southeast-asia

Update on things

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 07:02:11 +0100

Well the wedding is about 2 weeks away. We are still working on all the little details. My mom will be here in Singapore in a week from today. My dad will be in the Philippines in about a week and a half. Frankie and family will be in the Philippines in a little over a week. Time really does fly by fast. So we are just busy finishing things at work so we can take our long leave. We are also very busy finishing the wedding stuff and preparing for our visitors. Then when we get back we have to find a new place to live and continue to work on the US visa for Ronna.

I do plan to blog about all the stuff going on in the next few weeks. So stay tuned as I should have them up around the end of January.

Until then take care and happy new years everyone.

1st Christmas!!!

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:56:23 +0100

Okay so it isn't the first Christmas ever or even the first Christmas we knew each other, but it is our first Christmas together in person and our first Christmas as husband and wife. So here is how we celebrated the best holiday of the year.

We decorated our room in the beginning of November with a tree and stockings.

Here is the tree with the gifts under it. We bought lights and lots of cute decorations for the tree. We actually bought most of our decorations including the tree in the Philippines when we went home in September. We would light the tree every night when we got home. On Christmas Eve we left the lights on all night. We also bought a musical snowman that lights up, but he was way too loud for a small bedroom, and 2 reindeer decorative pillows.

We started our festivities with a nice Christmas Eve dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.

We had potato skins, ribs, bbq chicken, and salad. We were sooooooooo stuffed afterwards. After that we walked along Orchard Road (the fancy/touristy shopping district) to the MRT (subway). Orchard was all lit up with lights and a huge gold tree.

In the picture below you can see the Marriott's pagoda style hotel where I stayed 11 years ago on my first trip to Asia.

Next we went to the Christmas Eve mass at our church. After church we headed home and had cake to celebrate Jesus' birthday.

We bought 3 slices if cake to represent the Holy Trinity. We had mango cake, coffee cake, and lemon cake with fresh fruit. All 3 were very good especially the mango cake. (Good thing the mango cake was good because we bought a whole one for a friend of ours who invited us over for lunch, but due to scheduling conflicts we ended up having to keep the cake and eating it too.) Finally, we concluded Christmas Eve by opening 1 gift each (which was torture for Ronna as her family tradition is to do all the gifts on Christmas Eve). Before we went to bed we took our stockings down from our curtains in our room and put them on the couch for Santa. Ronna wasn't exactly a believer in Santa and thought I was being silly. In fact, she was afraid that Santa wouldn't come and I would be dissappointed. After that it was time for bed so Santa could come while we slept.

About 4am Ronna woke me up as she went to the bathroom. When she came back I could see the biggest smile ever on her face. I asked her why she was smiling and she just ignored me and even rolled over. So being tired I went back to sleep. Then about a minute later she rolled over and asked me if I believed in Santa Claus. I said of course I do. She then told me that she thinks Santa came and brought us gifts for our stockings. Since she didn't have her glasses on she wasn't 100% sure. So I got up and checked and sure enough Santa had come. We tried to go back to bed, but only managed to sleep until about 7am. Then we got up and start our Christmas day. Here is the stockings stuffed with gifts from Santa Claus.

Ronna was soooooooooo excited about Santa. Her smile couldn't have possibly been any bigger. Here she is opening the elf-handmade card from Santa.

Inside was the pictures of 2 movies that Santa delivered to the US knowing that we would be moving in the near future.

Here is Ronna opening another Santa gift. You can see how happy she was.

I mean she was sooooooo excited. I have never seen her so excited. Here she is inspecting gifts like kids do.

She was even shaking them.

As she opened them she was smiling more and more. She even started to hug the gifts from Santa.

Here she is smelling the new perfume Santa brought her.

Don't worry Santa didn't forget me. I got a gift card to Amazon. After opening the Santa gifts we made our special Christmas Breakfast. Here is Ronna fighting with the bacon.

Yum!!! What would Christmas breakfast be without deep-fried pig parts. Our special breakfast included a monster 3-egg bacon, avocado, and cheese omelet that took up half the plate, french toast, more bacon, and fried tomatoes.

Breakfast was delicious and extremely filling. Oh and of course we had hot chocolate with marshmallows too. After breakfast we open our presents to each other. First we started with the cards. I gave her a nice sentimental card that basically said how perfect she is, how lucky I am to have her, that when the angels sing it reminds me of her, etc and she gave me this.

What's the difference between snowmen and snowwomen?

Errr...dunno? SNOWBALLS!!

As you can see the card she gave me was........PERFECT. I loved it. It is totally my type of card. Anyways, here is Ronna with all of her presents waiting to open them.

Can't you see the excitement in her face? Here I am with all of my presents (or should I say cards). Since we are moving hopefully soon I just asked Ronna to buy my gifts from Amazon and have them shipped to the US. That way we have less to take with us when we move. So each envelope has a picture of the item she bought me from Amazon. I got 2 PS3 games and 8 movies. Anyways, here I am with all my gifts.

After opening all the gifts Ronna decided to gather all of her gifts and hug them because she was so happy.

She later told me that this was the best Christmas ever and that she now believes in Santa Claus. I have to admit it was also my best Christmas ever. I can't wait to spend many (x100) more with her in the future. Thank you for a wonderful Christmas my love and thank you God for giving her to me. She is the best gift anyone could ever ask for.

Back From The Philippines

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:31:11 +0100

Well since I am on here blogging for my mother's birthday I figured I could do a short blog about our recent Philippines trip. It was a very busy trip as we were doing wedding stuff the entire time except for the last day when the typhoon came in. It was a low level typhoon so nothing too exciting, but we did lose power all day (which they call a brown out over there). I had never heard of a brown out. I am only familiar with a black out (as in it gets black when there are no lights because the dark is black). I asked Ronna why it was called a brown out and she said this is because brown is the darkest they (Filipinos) can get. I don't know if she was telling the truth or joking with me, but anyways that is the only reason I have. Anyways, like I said we were very busy taking care of wedding stuff like the venue, caterers, flowers, etc. We were able to get done everything we needed to and we only have a handful of small details left which we can figure out from SIngapore. So it was a very productive week. We even bought Christmas decorations for our apartment as Christmas is not too big in Singapore and everything is much more expensive in Singapore. I was very surprised that the stores would carry Christmas stuff already in September, but Ronna told me that Christmas is huge in the Philippines and I even saw some houses with Christmas lights up already. I thought that was pretty crazy considering it was still only September, but I loved it. I mean I do love Christmas after all. Since we were so busy driving all over the place to do wedding stuff we didn't really do much else. The only other thing we did worth blogging about was meeting Ronna's family on her dad's side. In fact the only pictures we have of the entire trip came from this day. On Sunday we drove around Manila all day visiting 3 different houses and of course you stop and eat at eat house. They were all very nice and some of them were a bit shy, but I enjoyed getting to meet all of them. Anyways, here some pictures from the different gatherings throughout the day.

Above is one of our flower girls. Her name is Rain.

Here I am with Ronna's cousins. An interesting story about the house we were in was that the entire neighborhood has been in a legal battle with the city for like 20 years and because of it they can't do any house repairs or modifications. So the house is very basic, but what can they do???

Next we're eating at Pizza Hut with more cousins. You can see Ronna's sister and dad in the front. We're eating Pizza Hut because the cousin of Ronna who we were visiting wasn't able to prepare for our visit because her son just recovered from denegue fever (I don't think I spelled it right). Don't worry he is okay now.

FInally, here we are at the 3rd stop of the day with more cousins. It was a long and tiring day, but also a very nice day as I got to meet even more of Ronna's loving and accepting family. Well that's it for now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:06:12 +0100

Ronna and I just wanted to wish our mother a happy, happy birthday. Today, October 7th is her birthday and since we couldn't be there in person we are doing everything else that we can to let her know how special she is and how much she means to us. So enjoy your day mom and again HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

With lots of LOVE from ScRonna. :)

Just Married!!!

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 03:37:08 +0100

So if you read my earlier blog about the super special anniversary on September 14, 2011 that was actually our civil wedding day here in Singapore. That was the day I became the luckiest man on Earth when Ronna said "I do" to marrying me. It was a very small affair and we enjoyed it very much. However, we are also looking very much forward to the big church wedding in the Philippines and our US wedding in the future. One thing I have learned in life is that there are very few people you can count on in life and so I thank all of you who have been supportive and positive throughout our entire relationship. We both understand that things haven't played out in a typical fashion, but then again if you know me you know I am a unique character anyways so you shouldn't be too surprised. Anyways, through everything we have been through we have gotten to see who are true friends and family are and we really wanted to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. And most importantly I wanted to thank my wife for helping to make me grow up and become a better person and for loving me for me. Mahal na mahal kita (I love you very much) for eternity Mrs. Calderon.

Also we have officially began to file Ronna's US spouse visa so please pray for us that everything goes smoothly and quickly so we can get to you all as soon as possible.

In The Phils Again

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:02:15 +0100

Hey all, Ronna and I are in the Philippines again. We just got here a few hours ago after catching a red-eye. We were met at the airport at 4am by her brother, sister, and the driver. First thing we did is drive to Taal Lake on the Batangas side and check out Shercon Resort as a possible wedding venue. On the way we stopped and ate Jollybee, the Philippines national fast food chain. I had a sausage and egg pandesal sandwich. I liked it except for the mayo, but now I know to ask for no mayo next time. After eating we went to Shercon. We liked what we saw at Shercon, but wanted to go home and talk about it first before we booked it. So we headed home. Most of her family living in her compound were at work so we only got to say hi to her dad, lolo (grandpa), and her tita (aunt) Helen (who is like a second mother to her). We also got to snack on some bistek (beef and onions in a soy sauce broth) with rice. Ronna was tired from not sleeping all night so she is currently napping and when she wakes up we will begin the week long work of planning our wedding. I am very excited to be here with her family and to plan our wedding. So as we take pictures, decide on things, and do fun stuff I will try to blog it all. So please wish us luck with everything as we are slowing finding out that planning a wedding is very stressful and expensive even when you try to go cheap and the couple are simple like we are. So stay tuned and I hope to be able to blog a few times this week.

Just Working Like A Dog

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 02:38:13 +0100

Hey all. Sorry it has been so long since my last blog. Nothing new is really going on over here. I have been working for about a month now and today is my first day off in 18 days. I work very long hours over here, but the work is very easy. So I can't say I work hard, but I definitely work a lot. I basically work 13 days and then I get 1 day off. The work ethic here in Singapore is to work a lot of hours. I find it to be ridiculous, but that is the way it is. Of course I am looking at things from a western point of view. From the eastern point of view they are making more money here working long hours than other areas in the east. Which is why so many people from all over Asia come here to work. This city is a serious place that you come to work. From that point of view I don't like it here because I was working less hours and making more money back at home. So why would I want to work more for less. But like I said this is coming from the luxurious view of the west. So all of you over there should consider yourselves lucky as things could be worse. You could be working non-stop for next to nothing. My work even wanted me to take a company cellphone so I could be available to the customers at all times, but I refused. This job is only temporary for me. I can put up with a lot of the higher expectations for less, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I refused to work basically 7 days a week and then I have to answer calls when I have already left work or should I happen to get an off day. I flat out refused and told them that I am not getting paid even to deal with things 24/7. Anyways, I have just been working like crazy lately, but the money I make will help with our wedding and moving expenses so it is all worth it.

Speaking of the wedding. We will be going back to the Philippines next week from the 21st of September to the 28th. We are going there to finalize our wedding plans and get everything done so we can have our wedding on January 14th, 2012. I am excited to go back and see Ronna's family again and to get a break from work. I am also very excited to plan our wedding. We have been preparing a lot of stuff for this trip so we can be very efficient and get everything done that we need to before we come back to Singapore. So I should have some good pictures and stuff to blog about in the next few weeks.

The only other thing to mention is that yesterday September 14th, 2011 was a very special day for us. It was a day we will never forget. It was our anniversary and we celebrated with a nice meal and a few close friends at our favorite Filipino restaurant, Bonifacio. This day is special to us because it signifies the eternal commitment we made to each other to love, honor, and cherish one another. I feel like this day represents the day my life really began. The day where everything in the universe was right. The day where God bestowed His ultimate gift to me. That gift being Ronna, my soulmate. I truly love her more than words could ever express and I know that I could never love her enough as my love for her is endless and it keeps growing each and every day. Just when I think I can't possibly love her anymore, I find out the next day that I can and I do. As cliche as it sounds I fall in love with her all over again each and every day and for that I can only thank God for His gift of blessing me with Ronna in my life. Sobrang mahal na mahal kita my love!!! (I love you very, very much my love!!!) So anyways, here is a picture of us before dinner.

Ronna is holding a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers that our friend Ivy picked up for us as I wanted to surprise Ronna at the restaurant with them, but I couldn't since I was with her the whole time. So thank you Ivy. We will always remember the support you give us. Here is Abegail, Ronna, and Ivy (from left to right).

Finally we have Ronna and I after dinner enjoying our new life together.

And as you can see I have hair. Haha!!! I haven't cut it since April. Althought I do plan on getting a haircut next week in the Philippines. So that's it for now. We're just working like crazy, preparing for our wedding, and enjoying whatever free time we do have with each other. God bless and take care everyone.

MOM Likes Me, She Really Likes Me!!!

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 05:03:17 +0100

So MOM approved my employment pass application to work as an assistant Manager at Tony Buzan's Learning Centre here in Singapore. So MOM does like me after all and I am not talking about my biological mother. She has to like me, actually she has to love me. I think it's a law or something. Anyways, MOM is the Ministry of Manpower and they are the governing body here in Singapore that approves all work permits. So my work permit application was approved and I should have it in my hands soon as I start work on August 15th. So stayed tuned as I will update you about my first day and the job.

I must also mention that it is a sad day too as my early retirement is coming to an end. Oh well I guess I will have to join the rest of the world now. Boo hoo!!! :( All joking aside I am very excited to start earning some money as anything I make will be pure savings for us and it is what will actually be paying for our wedding instead of our savings. So while I may not be 100% thrilled about having to work I am more than 100% thrilled about what the income will do for us and our future.

Pay Day Is Coming!!!

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:23:28 +0100

Yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally got a job. I signed the contracts last night. My only obstacle left is getting the job approved by MOM (Ministry of Manpower). MOM is the government agency responsible for giving out work visas. So if all goes well MOM will approve my job and give me a multiple year work visa. Then I can start working. We are hoping I will begin around August 15th. MOM's job is to make sure that all immigrants are adding value to the community. They don't want to let just anyone in to work at McDonald's. Locals can easily do that job. I got a job as an Assistant Manager of a Tony Buzan Learning Center. It is a tuition center that tutors students who need extra help or just want to get ahead. There are many tuition centers here in Singapore as education is taken very serious here. Teachers are highly respected and almost all kids go to a tuition center. In fact your grades in primary school determine which secondary school you can go to. So the competition and the rewards or consequences of your schooling effort starts at a very young age unlike the US where things don't matter until high school. So my job will be to help run a tuition center along with using my science teaching background to improve the science program of study. I am very excited about the job and my new boss Buck (the owner) is very, very nice. Last night Buck and his wife treated Ronna and I to a celebratory drink and snacks after the contract signing. Well stay tuned and I will let you know soon about MOM's decision and anything else that comes up.

The Ring

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:11:28 +0100

So in case you haven't figured it out. Ronna said yes to my proposal and we are engaged and actively planning our wedding at the moment. Here is a picture of the ring as promised.

This is Ronna giving me the finger................the ring finger that is. :) Anyways, here is a close up of the ring.

The 3 rings (engagement and 2 weeding bands) are all white gold solitaire style and the engagement ring obviously has a very nice diamond in it. The rings are very simple, yet very eloquent. We actually love the rings. The simplicity of the design really makes the rings look very nice.