PRAY LOVE SEX

Why can't we just have sex!? This could be a shallow thinking of an OFW wife like me. I feel sorry for my husband, coz I can’t do it in a webcam. I tried, but I really can’t. I’m being joked around for not having it for a looonnnnggg time. I just smiled at them and in my mind I should be thinking, “I can easily be like you. But you can’t be like me”.

My husband is opted to work abroad. Most Filipinos want to go abroad for greener pasture. Some of the reasons are for personal achievement, provision for their family and lack of bigger opportunities in our country. Some may succeed, some may not. For other OFWs, one to two contract renewal is not sufficient to attain their goal. A lot of sacrifices took place. My husband and I have gone thru a lot of tests. There were instances when I almost give up. I thank God for renewing my mind to the beauty of marriage. Until when can I survive? I don’t know, That’s why I keep on praying.

The statement “why can’t we just have sex” is from the movie “No Strings Attached”. This post is inspired by our church’s February Love, Marriage, Sex series.

Father and Daughter

Papa & me

Papa & my sister Sarah

I hope you’ll enjoy reading a not so ordinary father and daughter camaraderie.

I grew up listening to Beatles music. It was my lullabye , papa plays it on a turntable. I’m not used to playing dolls. But instead, papa would buy us boys stuffs. He’s not a typical father. I remember, I used to help him packed and rolled grass. I’m good at it at the age of 6. I consider it as a bonding time with my papa then. I enjoyed doing it though. Haha!

He usually received 2 to 3 sacks of grass every delivery. Big time P! We used to dry the blocks of grass in a willowing basket in our roof deck. We weighed 10grams of grass in a small weighing scale and packed in a 2x3 inches plastic bag. Then burn the edge of the plastic bag using a candle to enclose it. We separate the seeds from the grass and then roll some of it in a cigar paper for his personal use.

I might be suggesting negative thoughts about my father. But no, he never taught nor even offered me to smoke grass. Except when I was rushed to the hospital after I accidentally ate a slice of grass cake when I was 4. According to papa, he baked 2 pans of chocolate cakes. One for his friends which has grass sprinkled on top and the safe choco cake is for us kids.

My papa’s name is Levi Araullo Espiritu. Born January 2, 1946. He died at the age of 53 last November 15, 1999. He suffered from a stroke and slipped into coma without regaining consciousness. He’s a genuine hippy. He has a BMW motorbike. Imagine him wearing a black-leather jacket, colorful beads necklace which he needed to touch to come back to reality, circular light-blue eyeglasses like the one wore by John Lennon and he has long hair down to his waist. That's how he looked in 60’s fad. Groovy!

I admire my mama for not giving up on him. I’m very thankful for my late grandmother who used to include my papa’s whole name in her prayer. God changed his life without any hassle. Papa just made a covenant with the Lord that he can’t stop smoking grass on his own. Then miraculously one day he  realized to let things happen as they may, to let go and let God. A dose that made him fly back to God. 

Papa & Aimee

Acquiring Tourist Visa in Australia

Parramatta Melbourne

Opera House Sydney

Ballarat

Ballarat Begonia Festival

Harbour Town Shopping Centre Melbourne

I was able to acquire a Tourist Visa in Australia last February of 2010 and stayed there for almost a month. I visited this website http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/48r.pdf and found out that I am  short of Evidence of Funds. Due to being persistent to witness my childhood friend’s wedding. I researched and called the Australian Embassy’s customer service http://www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/p/philippines/ for inquiries. I compiled all documents in a legal sized brown envelope. I called the embassy’s affiliated AIR21 courier hotline to pick up the documents and they returned back the result after 7 working days.

Here are the list of documents I submitted:

Passport

Manager’s check for processing fee

Completed 48R form

Wedding invitation and Letter of Invitation

Photocopies of letters and greeting cards I collected from my friend since 2001

Scanned pictures as proofs of our friendship since pre-school

PROOF OF EMPLOYMENT:

Cerfiticate of Employment

Income Tax Return

Pay Slips

Approved Leave from my Senior Manager

EVIDENCE OF FUNDS:

Letter of Assurance from my aunt who will give me financial support in case of need during my stay.

My aunt’s Identification Cards

Bank Certificate of my aunt’s dollar and peso account

Photocopies of my credit card and cirrus ATM card

My eldest son’s school documents as a proof that he’s a fourth-year high-school student. This served as confirmation that I will return back to the Philippines for my son’s graduation day.