Reading, Writing & Re-writing.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Fema, Zac and I.

I had the joy of going to Crocodile Park here in Davao City with Fema, Zac and a good number of family members. I got to see a monkey ride a bike, ducks marched in a parade, and I saw a crocodile whose mouth stayed open like a statue.

The biggest joy was seeing Fema’s expressions during the animal talent show and seeing the pictures of Zac floating in the arms of his Tatay above the coy fish. I also got to see Papa's reaction to the tall ostriches and I fed the same birds with special food held in my hands.

It's definitely a good experience to get up close and personal with these animals. Like all animals and babies they have a great amount of innocence, especially the friendly ones. I will try to visit more tourist sites and travel more often. That is one thing in life that is worth doing.


Jake, Jon-Jon & Renz at the entrance.
Ate Talanga taking a picture at the selfie-stand.
Fema sitting on a crocodile statue.
The crocodile kept his mouth open like that for 30 to 45 minutes.
A real bird is standing on Papa's hand.
Papa saw an ostrich for the first time.
Fema is feeding an ostrich here.
Jake and Renz are feeding the bunnies.
Mama, Tito Titeng and Tita Flor. Zac is laying down on the left.

This is a YouTube video of our day at Crocodile Park.

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Baby Zac with Tatay.

Together as a family we visited Eden Nature Park with Ate Talanga and Ate Bebe. On the drive over we listened to Ed Sheeren and some of the latest 2017 music mixed up on a USB. The view at the park is spectacular, at least for someone like me who is used to seeing houses and commercial buildings.

The park had some horses inside so the kids and I went horseback riding for the first time. It was a short ride but was long enough to breathe in the fresh air and get a feel of what it's like to ride a horse.

I also captured some stolen shots of the family, we ate spaghetti as a group and took selfies with baby Zac before ending our day with new memories and a fun time. I hope everyone enjoyed the trip as much as I did. Thank you for reading and I hope you like the pictures.


Gathering for a mini-dinner.

Ate Talanga, Mama & Ate Bebe.
I'm riding a horse here.

Jake riding a horse.

Renz riding a horse.

Jon-Jon riding a horse.

Papa riding the line swing.


Mama riding the line swing.


Fema hanging out on the playground.


One of Fema's friends was at Eden Nature Park!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Spending time w/baby Zac.

In five days baby Zac will be 3 months old. Every day that he grows older and each month that goes by is another reason to celebrate. He's healthy and strong now with the cutest little laughs and I’m so happy that he’s experiencing joy at such a young age.

I will do my best to maintain good health and use all the resources I have to help raise him. It will be challenging but I believe I am up for the task.


Thank you baby Zac for giving me this opportunity. Thank you for coming into our life, laughing, and of course crying when your hungry so that we can meet your needs. I love you baby Zac and I’m so happy seeing you grow.


Baby Zac is enjoying our time together.

I love Zac's legs and feet :)

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Ford Ecosport in Mars Red.

From this angle, our new car might look like a Honda Fit but it is a Ford Ecosport. It's the car Emafe and I just purchased in order to prepare for Zac's arrival. It makes me happy since it isn't too small but not too big either. I don't understand the validity of climate change and global warming but if any of the claims made by environmental scientists are true, our Ecosport will probably harm the environment less than other cars would.

I didn't think I could ever purchase a brand new car but Emafe helped me do it. That is one of the reasons I am happy to be married to Emafe, the two of us have different strengths. She is industrious and I am good at staying calm. I let her know that it is okay to feel stressed and she instructs me in areas that I am too simple minded to understand on my own.

Thank you for helping me purchase our car Emafe, I love you :)


Emafe and I before going to bed.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

I love you, Emafe :)

Emafe and I went to SM Ecoland again today. And once again it is now part of our weekly routine. Sometimes we visit the mall 3 to 5 times a week. But it is different this time. Instead of just shopping or window shopping we now take time to relax. We still eat at cafe's and restaurants like Blugre but it is now common for the two of us to sit at a nail salon and get a foot massage.

I used to feel guilty whenever I thought about getting a massage. Like I would be wasting money on something that wasn't important. I avoided treating myself for relaxation and self-care. But after years of doing that, the lack of care that I showed myself was visible in my appearance. Not only in the clothes I wore and my personal hygiene but the things I would say and the things I would do.


I am now recovering from years of self-abuse. I hope that unlike me, the world is already taking care of their mind and emotions. Just in case, I'll send a thank you to everyone who is kind. Thank you for being the light of the world.



Our wedding rings.


Husband & Wife.

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Grilled Tuna Belly.

At a ripe age of thirty-two I am now starting to get more health conscious. I am eating grounded corn that tastes like rice instead of standard white rice and I usually drink water instead of juice or soft drinks. Sometimes it’s hard to only drink water if people are encouraging me to drink Sprite or Coke during family get togethers but other people have abstained from drinking soft drinks for years, so I can too.

I am also exercising a bit. I started doing 10 push-ups and 20 bicycle crunches a couple months ago and I have more than doubled the repetitions since. I think I will be in decent shape in 2 to 6 months. We'll see! :)

Another thing that helped me was taking photos of healthy food. I still eat unhealthy food sometimes but photographing healthy food on Instagram encourages me to continue a healthy diet. As the saying goes “Health is Wealth” so let’s not spend it all at once.

Pancit Lug-Lug from Jaltan.
Peanuts with a little bit too much salt.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Group Photo.

Emafe and I visited D’Leonor here in Davao City the other day. Ten of our family members and one friend went with us. As a group we ate roasted pig and relaxed in the wave pool. It was a cloudy day but it was still a good day to go swimming.

There are a ton of cottages there so a lot of people can fit inside the resort. But on that day there were only a few families there including us. The best part of the resort in terms of photography has to be the dinosaur statues. They look realistic and photograph well.

My biggest happiness was seeing Lungly, Renz and Jake have a good time. All of us had a good time but it’s nice to see that the kids in our presence are able to live a relaxed life and enjoy a beautiful day at D’Leonor, even if it was cloudy.


Dinosaur Statues at D'Leonor Inland Resort & Adventure Park.
The cottages at D'Leonor Resort.
Jake Abello.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Memories in Bambu Estate.

Purchasing our first home in Bambu Estate was a good experience and hard lesson at the same time. It was hard waiting for the house to get built and waiting for the construction of the amenities, planned shopping malls, etc. But it was a good experience based on the fact that we learned from it and got to experience home ownership for the 1st time.

The number one thing I learned from it was not to want so much. Wanting is often the same thing as suffering. And sometimes we think we want something new when in fact, we just want to stop wanting and that cannot be done by purchasing new things or trying new experiences. Most of the time though, it is hard to know that. But with experience and honesty, we can all see for ourselves that money and shallow happiness cannot bring joy into our lives.

P.S. The 1st photo below is a picture of the Gaisano Capital shopping mall built right beside our house. The second photo is a store Emafe's Mom opened for a short time.


Gaisano Capital in Davao City.
Mama's Store.
Marilou Verzonilla

We met a broker in 2016 who came to our house to discuss a developer that was pre-selling houses in Davao City. We talked about real estate for a while and then she saw our cats. I was in the middle of recovering from an illness at the time and Emafe was two months pregnant. We were also in the process of selling our home. Because of our hardship and unique circumstances we decided to sell our cats. The broker was the perfect candidate and she agreed to adopt them.

Our cats will be taken care of and I'm sure they'll be happy with their new family. But I will always remember my wife’s favorite cat, Toby Boy, the grey cat below. I will also remember my biological Mom (in the photo above).


Toby boy.

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Old-fashioned building constructed in 2015 or 2016.

After almost a month in the province we are now back in Davao City. Shortly after arriving I took a photo (above) of a brand new old-fashioned building. It's a building I always notice whenever we travel in the city and I think the construction of it was finished in 2015 or 2016.

After arriving in the city, Mama bought us a jack fruit so that we could have a snack and relax. It was really tiring to travel that far and I must admit, I was a little over fatigued after that.

So today we did something different: Emafe, her Mom, her Dad and I relaxed at a nail salon to get foot massages. It was a really nice experience and I enjoyed seeing her parents relax. The name of the nail shop is Nailandia. I have gone there with Emafe a few times and will definitely go back.


One of the unique fruits in the Philippines, Jack Fruit.
Emafe Rice and her Dad.
Pedicure at Nailandia inside SM City Ecoland.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Our family at the Divine Mercy Foundation.

On the way to Davao City we dropped by a religious tourist spot named Divine Mercy. The site consists of a good sized church, a large landscaped park, and a big statue of the legendary Jesus Christ. There is also a place to light candles and some souvenir booths lining the entrance.


I was still sleepy when we got there so I didn't look around that much but I got to sit in a large peaceful church. It was easy to observe the silence and I enjoyed it. Thank you for reading about our travels and I hope you enjoy the photos!


A statue of Jesus Christ at the Divine Mercy Foundation.
The landscaped park at the Divine Mercy Foundation.
Overlooking a beach in the Philippines.
The ocean in the Philippines.