Divine Mercy Foundation

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.

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Photograph

Emafe & Chris Rice.

Emafe and I were laying down last night and I asked her if we could take a photo together. It is now one of the many photos we have taken together as a married couple. I also asked Jake if I could take a photo of him.

I upload my photos to Instagram and I like the fact that it's like a personal diary. I have a lot of our memories there. IG (Instagram) can be less stressful for people who want to avoid reading the rants of their peers. It is mainly for photography, not text.

I hope you enjoy IG, Facebook and the Internet. If used properly they can relieve stress but if used incorrectly, they can generate stress. Have a good day everyone.

Jake.

Dried fish.

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The Top of a Mountain

Emafe & her relatives.

Emafe and I visited a mountain top the other day. It is actually where some of her relatives live. I felt a little discomfort at first since it was a new scenery and I felt a little stressed from the news I saw on TV. But then it was time to sit down and look at the chickens that live there.

A chicken's eye looks like a fish eye and their necks move fast in twitching-like motions. I saw how innocent they were and felt a sense of peace watching them take care of their young. I also took a few moments to look at the mountains that sat off in the distance.

The last thing everyone did was play volleyball. I didn’t play but I took a few pictures to remember this moment. Thanks everyone for reading! :)

Emafe & Chris Rice.

Mama chicken and her chic.

Chicken playing peek-a-boo.

Walking chickens.

Coconut trees on a mountain.

The family playing volleyball.

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Holy Child (school) in Davao City

Jake’s in his Holy Child outfit. 

Holy Child is the school he went to in Davao City (2016).

This is one of the good memories that I share with Jake. He was wearing his Holy Child t-shirt with red face paint and his Ate Emafe is the one who took the photo.

Holy Child is the school he went to when we lived in Mintal of Davao City. It was an English speaking school and the education there was good. There were a lot of school projects and extracurricular activities like swimming and taekwando.

On the day of this photo Jake was singing at a Holy Child event with his classmates. And he was singing so loud that the veins in his neck were getting really large. And I remember seeing a strong sense of innocence in his expression and gestures. That is probably the closest thing to fatherhood besides my wife’s pregnancy that I have ever experienced.

So I am looking forward to more interactions like that with Jake, and especially the birth of my son, Zac Lucas Rice. I have a good sense that the day he is born will be similar and probably a lot more intense. It will be the first time I witness the miracle of life in person and I predict it will be a day of pure joy :)

Jake & Renz (July of 2015)

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At a Monastery in the Philippines

This is a church at the Monastery.

I visited a monastery with Emafe and her family the other day. The location was silent and solemn with trees, open space and a small prayer room. As a family we took time to sit, walk and reflect. 

Most of us wrote prayers on little paper cards. Renz even wrote a prayer asking God if he could go to Heaven with his family. He doesn't quite know that much about the world and most of the stuff he knows and thinks he knows is based on what he's been told but I still see a sweetness in his prayer.

Out of everything he could of asked for he asked for him and his family to be together & happy forever.

I love the open space here.

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Two Leaders

Emafe's Dad in his store.

I have had a good time since I moved to the Philippines. Distance has been a slight issue since I am far from the friends and family members I grew up with but in terms of self-growth and personal development, I had no choice but to move to the Philippines.

Life is simpler here. Maybe not for everyone but at least it is for me. I learned a lot by being around people who often do more with less. 

Emafe and her Dad are two of the people I learned from. Her Mom, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends and everyone else I met in the Philippines taught me a lot too but it is Emafe who helped me appreciate animals, her Father who helped me appreciate plants, and both of them showed dedication towards helping me improve my health, lifestyle and understanding. 

Emafe is a leader, just like her Dad. I'm proud to see their similarities and I love them both.

Renz is practicing his photobombing skills in the background :)

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Condo Unit is Ready XYZ

Nottingham Building in Camella Northpoint

I visited Camella Northpoint yesterday with Emafe to pick up the keys to our condo unit. It was an investment we made in 2012 to help us save money. But now that I am older and have lived in the Philippines for over 7 years, I am no longer interested in purchasing real estate. Paying the taxes is a hassle, maintenance is a hassle and renting it out to someone else would be a hassle. That is one of the reasons why Emafe and I sold the house we purchased in Davao City (too much work with not enough benefits) but that might be related to my personality or diagnosis.

Since I wrote about my diagnosis a lot has changed. I have come to accept that I experience avolition and my wife has accepted it too. So things are smoother now. I sleep a lot, help when I can but I don't worry about the things I am not good at. I still do my best but I learned that I cannot force myself to be better than I am. I either can or I can't, and I understand now that it is good to do my best but that my best is all I can do. I guess I am trying to say that I know my limits now (on a moment-to-moment basis) and I think that is a good thing.

Liverpool Building of Camella Northpoint

The building of our condo unit is nice. There are big windows on the side of the building that lets in fresh air during the day. And even though I haven't visited the building at night I am almost sure it has a pleasant cool breeze then too.

One of the best parts about the condominium complex is that the community is covered in pine trees. I love plants so I am happy that I have a place to relax and view some nice trees. The trees are especially pleasant to view from the clubhouse and the doorway sized windows. I think I will bring plastic chairs when I stay there so I can sit outside with Emafe and look at the view. I am happy to say that the air was fresh too, at least during our last visit.

Emafe and I visited the OBGYNE today for one of her regular checkups.

On another note, I wrote a letter to my son but I never updated the news that Emafe is pregnant! At least not on my blog. So now it's official, Emafe is over 5 months pregnant and soon, at the perfect time, Zac Lucas Rice will be born and the two of us will be first time parents. If you remember, I was big about .XYZ domain names a little while ago. But coincidentally, Zac has XY chromosomes and Emafe nicknamed him 'Z' on her Instagram account. So somehow, someway, I got exactly what I asked for. I just didn't know at the time that Zac was my dream, Zac is what I was waiting for, and Zac is what my wife and I were waiting for together.

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8 Years of Commitment

I loved you before I fully loved myself but with you I am learning to love myself more and more everyday. And because of you, I learned that that's what the world needs. That's what I need, and that's what my friends and family need. So thank you for being a bright light in what initially seemed like a dark world. I love you 😊

Happy Anniversary, Love Emafe.
(I posted this in Facebook on April 30th, 2017)

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