---

The Big day!

Val & I being in our relationship for 8 years now calls for the next step. God I'm going to propose!! We intended to get married next year of Aug 26, 2006. Unfortunately, we had to move the date to Dec 19, 2006 because she would be taking her board exam August of next year. We mutually agreed to move it then & announced it when our families met for brunch.

I had been planning the proposal for weeks. The buying of the ring was the most stressful. I sought the help of my mom, my officemates and my brother in deciding on the “Right Ring”. And it did not end there. How to present it was even harder & involved a lot of coordination & time. I was looking for the best location, close to where she is studying. Preferably near the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila. Val, being a medical intern, had a very tight schedule. I had to make do with a few hours with her to do my proposal. She was going to be off-duty by around 6 PM of Aug. 26, Friday. On top of that, her mom, tita Mila & her sister, Valyn are leaving on Aug. 28 to go back to the States. So you could imagine the mixed feelings she was experiencing. I wanted to give the ring to her with her family still here so that she could share the moment. I wanted her to be happy because she was starting to be depressed again because of her family leaving. The next visit of Tita Mila will be next year already, it was too close to the wedding date so I thought this was the best time. Considering all those factors, here’s what I came up with…

The location, 15 mins from PGH & 10 mins from Val’s condominium, Paco Park. This is a historic site, it was formerly a cemetery & now a park. A brief history - it was completed shortly after the cholera epidemic of 1820, it was donated by the city of Manila in acknowledgement of the services of the Dominicans to the victims of cholera. The mausoleum of Gov. General Ramos Solano is located a few blocks from the mortuary chapel. The remains of our national hero was interred at this cemetery from Dec. 30. 1896 to Dec. 29. 1912. Come to think of it was hard to make a creepy cemetery into a romantic place for a proposal. This is what happened….

During dessert..
Val, I realized something…
Ten years ago, I was looking for the perfect life partner,
Then I finally found you,
Now I want to keep you.
Val you are my purpose. I want to discover God’s plan for us.
I know it will not be easy, it's going to be hard,
But each hardship is worth every sweet moment with you.

Pause … Waiting for the Tobleron Fondue to be melted by the waiters/

Val are your ready for dessert?

Val " As always!!!"

The waiter arrives with the fruit platter for the fondue. At the center of the plate is the ring nestled among the fruits & bread.

I took the ring & … continued.

Val, take this ring as a symbol of my forever love & commitment to you! Val will you marry me?!!


We danced the night through our chosen instrumental music & during our conversation, I also learned that Val’s dad (already passed away) used to bring her there during her younger years. They would walk along the park & attend church. They would stroll around the ancient elliptical stone walls which gives the park its character & timelessness.

I love you hun!

---