Life as a Comedy

We’ve dedicated a couple of weeks to complete the church requirements. Who knew that such paperwork could cause this much anxiety? I was prepared to go through constant worry because of LJ’s documents, but I felt blind sided by the troubles caused by mine. 

Thank God for friends who helped us get through the strain! 

We also celebrated LJ’s birthday week as he inches his way towards the big 3-0, I can’t wait!   

One

Get Cie’s Confirmation Certificate – check! 

Mother of Good Counsel Parish

Rainy morning in Pacita

Altar of the MGC
Daddy's trademark ceiling design =D

Proud daughter of one of the architects =D

Two

Attempt to get a copy of Cie’s Baptismal Certificate – Fail! 

Parish of Our Lady of the Abandoned/ Nuestra Señora delos Desamparados

OLA's Facade

Altar of OLA

Things didn't work out, so we decided to eat our sorrows away. 

Braved through the rains and went to YellowCab Eastwood

We got some good news that evening,

though not related to our papers, but it was something

that was truly an unexpected blessing

Three

Canonical Interview – check!

Mary the Queen Parish

paperwork! paperwork!

despite being nervous, we honestly enjoyed this

Four

Tummy Break - yahoo! 

Krispy Kreme

we felt we deserved a sweet treat... 

LJ partnered it with Pepsi Max for less sugar, LOL

Burgoo’s

we both loved our dinner that evening,

LJ had some pork chops,

I decided to go with the Cream Dory Milanese

it's true that during difficult times, 

the universe will always send something your way that will make you smile, 

make you appreciate the little things that you would otherwise ignore

there was this kid asking for money while we were riding the bus home

instead of the usual brown envelopes, 

she handed this...

we told the kid that it was a nice drawing, 

she offered to leave an envelope with us,

even picked out the nicest one

this is now in our vision board,
a reminder of simple kindness and generosity ",)

Five

Wedding Planning Mode – sows! 

Krispy Kreme

messy table, hard at work?

we stayed so long, we got the free donuts!

Six

Express Dinner – sa wakas! 

Goldilocks

just to make you understand the excitement,

LJ NEVER, EVER wants to eat here.

While I'm the ultimate fan of their dinuguan, 

so there, happiness! ",)

Seven

Movie Date – luv! 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Best seen with our fave movie snacks, 

Tater's popcorn and Slammer Burgers!

We enjoyed watching this movie, 

even though I've never read the book, 

I'm no history geek, and 

vampire movies scares the heck out of me.

Eight

LJ’s Kumpil Express – check!

thank you to the Ninong and Ninang. ",)

LJ’s Confirmation Certificate for Marriage purposes – Fail! 

Shrine of St Michael and the Archangels

we need to go back to add the annotation, 

we just need LJ's updated baptismal cert... 

haaay... church requirements...

to read more about getting your confirmation 

done in the Shrine of St Michael, click here

my cousin also got confirmed that day, 

they will get married this November, yey!

Nine

LJ’s Birthday Celeb – busog! 

Yakimix 

Ten

LJ’s Birthday Gift(s) – check! Dapat lang! 

with our bears as gift 'bearers' =p

ayaw daw nya laman nito, weh?! =D

guard asked if para sa bata,
tagal ko nakasagot ng...
'umm, pwe...de?'
pinoy henyo lang! =D

Eleven

Subic Bound – byahe tayo!

Olongapo/Subic Freeport

to read about our Byaheng Norte, click here

rest stops always excites me. Food!

Twelve

LJ’s Birthday Dinner – yum!

Fridays, Harbor Point

This almost didn't happen because of the bad weather that evening.

We were soaked to the bone, and the rain just didn't want to give any sign of giving up.

Buti na lang nagsawa, we were able to walk to Harbor Point before it closed.

The mall closes at 9pm, but some of the restaurants are open till 11pm. 

We had some Quesedilla, and Adobo.

Thirteen

Great Hotel Find – super check!

Mango Valley, Subic Freeport

You can read more about the rooms here, and in Trip Advisor

We passed by San Roque chapel inside Freeport.

It will be great for intimate destination weddings.

Fourteen 

Burger Craving – juicy!

Meat Plus Café, Subic Freeport

Meat Plus Burgers
two thick US Beef patties, with fries on the side

mashed potatoes
ordered additional carbs for the long day ahead

Fifteen

PX Goods Window shopping – isa syang grocery, LOL!

Freeport Exchange Duty Free Shop

sugar free juice mix for LJ to try

LJ wanted me to try Icee
hopefully they taste as good as he remembers them. 

Sixteen

LJ’s baptismal certificate – semi-fail!  

St Anthony de Padua

Nanay Lita was very nice and offered to send the docs via courier.

Seventeen

Homeboud – pagod! 

It was a weekend of pure chaos. We laughed, felt sad and cried 

(Well I did, LJ sort of umm, stared? LOL!)

but we eventually felt happy that it happened. 

This experience made us learn to draw strength from each other,

handle difficult situations with patience,

and most importantly, appreciate the simplest gesture of kindness.

It's a small reality check that you may not be the center of the universe for everyone, 

but at least you are the most important person to one. 

An affirmation that for every disappointment that happens, 

there will always be a blessing that follows...

something that can even be better. 

"Things happen for a reason," was our mantra for the week. 

With the help of friends, we think we can handle a tad more of this insanity. 

",)

Byaheng Norte: Mango Valley

We were supposed to stay in Subic Freeport's Grand Hoyah, the hotel right next to Mango Valley. What caught our eye in the middle of the heavy rain was the promo rate they were advertising on their tarp. It said Php 1,600 per night!

When we inquired, we were advised that the regular rate was Php 2,800, and the Php 1,600 is available if we get a room in their new building, (which is right across the street) and let go of the amenities. We tried to clarify what we were letting go for the Php 1,200 difference, and they just said ‘breakfast.’ DEAL! 

Byaheng Norte: Subic

We had to go to LJ’s hometown, and since it’s also his birthday month, we just made a trip out of it. I wasn’t too confident to drive as I still lack sleep, so LJ decided to take the bus, he’s from there anyway, so how hard can it be, right? Goal was to get to the Grand Hoyah inside Subic Freeport to stay for the evening, and leave for Matain the following day to be able to get to the St Anthony de Padua Parish. 

 

I wouldn’t say it was hard, but it was a long and restless trip, we were able to catch the Victory Liner Bus bound for Olongapo/Iba and it left the Cubao terminal close to 3:30pm. We arrived in Olongapo past 6:30pm, but if you’ll be taking a car, you will definitely get there faster if you eliminate the stop-over and take the SCTEX. The Victory bus took the NLEX Angeles Exit and stayed on the national road for the rest of the drive. We also had a 15-minute stop over in Lubao, Pampanga’s Double Happiness. Victory’s bus also provided free wi-fi, which helped fight the boredom.  

Wedding Duties: Canonical Interview

We scheduled this canonical interview earlier than most couples. It's still a good 5 months from the wedding day, even though we knew that some friends go through the interview just weeks before their ceremony, but aside from the fact that this is a requirement of MTQ to formalize the reservation, we also want to go through this now, perhaps, to make us feel that we are already being guided by the church. 

Wedding Duties: Kumpil Express

I grew up with the impression that all Catholic kids in the Philippines received the Sacrament of Confirmation while they were in grade school. This notion was proven false after I accompanied LJ for his kumpil, together with a couple of friends last Sunday. There were close to a hundred participants, from varying age groups, but majority were definitely way past 12 years old. 

A confirmation certificate is one of the major requirements of the church for you to get married. If you were confirmed when you were younger, you will need to go back to the church where you got confirmed and request for a new certificate which shows an annotation that says “for marriage purposes.”