We traveled to Tagaytay at night, and the cold breeze of the place embraced and welcomed us. I really enjoyed the night because of the weather and also because I was with Arcel.
Despite having dual jobs, we managed to have quality bonding time, strengthening our relationship. We passed by Andoks, which was remarkable on our last trip due to its affordability and delicious taste when we had nothing else to choose from.
The cold weather led us to Serin to find and buy a jacket, and we found one at Penshoppe. My girlfriend chose this one for me, and it suited me well. It's memorable because she chose it for me. Thank you, mahal.
Feeling hungry, we took the bus to Bulalo's Point Restaurant. However, I noticed that the place was not very accommodating, so we tried searching nearby since there were many restaurants to choose from. We attempted to go to E-ways Restaurant, but unfortunately, it was already closed. We ended up at Balinsasayaw, where we did not expect the food to become our favorite. The fried bangus and bulalo were really special, and we ate a lot. The taste of Tsokolate was remarkable to us. We loved it so much!
In the morning, we took a walk and enjoyed the sun. We went to Starbucks and had coffee there, trying to sunbathe and talk to each other about life scenarios. I really admire her idea of always putting God first in whatever you do and not being too proud of yourself because humble people receive good merits in life. She gave an example of her mother's situation, and I appreciate her for sharing this with me. I am reminded to be humble every day and always be grateful for what I am today.
On Sunday afternoon, we went to Gracis and met her Kadiwa friends. We explored the place, exchanged gifts, and enjoyed the activities there. My girlfriend and I tried fishing and ATV, which was a super cool experience as it was our first time together. Thank you for sharing this adventure and introducing me to these people in my life. After that, we went to church to fulfill our duties and had dinner. I'll never forget the restaurant on Bonifacio Drive because of the small serving of food but being super expensive. Never again. After dinner, we made fun of that restaurant. Hahaha, we felt like the craziest people in the world. Lol.
Tagaytay has always held a special place in my heart because this is where we started to strengthen our relationship and get to know each other. Our relationship has become strong, intimate, and peaceful. To Arcel, I always look forward to making memories with you in this place, having hot chocolate, and engaging in meaningful conversations.
At 4 am on January 28, we went to Benguet with one of our closest friends, Joan and Jojo. My girlfriend and I were the ones who planned the trip, and unexpectedly, the couple wanted to join with us, so it became a double date now. Hahahaha. That was super cool, though. Thank you because the two have a car, and our travel to Benguet became easy. It took us a 4-hour drive to get there. We went to Camp John Hay to have breakfast and ended up at Pancake House. The cold weather was up to 14 degrees Celsius and tolerable at that time, but the weather got much colder in the evening, hahaha. After breakfast, we tried to go to Tsokolate de Batirol and experience their famous hot chocolate. A lot of people were there; however, when we tried the drink, the experience was not something amazing because the taste was like beer, lol. Nevertheless, we tried to finish it even though we did not like it much. Hahaha. Outside the restaurant, we experienced the cold breeze of the weather and appreciated the trees and breathing space there. I also loved how we used the camera brought by Ar. I was stunned by how we captured things and people. It felt like something special, to capture moments and make them live forever. How mesmerizing it was.
Benguet has been a place where Mother Nature heals everyone. The stunning mountains, the vegetables, the food, the weather, and the people – that's why I always want to be there and heal each wound that I experience in every war I face. The mountains and trees have been one of my friends whenever I feel tired because I know that God provided these amazing things to help His humans. I always love to connect to nature. With this, we went to Atok to explore the beauty of flower farms. There are lots of kinds of flowers there, and the place was too high to travel and too far from our place. Thank you to Jojo for driving us; he has really good driving skills, indeed! I appreciated the overlooking mountain and flowers. We also bought strawberries as pasalubong for ourselves, lol. We planned to make tanghulu; unfortunately, we did not have enough ingredients to make this. Sad. The whole trip was filled with relaxation and adventure. We went to ALAPO to experience camping at night and grilled enoki pork. The food was amazing, the bonfire was stunning, and the sunrise was a beautiful souvenir we could ever get from that place. I loved our photos there.
We experienced a lot of firsts in our first three days; however, we are not yet ready to make our trip fully on vacation. After Mondays, we're back to work. My girlfriend and I work two jobs, and I am happy to say that we managed it superbly! I was amazed at how my girlfriend worked because she managed it so well, and she did smart work – by focusing on certain hours, and the rest will be rest time. I was amazed by her. Most of the time, she did not work, but her productivity was remarkable, and she finished all her tasks. On the other side, I had to work hard because there were a lot of deadlines and tasks to finish and create pull requests on my plate. I did not want to lose this job since I needed more money, and ironically, because of the burden and weight on my head, on this day, I had planned to leave my second job – but this is all in my head. I just wanted to rant and express it because I cannot manage it anymore. Thank you to my girlfriend for being my sounding board and carrying the burdens in my heart. I wanted to quit at that time and submit my resignation, but I never did. Haha, I tried to convince myself to push harder and find a solution to that problem, and fast forward, the workload in the next month became manageable. Up to this date, I am still with the same company.
Joan and Jojo had to leave in the middle of the week because they said they could not bear the cold weather. My girlfriend and I were the ones who stayed in the Airbnb. We enjoyed each other's company, and I was grateful for her and thankful because she was one of a kind. She helped and comforted me when I struggled to communicate with others and assisted me with my internet connection during my interview with Nelnet. I loved every act she did for me. She cooks our food well, and I appreciate how she takes care of me every single minute. I feel genuine care and love from her. I could say that I am the luckiest man alive. hahaha.
I know most people might be thinking about two people in the same room and sleeping together, and of course, they may engage in premarital sex. However, we respect each other's decisions and adhere to the doctrines of our religion, which prohibit having sex without the blessing of our beloved parents until we are married. I am thankful that she is not like other girls who might seduce their man into having sex. I love how our relationship is going and how we respect each other. I would love to experience this type of bonding with you again soon! Therefore, I conclude that the whole vacation, walking around the city, and helping me when I felt bloated and my tummy hurt after eating on our last day there was wonderful. I don't have anything to say but thank you, Arcel, for giving me the kind of love that I am not sure if I deserve because you are more than enough for me. I love you, and I will take care of you and protect you at all costs, mahal ko.
I got my Non-Professional Driver's License.
My girlfriend's Korean Tourist Visa was approved.
I decided to apply to the Korean Embassy for a Tourist Visa, and it was approved!
I applied for the Canadian Student Visa Pathway, and it was approved!
Arcel is now my neighbor, and we enjoy each other's company.
We got our homestay approved on Airbnb.
There are a lot of things to be grateful for. I am grateful for having all kinds of support from my family, friends, and girlfriend. I could not imagine a happy life without them. All I can say right now is thank you, God Father, for allowing these events to happen in my life. I know that you have a very good reason that we never know why all this happens. All I can say is to trust you and surrender all to you because, as a human, I cannot do anything without you.
Since Day 1, I know you have never forgotten me and always stood by my side, watching me with every decision in my life. Thank you for your guidance and for allowing my faith to grow. I hope for better days ahead, and if struggles are coming my way, I know that you will help and guide me to conquer all of them.
Better days are coming! I manifest and pray that Arcel will have an employer in Alberta, Canada, particularly in Calgary by 2025, so she can leave the country to start her 30s. I know God has a plan for each and every one of us, and serving God is one of our purposes. I manifest that from this very day, we will come back to this blog and say that we are meant for Canada, and we will live there and build our own family.
In the upcoming days, I want to make sure to be more disciplined in each aspect of life. Thank you for bringing Arcel into my life because she has guided me to become a better person, and we align with each other to be the best versions of ourselves.
Here are the plans I want to fulfill in the following weeks:
Eat less, move more, eat more proteins, and engage in strength training.
Lose body fat and build muscle.
Improve my spiritual connection and faith with God Father by doing Panata.
Wake up at 6 am and do the routines with my girlfriend.
Write a blog consistently.
Socialize with family and friends to boost oxytocin and happy hormones – as humans, we build connections with others.
Travel in nature once in a while.
I hope these activities will strengthen my personal well-being and relationships with others, and I am looking forward to seeing progress little by little. Super excited for our next trip! See you soon, South Korea!
