestyle?

VICES- Do you have any drinking, drug or gambling problems that I should know of? Once I am pregnant, will you quit smoking?

FRIENDS- Who among my friends do you feel is a bad influence? Are we still allowed to go out with them for late night “gimmicks” when we’re married?

MIGRATION- Do you see us raising our family here in the Philippines, or is migrating to a foreign land in our plans? Would you consider a job abroad and leave your family behind for a better life?

What?
No! We’re not getting married yet…not yet! Lol!
(You’d surely know bout it, promise!)

‘till next post! c”,)

Krispy Kreme's Kraze! =)

I have mentioned in my previous post (See April: my 24th bday bash) about my FREE 1-month supply of Krispy Kreme’s Original Glaze doughnut during Ayala Branch’s opening held March 28, 2008.

I was with Joy Ann, a friend and colleague, and upon hearing about this promo of 1-year supply of Original Glaze doughnuts to the 1st customer, 6-months supply to 2nd and 1-month supply to 3rd till 300th customers, we woke up at 3am and been to Ayala at 4:00 in the morning (How was that?) We actually thought we would have the 1st and the 2nd slots but to our dismay, the store was already crowded with people (we forgot there were Call Center agents working on graveyard shifts! Haha!) It was such an experience! Luckily, I landed on the 205th slot while Joy had the 204th! lol

the cap and the pin given during the branch' opening =)

I was not into sweets actually, but having a dozen of this stuff per week in a month for FREE wasn’t that bad at all! (Orig. glaze then costs P30/piece while all others were P38.00-discount was given on a per dozen basis). Gil was in Japan that time so he didn’t able to experience the freebies but I’d handed him a box of assorted doughnuts when he came back (Krispy Kreme is Gil’s favorite!) He even demanded me giving him one flavor at a time every payroll (ganyan po sya maglambing! Lol!)

We visited the place again last June 29- his last day in the office- where we had the usual coffee sessions. I had 12oz Caramel Latte (P95) and a piece of Orig. Glaze (P31)- I prefer Original Glaze over any other flavors- while Gil had 12oz Café Latte (P90) and tried the new Classic Peanut Butter and Striped Caramel doughnut (P42).

a sinful yet glorious snack =)

cute ng chubby ko! =)

Pa-kiss nga zeb! tsup! =)

Could you see us sa reflection? =)

The best thing about coffee sessions as this is that you’ll be able to talk anything and everything under the sun without the hustle and bustling crowd since most cafes offer a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere (not to mention their free WIFI connections).

up close =)

closer! :)

Coffee kiss! =)

If you haven’t tried their doughnut yet, better try one! It’s sinfully good! c",)

That’s all!
‘Till next update! =)

dilemma

i'm in my usual self again...sad, alone and empty...

yah, I can always dial his number, can chat with him all day long or see him during few videocon sessions in the office...but after a while, i'll be in my own self again...alone! :(

i'd keep myself busy...
do more stuffs I seldom do...
go on a friend's event...
attend a get-together...
meet old friends and relatives alike...
write more...
read more...
browse more...

but just the same!
I am a hundred miles away from him...
no one to talk to...
no one to cuddle with...
no one to spend every minute that a day allows us to...

nothing's left...

just a thousand reason to cherish the memories we've had...
to hold on for the love we've shared...
and to hope for the remaining 139 days more to end the soonest possible time!

i terribly miss him...
and the realization that I love him so dearly makes it more unbearable!

zeb, i wish you're here with me, right now...
right at this moment! :(

Farewell Date (Part 2)

We had a soothing Swedish and Shiatsu full body massage yesterday courtesy of Ms. Nila, a great masseuse of Touchpoint Spa in Tagaytay. It’s relaxing, painful (kumusta nmn ang mga lamig ko sa balikat at likod! Lol!) and a funny experience exposing our butt and my **** (I was on my chest and was surprised when she held my hand and lifted me up naked! Lol!) We went over to Alfonso last Friday, right after office and went back to Manila Saturday night together with Nay and Tay.

We’ve been longing for this day to come since this is gonna be our last date together (well at least for the next five months). We dropped the idea of IMAX Theater since we only got the second row seats reservation (but still took the chance of having a better seat thus we went over to the ticket booth early today, only to find out that only the last full show of 10pm is available and all others were fully booked). We had the Center Stage instead, anyway, the same Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen will be shown (sour graping! Lol!)

After we secured the 1:30pm movie tickets, we headed towards Sbarro for ‘brunch’. I had Baked Zitti in Alfredo sauce and Ham and Cheese Stromboli while Gil had Meaty Lasagna and Chicago Pasta Stuffed Pizza (seems like we’ll have our LAST lunch indeed!). It’s a whole lot ‘bland’ breakfast and lunch (if only we’d chosen Max’s or Almon Marina or Kaya Korean Restaurant instead) that we ended up asking the waiter to pack them all for take-out. Don’t get me wrong, Sbarro’s good. It has preserved the Italian/European touch in it, far beyond the typical Filipino ‘panlasa’ (or maybe we’re just expecting for tastier and more palatable Italian stuffs!).

Gil's Meaty Lasagna with Sbarro's garlic bread and Chicago Pasta Stuffed Pizza

My left-over Baked Zitti in Alfredo Sauce and Ham and Cheese Stromboli.

We’re just in time for the scheduled movie. I was just beginning to get hook at Sam Witwicky’s character (played by Shia La Beouf) when my usual PMS started (got the unexpected visitor this morning). The result? I never had much of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee for I’ve stayed a lot in the CR (I should have taken Mefenamic first before everything else!). Anyway, I bombarded Gil with questions (what happened? who is that? why is that so? Etc etc) when I came back of which he patiently answered (Thanks sweetheart!). The Transformer’s great! We did enjoy and had fun though! c”,)

Got the 18th and 19th seats! :)

I wanted to treat Gil to an ultimate experience today, so I surprised him with a Manila Bay Dining Cruise at around 5:45pm, in time for sunset- thus we proceed to CCP Harbour Square after the movie. The cruise alone is P250.00/head while cruise with dining is P495.00/head (The food is being catered by Barbara’s- a fine dining restaurant located at Intramuros, Manila).

the M/V Spirit of Manila as background :)

I’ve been to Manila for years and I’ve been seeing this ferry cruising along Manila Bay during Baywalk times (the ferry was called then My Tennessee Walker replaced by today’s M/V Spirit of Manila). I thought all along that it would cost me a fortune to try this since it catered mostly to foreigners, but I was wrong. It is ideal for couple (and was featured 2^nd to QTV’s Ang Pinaka: Romantic Valentine Getaways), families and group dates since it has live band and the center part could be used as dance floor.

Korean nationals partying! :)

The Manila Skyline is indeed breathtaking! And to witness the sunset while holding your love one's hand could truly be called 'a moment'...

Harbour Square is an ideal barkada destination since various restaurants and bars could be found along the bay as Starbucks (where the M/V Spirit of Manila docks in front), Singkit, Icebergs, Shrimps Ahoy, Teriyaki Boy, Dencio’s among others.



After the two-hour cruise, we freshen up with Icebergs’ Strawberry and Chocolate sundaes. Wanna have some? :)

It’s Gil who was craving for sisig this time thus we crossed the street towards Dencio’s after (what’s with sisig ba? lol!) I’ve heard a lot about Dencio’s ‘krispy sisig’ so why not try one? (We’ve tried their counterpart- Gerry’s Grille- and it’s superb!). Anyway, the place is great! It’s somewhat dim light with some sort of native touch on the ceilings and interiors. The krispy sisig is soOo good along with calamares with sour cream I think on the side. The whole thing was made even more mouth-watering with chili-toyomansi which Atchie- the waiter in charge-courteously handed us. (We’re glad we’ve regained the appetite we’ve lost during lunch! Lol!)




Pugad Dencio's famous Krispy Sisig and signatured Calamares.

We’ve reached home before 11pm. It's another precious day with him I'd surely treasure for the rest of my life! Something to keep for and a memory to dwell with for the next five months while he's away!

How was it?

...a bitter-sweet day knowing he'll be gone in a day or two from now. If only I could do something about it! :(

I love you so much sweetheart!
I'll surely miss you! :(

Farewell Date (Part 1)

It’s another 5-month Japan assignment for Gil.

Actually, we’re not at all expecting for this trip anymore due to the serious recessions our company is currently facing. But then, he was scheduled July 01, to return back end of November. Sad…and it would definitely mean dose of adjustments on both sides. We have each other every minute of the day till the wee hours (his residence is just a stone-throw away from mine and that we went to the same office together). But this is of course a blessing we should be thankful of…

We planned of going to Alfonso, Cavite today to visit his Nay and Tay and their newly constructed house, which is just a few minutes travel from Tagaytay proper. But due to some important reasons, we decided to have it next weekend. Since the planned activity was postponed, I thought we’d just stay home and have the usual dvd marathon till the wee hours. Surprisingly, he invited me out. With no directions at all, we landed at SM Mall of Asia and have a one-on-one Bowling tournament. (Fee is P120/head per game + P30 shoe rental).

waiting lounge

We used to have Bowling Tournament sponsored by the company twice a year, but unfortunately, we won’t have it this year (Another effect of global recessions!). **Sigh!

Some of our pictures-in-action:

Strike?

Grabe sa pose eh noh? :)

this is it! haha!:)

eto pa! :)

this is mine! :)

gil's (yipee!)

pictures-in-between

As gentleman as Gil could be, he managed to maintain considerable gap between our scores. Haha! :D (I love you sweetheart!) In fairness to him, he did well…I’m just a little more sporty in and out (hindi naman obvious sa figure! Lol!)


I was craving for sisig then and so we proceed to food court after along with inihaw na pusit and sautéed vegetables from Inihaw Express. Yum! Yum! Sad, cam battery’s low (sigh!).

…till next update!
(Farewell Date Part 2: to be posted soon!)