Sick with flu

I don't feel very well right now, but I am making this entry so I can keep up with making a post in a daily basis. My wife wants me to keep my blog up-to-date, so I can qualify for the paid blogging. Anyway, I have to go back to bed soon, because my body is aching all over, I think I have a flu. It's awful, and I have been feeling really bad. I haven't had enough sleep, and so I need to lay down and hope I can sleep. But if not, and I if I don't get any better, I might have to go see a Doctor. So, okay, until next time folks! Have a great day!

My second time in the Philippines

I spent 3 months during my second visit to the Philipines because my bag was stolen-lost. We too a flight from Manila to Cebu, and unfortunately, left my small hand bag on the plane. I went to Manila then to follow up for my bag. I didn't get it back right away, so I had to stay in the Philippines for 3 long months. I was held up there in Dumaguete, and had to go to the Equitable bank to get some money to live on-cash. My credit cards was in the bag, so I had none with me at all, and a good thing the people were friendly enough to help me out with getting some money. When I had some money in my pocket, I then had to go to Manila to get my passport taken care of, because I left the original passport in my bag. I had to extend my stay for 3 months due to the long process of all the documents I lost.

Processing the Fiancee Visa

Processing Ana's visa didn't come easy as it was a long wait for us, and that the lady at the CFO; Comission on Filipino Overseas siminar wanted to make sure that her parents actually agreed with letting her go with me. So, her parents was requested to go to Cebu to confirm that they know about Ana's plan to marry me. That helped a lot, because the lady was not going to let Ana go, because of her young age. In fact, the lady told her "what are you doing, trying to marry a man, that is as old as my father? You can wait, there are many more American men that you can marry, but just not him, he is too old for you". She tried to stop Ana, but Ana and her parents was not about to let her talked them out of it, so they went ahead and consented saying "Ana can do what she pleases, if it is what she wants, then she can do it with our permission, she is old enough". That was it, we were able to process after such ordeal. It took us 9 long months to get everything done.

My first trip to the Philippines

I decided to go see Ana and her family on June of 1998. It was exactly on June the 29th, 1998 that I step off the airplane to meet Ana and her family at the Dumaguete city airport. My first impression of the weather was like as if I was blasted in the face with a heat furnace. It was so hot and unbearably humid. However, once we arrived at the hotel, it felt good because the AC was proving me with all the cool air I needed. Anyway, Ana and her family I thought were so wonderful, they treated me very well. I almost felt like a King because everyone was treating me like one, really. People would flock to see the American guy, that is what I observed when I was there. It felt strange to me, as it was new to me. So, I imagine, everyone that goes there feels the same.

International phone cards

You wouldn't believe how high I have my phone cards piled up when I used to call my wife Ana in the Philippines, I at least have over a hundred of them. Imagine, I called her everyday, twice a day. I left her in a decent hotel in Dumaguete city called "Bethel Guest House" where she could have access to a telephone and other modern aminities. So, I made sure she would have that, and so it would also be easier for me to be in contact with her. We wanted to make the process as comfortable as possible, so I put her and her Aunt to accompany her in a hotel with food provided and paid for everyday for almost a year. She and her Aunt Flo had such a wonderful time staying in a hotel. Ana keeps telling me she misses it, because she lived like a princess. But it's too bad I can no longer provide her with all that she wants and needs, because I am not working a good paying job anymore. I got laid off too early, and was force to retire early. So, now we are only surviving, and trying hard to keep up with all our bills to pay every month. It's quite tough to be in such predicament. So, I hope we can manage somehow.

Happy Mother's Day

I wish my wife Ana a Happy Mother's Day, I hope to at least take her for a ride somewhere today, so she will enjoy the day. We don't always get to go out and celebrate, but on Wednesday next week, we will go out to eat. We will have a day out that day, so she is already excited, the children are too, I mean Tiana. As for how Ana as a mother, I think she is a good mother, she takes care of our children like I have never seen a mother before, she is so wonderful to her children. She attends to them so lovingly and gently. She sure has the motherly instinct, and knows how to be a mother. She's great!

My son Tim

He was born a premature baby, but I am glad he survived and grew up to be such a healthy little boy. Not so little anymore though, he is taller than dad now, and I am glad he is, as I am not so tall. He has the height advantage, and I hope my children with Ana will be tall as well. Anyway, Tim has his own family, he's got three (3) boys. He is currently still raising them, and his boys are all wonderful kids. They are all growing fast, they now are in their teens, one is 20 years old. Their names are: Mathew-the oldest, Casey-the second, and Joshua-the third child-youngest of all 3.