Category Archives: travel

Chancery and Canonical Interviews

Posted on by

Timing was the key for these series of interviews for us. The Pre-Cana and wedding banns are requisites for the interviews hence we attended the Pre-Cana during our Christmas vacation in Tagum and announced our wedding banns from end of November and well into December. We were just in time then to visit the churches for our interviews come early January, just right before Hubbie flies back to Japan.

And what a roadtrip it was. Chancery interview was to be in Lipa Cathedral (or in the seminary of the Chancery Lawyer Fr. Dong Rosales). Canonical interview was to be in St. Francis Xavier Church, Nasugbu Batangas. Both Lipa and Nasugbu are on the edges of Batangas battery limits and would take you some 2 to 3 hours to travel from one to the other. Whew! We actually had to have the Chancery interview on Jan 4 and have the Canonical interview the following day. In between, we visited Caleruega and Ville Sommet and Yellow Coco for Hubbie to see the sites personally. And of course we just have to stay at Sonya’s to check on the place before actually booking our guests.

Chancery interview was so fruitful in that we also found the priest we’ve been looking for to officiate our wedding. I’ve no priest friend and although Mama has a couple or so, flying him to Tagaytay is so out of the question. But both Hubbie and I liked Fr. Dong when we had our interview and he was most kind to show us around Lipa in that we decided to have Fr. Dong for our wedding.

One thing though: he doesn’t allow the Unity Candle on the ceremony. But he allows personal vows so I can settle with that. 😀

Chancery interview certificate! I had to brushout some names though, for privacy and security purposes

Canonical interview was suprisingly really fast! We had to make a queue with the other couples who got there ahead of us (we arrived in St Francis at 8am, left Sonya’s at a quarter to 6 but we were already couple number 11!) but the interview itself was only 2 minutes max each for me and Hubbie. Too bad though I wasn’t able to take a picture of the canonical interview certificate.

Anyways, that’s it, Church documents preps are done! We’re all set for our Church wedding! 😀

PS: Chancery interview is only required for couples where one of the marrying party is non-Catholic, non-Filipino.

Davao-Manila VV, booked!

Posted on by

Thanks to Cebu Pacific, I was finally able to book my family at a price that was less than what Hubbie and I paid for our Davao-Boracay-Manila flights last December.

Phase 1: I had to wait for when Cebu Pacific announces their seat sales covering the dates around our wedding date. Jan 17, they announced Php888 per person per flight for flights from Mar 1 to April 30.

Total cost: 13,176 php for 11 adults, 1 kid (same price as adult) and 1 infant. Sugoi ne?

I had to book my family with only a one-way flight to Manila though. Risky yes. So in tenterhooks, I waited for when they will announce the next seat sale.

Phase 2: Yey! My worries were allayed. Cebu Pacific offered the same Php888 sale for Davao-Manila vv flights for travels from Mar 1 to May 30! This one was a bit of a headache though. The flights got sold out faster than in the first phase that I had to book my family in two batches!! Total booking time was 3 and half hours!! First batch flies to Davao at 7:30AM, second one flies at 7:30PM.

Total cost: 12,974.72 php for 11 adults, 1 kid (same price as adult) and 1 infant. Apparently, booking them in two batches saved me a couple of hundred pesos haha.

Booking was a challenge!!! But i’m thankful for this blessing as this is one major to-do off my list. Time for sleep! Time check: 1:47AM.

Mawab Impromptu Roadtrip

Posted on by

Christmas Day. We had a party at our house, organized so that relatives from both my father’s and mother’s side could get to meet me and Atsushi. Around mid-afternoon, Uncle Rafael and Aunt Helen invited us for some road trip and go to their farm in Mawab. My dress wasn’t up for the location but it was an offer we couldn’t refuse and an opportunity we shouldn’t miss hence we made a go for it.

banana plantation

It was a sight for Hubbie to see how a coconut is taken down from its tree.

 

It was an impromptu visit hence we had to make do with resources at hand. Uncle Pael made a spoon out of the coconut’s husk to use in scooping the coconut’s fruit.

ain't Hubbie sweet? ^___^

Kumpila

Posted on by

NB: title and exact location to be revised later.

Visiting temples and shrines and parks is one activity we usually do when in Japan. I figure the same activity is a staple for Japanese couples since we do find a lot of couples in our visits. Hence, it is just but right to document the “first temple/shrine date” Hubbie and I had. 🙂

The Kumpila was a good 1 hour ride from Takamatsu. Hubbie and I had such a good sleep on our way there that the trainmaster had to wake us up when we got there.haha. And yes, we were the only ones left inside the train. It was a good thing our destination was the final station of that particular train. 🙂

We had lunch before climbing the more than 1000 stairs. And of course, we had Udon! I didn’t like the udon in Kanto region but Kagawa region has got very delicious udon that it would make a fanatic out of somebody who detests udon. If we have “Bisita Iglesia”, there are some people in Japan who goes hopping around, tasting the different famous udon shops. Yes, that’s how good it is.

And yes, there were more than 1000 stairs.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Wearing a Kimono, the first time

Posted on by

When I went to Kyoto and then later to Osaka with my friends, we mulled on donning on kimonos and walk around the old town wearing our kimonos and of course take lots of pictures of us in kimonos. But what stopped us from renting is that these kimonos-for-rent comes with an exorbitant price, some at 50,000yen for a couple hours or so. Hence, in the last 9 years that I came and went in Japan, I never really had the chance to wear a kimono.

But it was a good thing I didn’t take on the chances I had previously. Because a chance presented itself to me when I visited Hubbie’s hometown, and this time, my “first time” was made even more special – i’d be wearing Okasan’s kimono, which she wore when she was almost about my age. Heirloom, ne? hehe.

me in curlers

me trying to fit my feet into the dainty Japanese slippers

"let's try it out shall we?"

tada!

 The dressing up is actually for our family portrait. Will post the official pictures once they’re out.

Anyways, I’m thankful to Otosan for having captured this tender moment that passed between me and Hubbie.

yiihii ^_^. Admit it again Hubbie, you were so in love with me that day, ne? =D

And of course, I am very thankful to Otosan, Okasan, Obachan, Ojichan and Mayumi for making my stay in Takamatsu a wonderful one. Of course, it goes to say I’m truly thankful to Hubbie as well. =)

30 days!

Posted on by

Flight booking, Japan: Check!

Flight booking, Davao: Check!

Tagum hotel, Golden Palace Hotel: Check!

Davao hotel, The Marco Polo Hotel: Check!

Flight booking, Boracay: Check!

Boracay hotel, Red Coconut Hotel: Check!

Flight booking, Manila: Check!

Manila Hotel, City Garden Hotel: Check!

Tagaytay Hotel, Sonya’s or the Boutique: TBC

Now, I will just have to remind myself again and again: it pays to wait.