I remember back when I was a pacool kid, I avoided getting rickrolled like plague. I don't like the idea of falling for a trick where I end up watching a video of a little white guy with a big black voice and his terrible dancing. But now? I seek it out and willingly rickroll myself to enjoy the whole three minutes and thirty-three seconds breather before heading back to being sucked into an endless spiral of mindless social media scrolling. 

I got my new driver's license today. After one year and eight months of marriage, I finally have a valid ID bearing my husband's name. 

Honestly, I could have just waited one more year to have my license revised and renewed at once (would have saved me time and money). But I think I've done enough waiting. I am excited to get slightly annoyed at people misspelling or misreading my new name—which, to no surprise, happened earlier at the licensing office. It's A-T-E-R-R-A-D-O. Not Atterado. Not Alterado. And definitely, not Alternado. It is, however, a hassle I can live with for the rest of my life.

On a serious note, we have acquired properties and signed legal documents with OUR family name because I don't want to go through all the hassle of presenting our marriage certificate every time just to prove that we are already married.

Pre-Covid days. At Samal Island, surveying our hacienda to be. Hehe ☺

Today, I woke up to Jan hugging me as he whispered, "May the 4th be with us."


I gave out a smile. "What a silly way to greet Happy Anniversary," I thought. But a warm feeling washed over me and suddenly, it didn’t feel silly anymore. I hugged back, kissed him on the lips, and closed my eyes. 

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think of going to South Korea for a honeymoon (it has always been Batanes). I mean, we did plan about it but that's only because we unexpectedly snagged round trip tickets for two for only Php 8,400+.

But that plan to spend honeymoon in Korea in autumn was cancelled because our visas were delayed. So we pushed going there on winter. The cheapest tickets were already at Php 24,000+ round trip for two. But we gave it a go because first, after almost two months of waiting (yes, it took that long), we only got a single entry visa; second, I am pregnant. We would rather travel now because we might not have the time, energy, and resources to do it in the next three years.

This is the most expensive ticket we booked for an international flight but I'm glad Korea did not disappoint. This trip was a string of our many firsts. First out-of-the-country trip as married couple. First below zero degree weather. First snow fall. First fresh cherries. First pomegranate. First time to take photos of us kissing (that's not our wedding). Woot!

PDA. Haha!

It has been a week since our wedding books arrived and I cannot get over it. I've already wasted hours flipping the pages and ogling at the same thing for days, and it still was not enough.

I can't help it. Our wedding is no doubt one of the best days of my life and that is probably because it was then when I have seen Jan do a dirty dance in front of me in public. You might be wondering what's the big deal about that? Well, he doesn't know how to dance, he was not drunk but he did it anyway because men do things they don't do even if it looks silly in the name of love, don't they? Haha!

Anyway, here's a flip through of our beautiful wedding book:

"How does it feel like?"

"Nothing has really changed," I said flatly.

"Wait until the honeymoon phase is over."

I have been asked this question over and over again for weeks now and I have been repeating my answer with the same flat face. And it is not because I am less enthusiastic about it. It is just that, I do not want to engage in a conversation and delve into details about the brutal truths I wished somebody told me about before getting married.