It has been one-year now that I met Sherliez. Before I ever met her…I had what I thought was a “perfect” life and marriage. Me and my ex did without nothing, as I had been successful enough in my real estate enterprises. In the last months of my marriage to my ex…she shocked everyone with her infidelity and bad character. Never expecting that divorce could happen to me, I was forced to initiate the filing of it. My preacher/pastor even agreed that I must, and he also foretold that another path is being shown to me now, and that all things MUST happen accordingly. Shortly after…it’s only pure fate that I would meet Sherliez so soon after a divorce process. It was not a deliberate thing on my part…somehow we were placed in proximity, like gifts under a Christmas-tree. And we recognized/embraced the wisdom that was being shown to us. So here I am…always/only a westernized-male…and THEN I was not even divorced yet…and I am committing to an Asian woman so soon. Women outside of my own country were never on my radar. And being blessed with such “early timing” can make a person have skeptical thoughts. But resistance of fate and wisdom is futile. So my relationship with Sherliez, and riskily going to the Philippines against my budget, was inevitable…it HAD to happen!

Before meeting Sherlie and her family at their home in the Philippines, we were in constant daily contact. We talked for several hours each day thru the free online Yahoo Messenger service with web-cam and speakerphone capabilities. Additionally, we used instant-messaging and had countless text conversations. On most days, there are hundreds of pages of text conversation in just one single day, and many thousands in total throughout the period of our relationship. It may be unusual, but both of us are compelled and driven to spend every moment together that we can, including using Yahoo Messenger on the computers where we work, and staying at home whenever we are not at work so that we can be with each other online the whole time. The amount of time we have spent together, in terms of hours, is much greater than the documented calendar months for most couples.

We immediately became attracted to each other in every way. We are always well aligned and in-synch. We empower each other, intellectually combine, always make each other smile and laugh more than we otherwise would, and we are both capable of lasting love and happiness in the relationship. We are both very unique in ways that make our being together a necessity rather than a choice. We have similar educational, recreational, religious backgrounds in common. We are best friends and very much alike in so many ways: the way we think and express ourselves, in our sense of humor, our ambitions, financial habits, outlook on love and life, etc. We shared the sad stories and experiences of our local past relationships while setting rules for the future. We have probably discussed more topics than most married couples ever will, and still never run out of things to say to each other. We also play Chess, Scrabble, shop auctions and other activities online. We quickly fell in love with one another and started planning for the future. Knowing each other so well enough before ever meeting in-person, we knew we would marry each other and then exchanged engagement vows, opened up a joint bank account and planned for a honeymoon-like trip in the Philippines.

After I arrived in the Philippines and met my fiancée’s family, I gave her an engagement ring and some gifts for her and her family, and we all had a small informal engagement party/brunch. We then embarked on a very busy itinerary which included many activities while staying in different cities. Our time together was even more romantic than we could imagine. Now that we are physically apart again, the anxiousness and urgency of living together is overwhelming. And there are so many hobbies we want to be able to do together.

As soon as the visa is approved, we will have a small church wedding with my family in the United States. Eventually, we would like to have a second wedding with my fiancée’s family in the Philippines. Meanwhile, I own my house in the Atlanta area, which is where we will live. The house is a large 2-story home without any mortgage. And the utility bills are very low. So financially, we also have a very good start on our lives together. If Sherliez wanted to, she could have a great career in the Atlanta area with her education and skills already, without needing to reschool or further her education. Whatever she decides to do, me and my family will support her. But our plan is that after we are both working for a couple of years in this area, we will have a child. Both of us are sort of older for never having any children. And we also plan to work together to reestablish my real estate business once again. I was a highly successful real estate broker in Florida for many years before my divorce. Developing and running that business eventually in our home-state of Georgia is another, yet more longer-term goal, that we have in common. But our number-one goal/priority is…always making ourselves perfect for each other, empowering each other with lasting happiness.

“Thanks for making the last year my first, and making it the best when it could have been my worst.”

This is my side of the story on how I met my soulmate, Vernon Parsons III and how our relationship grew each hour every day. God allowed both of us to meet at a time when we least expected it and at a place that most people stay away from.

Prior to this fortunate event, I had depressing incidents that happened in my life that most people won’t be able to tolerate easily. One was the end of a six-year romantic relationship caused by infidelity of my ex-partner and the other was losing a house and lot I invested for years during that relationship. Overcoming my sadness was not very easy for me as I used a lot of my time and effort and lost them all in the end. I did everything to get out of my depression and it involved getting busy like going to the gym, creating a blog, setting my own website, being the best employee, meeting new people especially in the internet. I also decided to accept the help of my brother for me to go to Dubai and re-establish my career in that foreign place. So I was able to get a job there in the middle of their recession but it was short-lived. Eventually I had to go back to the Philippines and restart my life.

So another depressing event and I was wondering if God was torturing me or picking on me too much. Little did I know, He has an ultimate plan for me because ten days after coming home, I met Vernon Parsons III online. Initially there was no romantic intention for me as I was still trying to be strong for myself. We talked about my life and his life, past relationship and what he was doing to meet his next partner in life. Impressing him was not in my list and I was skeptical in his program in trying to find the next one. Before to talking to me, he had a list of candidates to be his next woman and was just in a status quo. He was on it for almost a month and became the internet’s new Dr. Love.

When we talked the first time, we noticed that we were so alike in so many ways and that they were all so hard to resist or ignore. I knew what he was talking about and he knew what I was talking about. We both did not have to upgrade ourselves to mirror each other. The topics we discussed were highly intellectual and very far from romantic topics. So we talked for days until he said he likes me and he asked me if I choose wisdom. It was not a difficult decision for me because I am starting to like him too and so I said yes but I set a rule that he has to talk to me and only me which means deleting his hopeful candidates. He complied right away and said goodbye to them and had a hard time breaking the news to them.

Our love grew deeper as we talked for hours every day using Yahoo messenger. We got to know each other as we had a discussion about ourselves. We had so many things in common in most aspects of our lives. I got captivated on him when I saw that he is a virtuoso in guitar and understand math and computers and mentioned that he can COOK! I learned that he came from a very long marriage that also ended with the infidelity of his wife and how it ended tragically. With this, we both knew that cheating won’t happen in our relationship. Knowing that made me feel secure and that history won’t repeat itself.

It was very difficult for us that we are so very far away from each other. Not many can withstand this pain of not being with their loved one for very long. As we made plans for us to be together and the first was for him to visit me here. He finally met me and my family this March 2010 and I am glad that my family adored him. He brought exotic chocolates from USA and my sweet family was overwhelmed. We also went to an adventure trip to Mt. Province. We spelunked in the complex cave formation in Sagada then we headed to Baguio City for more relaxation. We learned so many things about each other with this 14-day romantic adventure. During this trip, Vern gave me an engagement ring that symbolizes our love and commitment with each other.

As our relationship grew stronger each day, we also made plans for our future. First is our wedding. We were thinking of having a small Catholic Church wedding celebrated by the Society of St. Paul Pius X immediately after my flight from Philippines. It involves attending seminars with the priest prior to the wedding and I hope that we can meet all the requirements without living in sin. We also plan to have another wedding in the Philippines as witnessed by my family as it is important for me too. Second is our marriage life. We are still thinking about the living arrangement since he has an RV, we also have an option to rent the house in Georgia while we were in our honeymoon. In the first year, I would need to acclimate myself with the weather, food, environment and I would need his patience and guidance. Having a job for me at the beginning part of our marriage life is far from our minds but if I need to work, I would surely help Vern when he set his business again. Since we have so many things in common, our hobbies and interests coincide with each other. We like board games such as scrabble and chess. I know he will be teaching me so many other sports like billiards, tae kwon do, and weight lifting. He will also teach me more on music, cooking, winemaking, gemstone making. I will also teach him the Tagalog language so that he can talk to my family easily.

Our relationship is so rock solid that we will have a very productive life as man and wife because I know that we got the best of both worlds.

No existe un momento del dia
En que pueda apartarte de mi
El mundo parece distinto
Cuando no estas junto a mi

No hay bella melodia
En que no surjas tu
Ni yo quiero escucharla
Si no la escuchas tu

Es que te has convertido
En parte de mi alma
Ya nada me consuela
Si no estas tu tambien

Mas alla de tus labios
Del sol y las estrellas
Contigo en la distancia
Amado mio estoy

Contigo en la distancia
Amado mio estoy, oh
Contigo

LOVE
I admit I was a bitter fool at the early part of the year and it was one of the reasons why I went abroad. I wanted change. Who knew that I will meet VP3 in August and we are going stronger at this time. I am glad that I found love again in a short period time. I just wanted to say again that everything happens for a reason. No matter how much we try to slow or prevent things to happen, fate will prevail. Love found me. I love you so much VP3!!!!

FAMILY
We have a new baby in the family and his name is Mark Anthony! So now there are now 5 small children in the pack. It will always be noisy and fun during Christmas and New Year when they get together. I will always miss my mom. My father got his new dentures too. My family is so fortunate this year and I am glad that everyone is well. I pray that it will continue so in the next years to come.

TRAVEL
I was able to travel to different places in the planet. Hong Kong(China), Macau(China), Puerto Galera(Philippines), Dubai(UAE), Abu Dhabi(UAE), Qatar(just Airport), Caliraya (Philippines). I did not expect for it to happen all in one year but I wanted it all to happen anyway. I went to Dubai for a career move and it turned to be a half vacation and half work.  HK and Macau was pure fun with friends on winter while Puerto Galera and Caliray is basking in the bright summer time.

I saw with my own eyes the cultures of different countries particularly the Middle East people. How could I forget the food in HK and Dubai? Awesome!!! I saw some sad part of it too. People used and abused by the system. People who are ignorant that they are being abused and they let it.  Infrastructure wise, these 2 countries are the best. The skycrapers in UAE are mindboggling and the train system in HK is so organized! Modern cities like this 2 is a must-see for people likes big cities and innovation.

CAREER
Who knew that I will return to the same corporation that I am slaving for the last 5 years? I am back to the same position and back to the same responsibility. I just reconsidered going back since I felt they needed me. My career in Dubai may be short-lived but deep inside I know that the place is not for me. The city might be great but God does not want me there. He wanted me to meet VP3 first before anything else.

My outlook for 2010 is unpredictable. I will let fate decide for me again. All I know is that I can see LOVE in my future.

My wish to everyone for 2010 is just that I hope everyone will be happy and healthy and for you my reader, may all your wishes come true.

This is for my soulmate VP3!

mwahhhh