L'engagement

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

And I still can't believe it. James, my boyfriend of 4 years, popped the question by the Subic Bay on the night of July 15. With sand on our feet, the cold breeze, and the company of each other, I wouldn't trade the setting, nor the whole experience, for anything else. 

Everything happened so fast, so I'll just walk you through the proposal with the help of some pictures I snapped before, during and after THE event. :)

In the morning, we went to Zoobic Safari and had fun meeting and greeting all the animals that they housed. Just so you know, James has a big amusement for animals (especially the camel, for a reason I'll never know), so I gave the trip as a gift for his birthday. :)

 For dinner, we originally planned to have some wine and dine experience. But, as forgetful as I am, I didn't bring any extra dress to be presentable enough for such prominent places. So we ended up having dinner and drinking coffee at Xtremely Xpresso Cafe.

Notice what I'm wearing -- a hand-me-down shirt from my mother which I trimmed and cut for a more fashionable look.  There even was a safety pin to hold the neckline together to help not expose everything! I was also just wearing maong shorts and Ipanema sandals. What I was wearing will never be acceptable in a wine and dine place! 

I was high on caffeine when  we left the restaurant. The cafe's coffee was aromatic, tasty,  and addicting! The caffeine was the reason why I was all giddy and talkative the whole time when we were on the beach side. Blame it on the yummy coffee, man!

This is how the beach front looked like that night. The breeze was cool, the lighting was romantic, and the sound of the waves was relaxing. Just so you you know, I always loved the beach. It feels like home to me. So it was perfect. 

When reading on, please be reminded that I was high on caffeine so all of my neurons were awake.

When we sat down on the shore, I suggested that we go over the pictures we took throughout the day. And so we did. I did the talking the whole time because of the caffeine rush and James just intently listened, just how he did whenever I tell him stories. 

After all my talking and their was silence in the air, it was his cue to speak. He told me that he had a gift for me. And I was like, "WHAT?! Baket may regalo ka sa akin, eh ikaw ang may birthday! Dapat ako ang may regalo sa 'yo!" 

He just smiled and handed me a medium-sized black box with dried petals pasted on it and a picture of us at the bottom with the phrase "Made for each other".

When I opened the box, the inside was overflowing with crepe paper. So I carefully dug my fingers to see what was beneath. Because I was taking my time, and because butterflies are beginning to form in my stomach that's why I was really taking my time, James impatiently put his hand inside the box and pulled out a ring! My reaction? 

SURPRISED AND SPEECHLESS!

When he took the ring out, he started saying his speech. At the same time, a lot's already happening in my mind, "Oh my gosh! Singsing ba 'yan?! Bakit may singsing?! Magpo-propose na ba 'to?!".

So I told him, "WAIT! WAIT!" with my palm over his face. But I thought that maybe I was too assuming. Maybe he just wanted to give me a ring without any meaning. So I let him continue, "Okay, sige, go, continue."

And then while he was trying to finish his lines, I suddenly blurted "Sandali, bakit ka nag-i-english?!". You see, at this point, I am already getting uncomfortable, that the cute butterflies in my stomach are beginning to feel like large moths. Then he answered, "Eh, English ang pinrepare kong speech eh. Patapusin mo nga ako! Nawawala na ang momentum eh!". OOOOPS. Sorry! 

I just remember him say, "Thank you for taking care of me and making me your big baby. I may not promise you a day without sadness... his voice slowly fading out because I was too anxious inside ... But I promise you ... his voice slowly fading out again ... Will you marry me?"

When he said his last line, I wanted to let out tears, but they wouldn't come out because of all the emotions I feel. It was too good to be true. I hugged him tight. And long. And I said yes. And then, after a long discussion on what hand the ring should be on, he wore it on my right ring finger. 

To some, it may not be the most romantic proposal, but for me, it was the perfect one and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Not that it was the only proposal I'll ever have, but because it was James and his good-hearted intention, and it was the sincere love we have, and the humor that we'll always share that made the proposal the best.

So, again,

I'M GETTING MARRIED!



Cheers!

Dancing the Storm

There will be certain times in your life when you feel chaos inside you and you unconsciously veer away from the rays of the sun and sulk in night. It's okay for you to be with yourself for a while. But make sure that you catch your self as fast as you can before you find yourself choking -- or let others do the catching for you.

Man always had -- and still has -- the option of crying out loud for help. But often, Man has taken this precious option for granted. Man thinks that he can always, always do things alone. But I think that is how pride comes about.

Man, ever since, has always been born into a community. Man was never born alone. In the Creation Story, Adam always had God and the animals around. And Eve had Adam.

There will always be someone ready to catch you. All you just need to do is ask.

And there will be moments of disillusionment and uncertainty at some points in your lifetime. Go and grieve -- but don't soak yourself too long. You might end up seeing yourself drowning. You can always swim and wade in the waters. If you can't, you can always learn.

You see, Man's initial instinct, when put in a battle, is to survive. That is why Man is on top of the animal kingdom. Man can learn, Man can adapt. So, don't tell me you can't go through your chaos, because you, as Man, can.

So, if you see yourself in the middle of a storm, you always have the choice to dance in the rain, because you can.

And when the storm comes on a little bit stronger, always remember that there are people around you that are willing to dance harder with you if you just shout out to them -- or who will even brave the storm just to take you safely back home.

"The Praying Hands" by Albrecht Durer
Read about this masterpiece on: http://angiesdiary.com/articles/durers-the-praying-hands-the-story/

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.6