My Everything

Hi everyone!

I made this compilation photo video of my husband because I love and admire him so much. This video was done as a gift for him. Anyway, thanks for watching!

Visa Taking Forever! What’s Going On?

Guys, it's almost August once again! We're past the 7-month mark now and we still don't know what we can expect from the status of our visa. This is already a burden to me and especially to my dear husband! It seems like everything they require will expire before I even got the visa. Every time they require something, they wait for one month to ask for the next thing. It sure seems to take a toll on our nerves. I am almost going nutty with the wait! Anyway, we are still waiting for their reply once they get hold of the documents before forwarding it to the Manila Embassy. We filed last November of 2010 and still waiting.
I will be sharing you some information and tips on how to save time and $$$ in case you are about to file a visa or still in the early process of filing. We did the IR/CR -1 (Immediate Relative/Conditional Resident) Visa. Since we are not yet 2 years from the time we got married, that makes me under the CR-1 Visa.

Birth Certificate- It is an advantage if you have extra copies of your birth certificate certified by the National Statistics Office. You may apply in person in any NSO office or have it delivered to you thru their online website. But since I don't like the long queues and I was often at the mall when I was in Manila last year, I got my copies thru SM Business Center in Mall of Asia or any branch. It's like working with the papers as we shop! You just simply need to sign the forms, make the payments, and then come back after a few days. For a P160 pesos per copy and 5 business days of waiting you can already obtain the documents without standing all day long in NSO offices. I had more than 6 copies of this document since I had to send few copies for my husband. You will also need to submit one of each when you apply for a new passport, CFO seminar, etc. By the way, you will also need an original or original certified copy of your husband's birth certificate that you will need during the interview.

Marriage Certificate- same with the Birth certificate, I got mine thru SM Business Center. I also made sure that I made extra copies because they will really ask for a copy every time you need to apply for a new identification card and you want now to use your married name like PRC, SSS, Passport, etc.

Cenomar- I had two copies of the Certificate of No Marriage before I got married here in the Philippines. We had to submit a copy at the Local Civil Registrar when we filed for the marriage license. But I read in the VJ site that some Consular Officer will ask you to still show this even when you are already married and you brought with you your Marriage Certificate. I am not sure the reason/s behind but I think they want to make sure that you were really single before you married your foreign husband.

NBI Clearance- I really believe you need two copies of this document. One is for your husband so he can send it to the National Visa Center when they are already asking for the original documents. And two, at the interview before you can get inside the building the guards will ask you to present a valid NBI Clearance together with other documents. Be sure that your NBI clearances are still valid or still not almost to expire.

Tax Records- You may do this ahead of time while waiting for the approval from the USCIS. This is one of the causes of the delay in our case. The legal assistants did not ask us to prepare while we were just in the waiting period. Your husband should get the latest 3 years tax transcripts and W2's if possible. My in-laws are my co-sponsors because my hubby was not earning enough not until last year. We also asked the tax records of my in-laws which took weeks before the Bureau of Tax sent it. Don't forget that if you have a co-sponsor, you will also need their birth certificates. They want to make sure that the sponsors are religiously paying their taxes.

Employment Letter/Certification-Remind your husband (and co-sponsor) to request from their company's Human Resources Department for an Employment Certification. It should include the name of your husband, title, date of employment and current salary (if salary is hourly, include the number of hours worked per week) signed by an officer of the company using the company's letterhead.

The days are going by so slow… the wait is unbearable. The unbearable part of it all is it could come any day now until whenever! So close yet so far. All I think about is this. I didn't expect the wait to be so difficult! I wish I can get over this stage this year. But I am willing to wait; it will be worth it because I know my husband is waiting for me at the other side of this planet. Oh well, I am still trying to be positive. Fingers crossed indeed!

Do You Need a Massage?

I just got home from having a massage. This is the third time I had massage in my lifetime. First one was with a college friend when I was in Manila last 2010. The first time that I got to be naked and felt really awkward seeing different girls naked while they were walking around an enclosed jacuzzi,sauna, or the shower area. I had my undies on because I have no guts to really flaunt everything. Second one was with my dear husband because he got a little bit scared to be left alone in a dark room half naked with a masseuse...Aww,Isn't that cute? The recent one today was with with my niece. She really needed a full body massage because she is under stress with the upcoming nursing licensure exam.
I had relatively moderate expectations today since me and my husband went to that same massage spa. Once I got inside the massage room, the lady told me to take off my clothes and wear the adjustable shorts that is being provided. Then I was seated and I had to wait a few minutes after changing until the masseuse put my feet inside a wooden steam foot barrel and covered it with a towel. They say the foot is like the root of a tree, connecting to every basic element in our body. However,it has long been ignored as people only focused on other parts of the body such as facial treatment, medical therapy even plastic surgery and you have just improved your appearance and it will not last long. But foot massage removes fatigue,replenish oxygen and energy,reduces stress,promotes better sleep, increase blood circulation and immunity.

I was asked to position by lying on my back and she started to massage my head, next my arms and legs. Then I laid on my stomach and she was doing my back. Towards the end of my massage session, she used tapotement, vibration and nerve stroke movements. I just wished during the body massage the largest amount of time is devoted to my back and shoulders which she failed to do, partly because my back represents a large part of my body, and partly because this is a very common place for people like me to accumulate tension. But to be fair, I experienced relaxation and rejuvenation in body, mind & I guess also with my spirit. They say weekly massage will make you look and feel years younger. So why not invest in yourself and in your health. It is more than just a luxurious way to relax. It is like having a mini vacation for an hour or two! :)

Relaxing after the massage session.


Tapotement-a massage technique that uses the edge of the hands, a cupped hands or the tips of the fingers to stimulate the back & the shoulder.

Have you had a massage lately? Do you know what massage will do for you? How does it feel during the session? How often do you get a massage?

For the Love of Story (and the Story of Love)

This is a story about love. A story about promises, uncertainty, happiness, distance, tenderness, intimacy, excitement, passion. A story about most definitely a Michigan boy meets a Mindanao girl.

My husband's version:

"After being divorced for about a year I had a lonely feeling and decided to start looking on the internet. I had tried many dating sites. The local dating sites did not bring anyone of interest to me. So I tried international sites. I started looking all over the world. As I was searching I had some concerns. How would I communicate with her? Most do not even speak my language. That would put a big strain on the relationship from the start. Then I learned that ladies from the Philippines speak English. I had found filipinaheart.com, and paid for a membership. I quickly learned that it is easy to lie and be deceived on the internet. This was a shock to me because I thought that being on a dating site meant your looking for love. I was very wrong. So I had to learn to become a detective to determine if the lady I was talking to was serious or only looking for a hand out. This took a while to perfect my technique. After being played and lied to for over a year by many girls and even one time offered $10,000 to marry one. I was about to give up my search.
Then in February 2010 one of my online friends said she knows a serious lady and she is a friends of hers. I said ok introduce us please. Right away I could tell she was different, and that she was looking for real love. She passed every test I gave her. Christine was quiet but she seemed to open up to me and we had an immediate connection.As we talked I knew had to meet her in person. As I was waiting for my flight we would talk and on yahoo, skype, and call her as much as I could. i started to develop feelings for her and we talked about family values and what we wanted out of life and what we expected in a marriage with a foreign spouse.
After landing in Manila on March 15th about 1030 PM and waiting over an hour in the immigration line gathering my bags and going through customs. I go outside of the airport. There was no one there. Only a few taxi drivers. I thought that Christine had not shown up to meet me. My heart dropped. Then I seen someone walk across the road and walk down a ramp. So I followed. I was amazed at how many people there was. I thought I would not be able to find her. As I was trying to make my way through the crowd of people a man walks up to me and ask me if I am Larry. I was shocked that he knew my name. I replied yes I am Larry. The man said Christine is waiting for you let me take you to her. My heart was lifted again. We make our way across one more road and half way across I seen Christine lean and look around a tall man. Then our eyes met and both of our faces light up. She meets me at the curb and takes my hand then pulls me down and gives me a quick kiss. Right then I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She introduces me to her friends that were waiting with her.
We spent the night in her small apartment in Taguig City. Laying on her bed and brushing her hair over her ear I asked her to marry me. Christine said yes to my delight. When we woke up we went to the embassy and gathered the need papers to marry. And purchased the tickets to fly to Zamboanga where I will meet her and stay with her family. They welcomed me with open arms and I felt as I was part of the family already. On March 17th we started to gather the need documents for us to marry. And as I spent my time with her family we became closer and closer. We spent most of our time as if we are already married and had family trips to the beach. Then the day finial arrived March 30th. I asked her one last time are you sure about this? We will be together for the rest of our lives. And again to my delight Christine said yes. That day we were married at the court house and had a nice reception at a resort. But my time was almost over and I had to come home. As I was about to come go into the airport I seen my beautiful bride crying and that made my heart break.
Now that I am back home working as much overtime as I can and spending time chatting with her on the internet. I realize that I made the right choice by marring Christine. Now we cannot wait until we are reunited here and be able to start our lives together."

I know that many people have their own story of love too. It's a great feeling to belong to a story and make a love life my own love story.

What's Cooking?

When me and my husband were tired of the usual take out foods, I had prawns in mind for that night. Besides, I have not cooked a real dish in years so maybe this is the time I can impress everyone...especially my husband. So menu for that night was...Prawns con salsa Alavar. They say the cheapest prawns or seafoods in general can be found in Zamboanga, my hometown in the southern part of the Philippines. I also used the amazing Alavar sauce which is said to be made of coconut milk, crab roe and secret spices. My husband is not really fond of sea foods might be because it's pricey to have it on the menu during an ordinary day, I mean something you might want to have only during holidays. So here is the recipe and promise you it is just so simple. No need of magic wand or to be pro in the kitchen.

Here is my version of the Prawns con salsa Alavar.

• 1 kilo of fresh prawns (thaw if frozen)
• 500 grams of Alavar sauce, depends on how much you like but I like to make
more because it taste good on top of my rice and as a dipping sauce
• 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1-1 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• vegetable oil

-Wash the prawns and leave them in a colander to drain.
-In a large wok or kawali, heat the oil then combine garlic, onion and ginger. Saute until onion is translucent.
-Stir in the alavar sauce and simmer for a few minutes or if sauce has fully melted.
-Add the prawns, let them heat through.
-Remove from heat then serve with rice.

I highly recommend this recipe which I had last month. The large pieces of prawns were cooked to sweet perfection and doused in sinful sauce. And the rice was steamed just right, which added to the delightfulness of the dish.