Reading, Writing & Re-writing.

Friday, May 26, 2017

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.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

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)

Saturday, May 20, 2017

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.

Thursday, May 18, 2017

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 :)

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

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.

Sunday, May 7, 2017


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)

Sunday, April 16, 2017


Dear Zac, 

I’m happy to say that you are almost five months old now. Soon, in about four months you will be born, and your Mom and I will see you for the first time, in person, and that is when your Mom and I will be able to see you laughing and smiling for the first time too. 

I’m excited to talk to you, spend time with you, hug you and tell you all the good things I have in my heart, mind and soul. 

Be healthy, be strong and grow into a complete, healthy baby boy. Your Mom and I will wait for you and welcome you into this world with open arms. The world is waiting for you too, just like it waited for your Mom and I when we were in our mother’s tummy. 

I love you. 

- Daddy

Friday, March 4, 2016




Love,

This was a hard last few months. I understand that I neglected you and spent a whole lot of time reading, studying and researching. It was very hard on you. Especially when I spent nearly 12 hours a day on the Internet. But everything happens for a reason and I learned a lot about myself and life in general. I also learned a lot about the two of us as a married couple.

I still have a lot to learn and I still need to grow. I make a lot of good goals for myself but as you know, I take 10 steps forward then 9 steps back. But the important thing is that we are both moving forward, even after I take 9 steps back.

One of the best things of 2016 (so far) is that it is the year we started seeing reality in a similar way. You started seeing things in a more material sense, and from a practical and realistic standpoint, and I started realizing that 'non-scientific claims' are probably an unproven science (in specific situations). It is also the year I started praying again in a deep way to rewire my brain and reclaim the inner peace and mental calmness I once had.

This is a letter of appreciation and a letter of love since it is our 6 Year - Wedding Anniversary but it is also a tired and almost exhausted form of success. This is the month we nearly finished the foundation for our future. The year where everything starts to fall into place and life pays us back for all the sacrifices we made (for ourselves, each other and our family). I can also see us giving back to society in positive ways somewhere along the horizon. That makes me happy too.


Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for overcoming the culture shock of marrying someone completely different. And thank you for being a beautiful person that always grows, always learns and improves every year. The two of us will keep growing, building and loving. 

Love you so much and good job. You've done well :)

- Chris

Friday, January 1, 2016


It is January 1st today and I am happy. I am happy because it is 2016, and I am happy about the experiences I had in 2015. I will summarize some of the best things that happened in my life during 2015:

  • March 5th, 2015 was my five-year wedding anniversary and I surprised my wife in a romantic way. I had dreamed about surprising her like that for more than a year, maybe 2 to 3+ years before I did. That was one of my favorite days of all-time. The New Year (2016) wasn’t as fancy but I had a similar feeling, I love you Emafe and I love being in your presence :)

  • October 1st, 2015 was the official launch date of It’s More Fun In Davao City, a project that will eventually include the most comprehensive website about Davao City, Philippines.
Throughout 2015 there have also been many developments in Davao City: Local developers have pledged to build more shopping malls, subdivisions are finally finishing up their amenities and a lot of roads + highways have been widened. This makes me happy, especially since we invested in a small house. Our family as a whole also did very well last year. 

Thank you everyone, I am signing off now, I just wanted to share my happiness. I will read this in the future so I remember 2015 and the start of 2016.




Sunday, February 8, 2015

At Paradise Island with my wife and her younger brother (mid-2014)

March of 2015 will mark the 5 year wedding anniversary that I share with my wife. It will also be my 6th year in the Philippines starting in August of this year. The longer I stay, the deeper I think. I usually think about how I would envision my future before and the beautiful things I ended up experiencing.

I am sure I am not the only one who thinks more deeply as time goes by. I don't think it has as much to do with moving to the Philippines as it has to do with getting older. That leads me to point out that humans are constantly thinking since there are so many thoughts that travel in a person's mind.

One of the things I think about is patterns. I notice patterns in my life that happen over and over again. Some of them are positive and some of them are negative. A specific pattern that has happened in my life more than once is starting a new life. I started a new life when I was adopted into a foster family and I started a new life when I left my foster family and friends to join the military in 2002. I also started a new life in 2009 when I moved to the Philippines.

The important thing for me is breaking the old patterns and continuing the cycles that benefit me and the people I love. I am okay with moving around and changing my country of residence, but I don't want to let time and distance divide me from people who helped me and encouraged me to grow. It's a noble concept but in a world where everyone's busy and travel isn't cheap, it isn't always achieved. I however have confidence that if I start now I can slowly reconnect with everyone in my past and bring together the bits and pieces of my 'pasts' and unite them with my present.

At the fishpond in Davao City w/my wife and her dad (December of 2014).

At another park in Davao City w/my wife, her brother & mom (November of 2014).

Next to my wife and her brother + cousin (4th quarter of 2014)

Eating w/my wife, her brother and two of her cousins (October of 2014).

Meetup w/friends we met from YouTube (September of 2014).

Meetup w/more friends we met from YouTube (4th quarter of 2014).

Meetup with friends from YouTube again (January of 2015).

Meetup w/our friend Vengie (4th quarter of 2014).