First let me give my heartfelt “Thank You” to all the people who made our Singapore Trip possible and memorable.

To Mae- my lovely daughter who got her beauty, brains and intelligence from her mother (sabi niya) who finance our trip.  I am really proud of you. Just don’t stop planning our next trip (wink!). Love you! Tsup!

To Tin and Rain- my wife’s niece and her husband whose precious days were spent with us by touring us around Singapore. We even have to sleep over by their residence due to my bad memory and judgment.

To Lanie (Picture to follow)– the mother of my daughter ’s classmates and “barkada” who have to skip work just to show us the Chinatown district famous tourist destination and even accompany us in going to Malaysia.

Thank you so much for making us a real tourist in every sense of the word. I know that the pain I felt during the long walk we endure also gave you pain especially Tin. I almost saw you dragging your feet.

No words can explain the happiness we felt. We were like kids again exploring our new environment being pampered by you people.

Thanks again and I’ll be writing our memoir soon!

For the mean time could you guess the real meaning of the word “No Outside Food” poster posted outside the restaurant.

PAHABOL:

Got the poem below from Lydia Padilla Rinne (Facebook)- Thank you po Mam. To Tina also.

EVERDAY IS A BLESSING
Everyday is a blessing I know ,especially for Ramon Paulino & family
celebrating July 10 to date a happy blessed union for 25 years today
blessed with 5 children to stay happy , jolly and always in unity
with a loving WIFEs loving, living and sharing counting this anniversary their EVERYDAYs blessing.
Everyday is a blessing I know as I greet them sincerely
for a long life together in harmony with their children sharing their laughter
wishing them good luck forever and Gods blessings”.

Thank you Joan and Edwin and to all the people who shared their stories to us like Chef Paul, Tristan, Marie etc..(Forgot na naman)

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I am not really the type of person who takes time in counting the years of our wedding anniversary. But my daughter Mae makes our (25^th) Silver Wedding Anniversary special. Why? I’ll tell you later.

I’ll tell you first our love story and how we ended up from worst enemy to become lovers and friends.

9 years of being steady plus 25 years of married life and still going strong was perhaps a record of sort here in our country. Maybe we have grown tired of hearing other married people fight and getting separated that’s why our married life works, yes!

No! I think we become closer because we don’t discuss things that bother us but we talked them over. We spent time a few minutes before going to sleep discussing things that happened in a day.

We knew each other so well that we gave time and space when the need arise without each one asking for it. I encouraged her to go out and join her friends when she got invitations. To spend time for herself to break the monotony of staying at home mom. She does the same to me.

The Story :

She was our neighbor who was a quite type and seldom goes out of their home. My friend then was her two older sisters. I am two years older than her.

I use to call her “Labo” because she was wearing a thick eyeglasses then and she calls me “Palito” because I was thin and quite a joker during those days. Our constant quarrel and bickering makes our neighbors and friends day complete.

Our neighbors used to tease us every time our path crosses because they knew that we hated each other. I really don’t know why and how the hatred started.

When the “Kabataang Barangay” was first established by then President F. Marcos I was duly elected as the first Chairman and she was elected as one of my councilor. I was not aware that she campaign for me.

Then we became member of Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD). Here I have to learn how to play the guitar because my voice was not made for singing. She was assigned to fetch the kids for Catechism classes and in serving refreshment food.We managed to be civil with each other here because we are always near a Priest.

She was studying in Mapua during her High school days and I was studying at Manila High School. Then one day, on my way to school riding a jeep I noticed that the girl seated next to me wearing a Mapua uniform was my mortal enemy.

That moment I realized that this mortal enemy of mine was a lovely lady and I started to shift my gear and be a friendly gentleman. I was on my third year of High School then (maagang lumandi! hahaha!).

I was already in my fourth year of high school and she was on her second year when she realized that she loves me too!

Our theme song was a song by Michael Jackson “One day in your life”. The reason why “Jacko” would always be part of my life.

Please sing with me!

Then her parents find out our secret love, the story now becomes “You and Me Against the world“.

So on our first 5 years of being sweetheart we broke up three times. It was always my fault for falling in love with other girls and had the mistake of being caught. I was always a happy go lucky guy that her parents never saw anything good in my person.

The third time we broke up had me crying during the night but have to show no emotion in front of my friends. Ican’t eat and sleep that I realized that those lyric of the song by “Hotdog” titled “Pers Lab” was so true.

Di na makatulog
Di pa makakain
Taghiyawat sa ilong
Pati na sa pisngi
Sa kaiisip sa’yo
Taghiyawat dumadami

(Why was it when we were young we always associate our emotion with a song)

Maybe those things and a lot of other petty quarrel made us knew each other well like a palm of our hand.

So to cut the story short, we got married at the chapel of Sta Cruz church with only a ring bearer in tow and a pair of Godparent. This chapel was being use by Parish Priest in their daily personal prayer.

In attendance was my mother, her parents (despite their objection) some close friends and relatives. The Choir where I belong sang in that very solemn occasion.

The reception was held at Modern Restaurant just across Sta. Cruz Church.

Would you believe that we started our family with only P10, 000.00 in savings? Part of the money we used in our wedding expenses including payment for the reception . My best friend Roland’s car was used as the official wedding car which we both decorated with flowers bought at Dangwa. See, sariling sikap talaga!

As a normal couple we encounter many problems especially during the first ten years of our marriage. Different problem needs different solution.  I need to work real hard to sustain the financial side of my growing family.

We never got to be rich but we are happy and contented with what we have. We have 5 grown up kids and three of them now College graduate.

2 more are both in High School education so the pressure of having a family somewhat diminished.

As I see it now, after 25 years of blissful marriage life, we were still the same like when we were young.

Only the number of our age change but feelings is still the same. Our constant communication over the phone or through text is a practice we never planned/wanted but become a habit.

This coming July 10, 2009 we would be celebrating our 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary. My daughter Mae gifted us a trip not to Jerusalem, but to Singapore.

A four nights 3 days visit to the Lion City -Singapore that starts from July 10 – 14, 2009 would make this wedding anniversary special.

So friends I appreciate all your greetings, prayers and support but this time I prefer to accept cash. Hahaha!

Please don’t forget to sing “One Day in Your Life” for me and my wife!

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