I’ve been meaning to write a post about my dear auntie Aning here a few months ago to honor her for what she had done for us but it was postponed and my laziness set in until I forgot about it. Now, I can’t help myself but cry whenever I think of her. Auntie Aning went to be with the Lord yesterday around 1:20 PM due to cardiac arrest at Baguio General Hospital. She’s 78 years old.

My auntie Aning is the only sibling of my late mom and 3 years her junior. She was an old maid and she was the one who took care of me and my siblings (we are 4) when our mom passed away in 1978. My father had no permanent job so it was my grandma who was receiving her monthly pension and my aunt who supported and raised us. Auntie Aning cooked for us, took us to the doctor when we were sick, borrowed money from our neighbors when we needed money for our tuition fees when were in college, everything we needed she and my grandma provided. When grandma and my father passed away she was alone in taking care of us. When I was stricken with the big C, she was my prayer warrior and she went with me in the hospital when I had the surgery and chemotherapy. When my youngest brother had undergone knee replacement surgery 7 years ago, she went to watch him in the hospital. She was there during those lowest moments in our lives and when my siblings and I got married, she was there to witness and celebrate with us. When I left for the US in 2003, she told me on the phone that she missed me so much. I told her not to think of me so she won’t be missing me but she said she can’t help it. Until about 3 years ago that I was told by my siblings that auntie had Alzheimer’s disease and she can’t do the things that she used to do like cooking and washing disease. I cried and bawled like a baby after I learned that. Last year when my hubby and I finally came back here in my homeland, auntie can’t remember me no more. She don’t know my name nor my siblings names. Her memory had left her, it’s the effect of Alzheimer’s disease. But one thing that amazed me about auntie is that she didn’t forget her name and to pray. Everytime before we eat, she always said the blessing. I’m thankful that I was able to spend a year with her before the Lord had took her home.

If I were to write everything that my auntie Aning had done for us, this space is not enough. Auntie Aning, I love you, I told you that many times when you were still alive and you just smiled. Forgive me if I did something wrong doing some care giving duties to you because sometimes my patience became short due to your child like attitude in your later years but deep inside I really love you and I appreciate all the things that you have done for us. I thank God for giving you to us and for all the times that we shared together. You’re the best auntie in the whole world, you spent your life taking care of us and your loving memories will always stay fresh in my heart and in my mind. Auntie, I know you are saved, see you in heaven someday where there is no more pain, no Alzheimer’s, no more tears and no more problems. Until then…

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It took 3 weeks before I got my certificate and oath of allegiance for my dual citizenship. We went to pick it up in the immigration office in Manila on the 13th of November. Hubby was impressed how quick the processing of papers here compared to the US. It took forever to wait there when I filed for my green card and citizenship. Having a dual citizenship means I can enjoy the privileges and benefits of both countries and I can stay here for as long as I want to without having to pay for the extension of my visa.

That same day I got my dual citizenship, I filed my petition for the release of hubby’s permanent resident visa. I brought all the required documents, paid the initial fee worth Php2,520. He was scheduled to go back on the 18th of November for the hearing. So we went again to Manila on the scheduled day. Unfortunately, my sister’s van was color coded that day so we had to take the passenger bus. It’s a good thing that the scheduled time for hubby’s hearing was 10:00 AM. The bus had to stop at the bus station twice. That’s what I dislike taking the bus. My sister went with us because she’s more familiar with the ins and outs in Manila.

We arrived at immigration office 35 minutes earlier. Hubby was right when he said that it’s Filipino time here so his schedule of 10:00 AM became 10:20 AM. We had to wait on the lawyer who’s supposed to do the hearing. The so-called hearing was just like a casual conversation between us and the lawyer with just few questions about us and that was it. We were told to call their office after a week and that’s tomorrow for follow-up. Then if it’s approved, we have to go back there again so they can stamp on my hubby’s passport.

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Yesterday morning, one of our neighbors who is an elderly lady came to our house. She said she was not able to sleep the previous night because she was thinking of the coming typhoon and a possible earthquake that she heard in the news. She feared that the dam will break and our area will be flooded. She wanted to evacuate now and she even packed some of her clothes already. She was so paranoid. We told her that in case that thing will happen, she’s not alone. She’s afraid to die just like those people who died during the flood. My brother advised her to stop watching the news so she will not get nervous. I’ve been witnessing to her about salvation and putting her trust in Jesus. If you are saved and you know for sure that you will spend eternity in heaven, then there’s nothing to fear. Come what may, you know who holds tomorrow and who’s in control of anything that happens in this world. It’s Jesus Christ, my Savior and my coming King.

I just pray that the typhoon will change its course and will not pass here in our place. I put my trust in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of my faith.

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…hubby and I got to go to Manila this morning to file for my dual citizenship. I must admit, I’ve been postponing to go there because I really don’t like to go to Manila because I hate the traffic there and also we always get a bad experience from the crocodiles in the streets ( mga buwaya sa kalsada na pulis) and MMDA workers. But since we are already here in my homeland for 9 months now, I have to file my application before the expiration of our free stay here or we have to pay huge amount for the extension of our visas. Our free stay here is only good for a year.

I already have the form for Retention/Re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship which I got from the immigration office in Dagupan not long after we got here. I could have filed it there but they don’t accept dual citizenship application here in the province. So I filled it out and attached all the requirements which are Duly accomplished application form, 2 pieces passport size photo, photocopy of naturalization certificate and US passport, proof as natural born Philippine citizen, the original and a copy of at least one of the following: your Phil. birth certificate, old Phil. passport, Voter’s ID, marriage certificate, 2 legal size self addressed stamp envelopes. All these should be fastened in a legal size folder. The payment for the application is Php3,000.

So early this morning, we drove to the Immigration Office in Intramuros, Manila. I hired a driver to drive my sister’s van. My hubby and my sis went with me. The driver took the NLEX route and the road reminded me of the express way in the US. No traffic and the road was constructed like the roads in the states. When we reached Intamuros, we looked for the Bureau Of Immigration and we didn’t have a hard time looking for it because it’s situated close to the Manila Cathedral. The filing went smoothly, no problem at all. I will just follow up my application thru the phone after a week and if it’s already approved, I’ll go back and pick up my oath of allegiance and I’ll have to file for my hubby’s permanent residency here. It will be my turn to petition him.

We’ll, the story didn’t end there. When we were on the road (still in Manila) going back home, naku, heto na naman po ang mga buwaya sa kalsada. Pinahinto yong driver namin dahil meron daw violation. Ano ba naman yan, kakainis na kayo. Wala namang violation pero ginawan ni buwaya. Nag-change lane kasi driver namin at sinundan lang naman niya yong van na nasa harap niya pero di naman hnuli yong van na yon. Sinabi ba naman na nag-ca-cause daw ng traffic yong ginawa ng driver namin kaya humingi ng lagay, Php500. Alam yata nila pag galing probinsiya yong sasakyan kasi sa plate number. Siyempre pag kukunin yong lisensiya, hassle na kasi uuwi pa ng probinsiya. Alangan namang babalikan pa e ang layo ng biyahe kaya walang option yong driver kundi magbayad, pero galing naman sa akin yong pinambayad. Nakakainis na. Ilang beses na nangyari eto sa amin sa Manila. Last time no’ng sinundo kami galing airport. Ang laki noon ang hiningi, Php3,500. Seventhousand sana pero nakiusap bayaw ko. Kelan kaya matitigil ang mga modus operandi ng mga mga buwaya sa kalsada? Kanino kaya eto irereport para matigil na. Nakakahiya ang mga kapwa ko Pilipino. Kelan kaya kayo magbabago mga pulis na mangungutong???

Dumaan pala kami kanina sa Clark para mag-grocery.

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Hubby and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last September 11. How time flies! It’s like it’s only been yesterday since we got married. Time flies so fast when you’re having fun. It doesn’t mean though that we didn’t have problems in our married life. Of course like all married couples, we had our ups and downs. There were some minor misunderstandings, trials, health and financial problems but we survived it all with God’s help. Interracial marriage needs a lot of adjustment especially we came from different culture and race. Being married with my hubby for the past 7 years, I got to know him a lot better and vice versa. I can’t thank God enough for giving my hubby to me who love me unconditionally. I pray to the good Lord to give us more years of being together because I want to grow old with him and he with me and together we will serve and worship the Lord all the days of our lives. Read about our wedding anniversary celebration here.

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…since the last time I updated this blog. I know I have neglected posting here and the main reason is I just felt lazy updating this blog. I have 6 blogs and it’s time consuming updating all of them. I ran out of topic that I can write and it seems that my brain is not really working if I’m not in the mood to write.

We’ve been here in the Philippines for more than 8 months now and I’m loving it here. I get to eat all the foods that I’ve been craving when I was in the states. Vegetables here are cheap and the fish are fresh. My hubby and I have been enjoying all the foods here and we both gained weight already. This is the part that I don’t like. I hate to say that I’m 9 lbs heavier already. Blame it to the foods that are so yummy!!! No, I’m not the one cooking, it’s my brother Celso. He is such a good cook. My hubby’s favorites here are adobong pusit (squid), fried pusit, grilled pusit… As long as it’s pusit, he will eat it no matter how it’s cooked. Lately, string beans are so abundant here and if the supply is high, the price is low. So we’ve been buying it almost everyday and my brother cook it as dinengdeng mixed with other veggies and fried fish. Sometimes he cooked it as adobong sitaw. My hubby got tired eating it and he said how he wish they will increase the price so we will not buy it no more, he-he!

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This is a late post because it’s been a week since we went to Baguio to watch the Panagbenga 2009. Baguio was so crowded and everywhere I turned therewere tons of people. The highlight of the event were the street dancing competition and the float parade. The street dancing was done last Saturday. The next day was the float parade. There were more people last Sunday because they wanted to see those celebrities like Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Ogie Alcasid and Alyssa Alano. Hubby and I went to the sports complex and we waited for the floats to arrive because that’s where they all gonna end up. The sun was shining and it was hot especially there were too many people. I even got sunburned so my skin color now is dark brown. Next year I will just watch it in the tv. I just wanted to take my hubby there so he can watch it live too for the first time. He doesn’t like the crowd so next time we’ll just stay at home. As I’ve promised, here are the photos taken during the float parade.

Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson on the float


Alyssa Alano



singer Ogie Alcasid

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We’re preparing to go to Baguio tonight to watch the Panagbenga 2009. The street dancing competition will be tomorrow at 8:00 AM. We’re just waiting on my sister and my bro-in-law to come home from work then off we go. My hubby is excited because this will be his first time to watch the Panagbenga. The float parade will be on Sunday morning. This is the biggest event in Baguio every year and I’m pretty sure that Baguio is crowded now. Lots of people from the lowlands go up to Baguio to watch this event. Me and the whole family will be going except my aunt and my youngest brother. I will be posting here the update in the next few days. Expect to see some photos too. Till then.

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