Phillipines Trip last month

Okay okay if anyone is reading the blog, then I am sorry it has taken so long to write. I have kind of hit a cross road on the blog, deciding weather to write or not. You know it is opening ourselves to the world, to strangers, as well as friends and family, and some of the emails I get can piss me off sometimes! Anyway, ce la vie??!! So it is now July, but actually we had a wonderful trip to the Philippines in early June for 10 days. Instead of writing too much, I will let most of the pictures tell the story with a bit of commentary along the way.
Above is Clariza relaxing by the wonderful pool at the Shangril-la Mactan Cebu Philippines. It is a lovely resort, with the only negative being it was filled with Koreans, when we were trying to get away from Korea! (Sorry Korean readers, but we wanted to get away) We stayed at the resort for three nights, four days and really had a good time, especially one night at our friends house for a lovely dinner. He is the EAM of the hotel (Thanks mate!) And he was also had us upgraded to an ocean view room with a few chilled beers on arrival!
Me posing at the pool area. "The incredible bulk" Haha Spent 8 hours at the pool on the first full day. Now that is relaxing!
Above is the view of the hotels beach. I swam there once, and it was full of big fish, with crystal clear water.
Great view from our room. We sat on the balcony when we first arrived and drank a few beers.
Me trying to take a professional shot! Lots of these small ponds around the hotel covered in the most colourful flowers.
A view from the room looking out to the ocean
Me in the pool as usual. Was practicing my basketball in the water as you can see!
Above another pro shot of one of the many features around the hotel. What a great property.
After swimming we raced down to the water before sunset and had a Korean couple take a photo for us. It was a lovely sunset.
Ok, so after Cebu we headed back to Manila and attended our great friends wedding in Pampanga region. It was so hectic, but we had such a wonderful time with them. Above is a shot of the bride and the bridesmaids. Clariza was a bridesmaid and I was a groomsman.
Clariza with the bride and groom. We are all friends from Dubai. THe bride lived with Clariza for a few years, and best friends with the groom. We all hung out a lot in Dubai, and loved our Fridays eating and eating!
Me with the bride and groom. Like me in the barong! I am a true kabayan! By the way does anyone that knows me notice something differant about me in the shot?.................................................. I am not wearing glasses!! Yes, two days before the wedding I had LASIK surgery done on the eyes and now perfect vision! So amazing, and the most wonderful feeling. 24 hours after the surgery I did the eye test. Each eye done seperately was perfect 20/20 and when done together was 20/15! Better than perfect.
After the wedding we spent a few days in Batangas with the family, then back to Manila where I had to work for two days but also got to spend some time with our Ninang Leslie and Ninong Brian. They took us to the American Memorial near Makati where the photos were taken. It is quiet a somber place, but is manicured to perfection and the attention to detail is amazing. Through the memorial besides the crosses throughout the cemetary the large memorial also has the names of the American and Filipinos who died representing the US.
The crosses are set up perfectly. And went for kilometres.
THis last shot is of our beautiful niece Crystal. She is just over two in this photo. She will be so beautiful when she gets older.

First Korean Wedding

We have had a lot of firsts lately, and yesterday was no exception. A colleague of mine who I do business with has, over the past months, also become a good friend. He is Korean, and is the one we went on a day trip to Incheon area about a month ago. Well, he and his fiance got married yesterday and we attended the wedding.

It was held in a Catholic Church near Yoeido area. We were a little late thanks to crazy traffic Saturday (nothing new), but enjoyed their ceremony in Korean. After the ceremony we took a couple of photos with the bride and groom, then had an early dinner with some of the others attending the wedding. Thankfully I knew a few others who attended as they all work in other hotels in Seoul, so we all sat down and ate together, and chatted away (they were all ladies, so lots of talking).

As we left the church we could not say goodbye to the bride and groom as they were taking part in a traditional Korean wedding ceremony in traditional outfits. We watched for a while, then left the church as a group and caught the subway home.

Will try to add photos later.

Only In Sudan - Married to a goat!

From a Local newspaper in Sudan, which was also put into the Australian Newspaper so must be true -

MAN FORCED TO MARRY GOAT

Goat ... identity of the victim cannot be revealed

A MAN caught "in flagrante delicto" with a goat has been forced to marry the animal.According to the local newspaper, The Juba Post, the goat's owner, a Mr Alifi, caught his neighbour, Mr Tombe, assaulting his goat and reported the man to the local council of elders for adjudication.

"It was around midnight when Tombe came to do his nonsense on my goat, and I was already in bed inside my house," Mr Alifi said.
"Suddenly I heard the goat make a loud noise. Immediately I rushed outside to find Mr Tombe was naked and engaged in a relationship with my goat. " When I asked him what are you doing there, he fell off the back of the goat, so I captured and tied him up. They said I should not take him to the police, but rather let him pay a dowry for my goat because he used it as his wife."

Mr Tombe agreed to pay a dowry of 150,000 Sudanese dinars ($125) for his new spouse
We have given him the goat, and as far as we know they are still together," Mr Alifi told the Post.


By the way it is a national holiday in Korea today so no work, but did end up at work to go to the gym, have lunch, and I guess do this blog! Have a great day!

Our Wedding Photos

Ok, so the more you look at our blog the more you see I am moving away from the "Korea Blog" to everything and everything about us, our lives, both past and present. But the main reason for this is, is that Clariza and I have been living overseas for so long so many of our friends are a great distance away. Since our wedding last year we have the endless request for photos, so I have decided to do a posting with several photos of our wedding. We hope that you enjoy.

Our wedding rings on the wedding invitations.

Taken just after exchanging vows in the church

Nice photo of us with our Parents!

Clariza and I with the Morley family

Clariza and I with the entire Endaya family, except Junior who was too shy to be in the shot!

Clariza and I with all of our sponsors.

One of our favourite photos taken near the pool at the Taal Vista Hotel where our reception was.

This is our favourite shot. It is taken in the gardens of the Taal Vist Hotel overlooking the Taal Lake and volcano below us. It is such an amazing view from the gardens of the hotel.

Of course there has to be the cake cutting ceremony. Tasted great!

Left to right; Dad Morley, Leslie Murray, Mum Morley, Brian Murray, Clariza and I in the back.

Great photo of us with Inay & Tatay Endaya on the left, kuya Boyet to Clariza left and other family and friends.

Clariza with some of the sibgle girls for the bouqet throw. And the winner was...... Arah!

The boys surrounded by the garter! And the winner was..... Dave, my brother!

Well everyone out of hundreds of photos at least you have a few of the ones we really like. I hope you like the photos.