And God granted my request.

Stepping out of the boat, I felt like Marco Polo discovering an uncharted island. A vehicle from Alta Vista was waiting for us and we quickly loaded the van with our luggage so that we could check into our respective hotels (I had a room reserved for me at Azul Boracay). The bad news was I didn’t know where my hotel is and neither did the people driving us around. So I had to get off somewhere and look for my hotel. I tried walking a bit to see if  the hotel would suddenly show up. Alas, all I did was tire my Sanuk-ed feet. I ended up taking a P100 tricycle ride to my destination. Once there, I did what any first-timer in Boracay would do - I slept.

For several hours, I dozed in my 3rd floor hotel room while the TV showed HBO movies. I woke up just in time to answer my Nee-san’s call. It seems that Nyl, the wedding coordinator, wanted to go over a few details with me for the ceremony and reception the next day. It was then that I realized that I needed to do a lot of singing and playing. Thankfully, my experiences at the Acoustic Night Life have given me enough confidence and I didn’t really feel that pressured.

Dinner time was a little weird because I didn’t know where to eat. I finally decided to take out a porkchop and rice meal from Andok’s and ate it at the hotel while watching The Voice US Season 4 on AXN. To be honest, the meal was good especially for its price. There was no drinking water so I boiled some tap water and put it inside the freezer. Ingenuity has its uses. Afterwards, I went to Myit and Zee’s hotel, The White Coral, to rehearse the Bridal March song. I left their room past 12 midnight but I still wasn’t sleepy due to my unscheduled siesta. I practiced the songs I was to play on the morrow and felt good about how I sounded. Then, I tried to catch some sleep before our call time of 6am. It turns out that I would only be able to sleep for an hour.

Being a guy, I didn’t need much time to prepare for the wedding. I showered and dressed and went to the venue bringing Paolo’s guitar Pogi and the wireless microphone Ben lent me. The place was just short walk away and when we arrived, they were still setting up. There was no sound system yet but the production guys began to arrive a few minutes later. I was anxious to set up my guitar and the wireless microphone but I had to wait because I didn’t know these people that well. Unfortunately, the mixer overheated and wouldn’t turn on. They had to bring in another mixer but it took a good 30 minutes before it arrived. All this time I was communicating with Kuya Carlo just to keep him informed of what’s happening. The Panlilios arrived a little past 7am and we were distracted by Baby Kathryn. Eventually, everything was settled and the ceremony began.

I’ve never been to Boracay before. Then May 7-9, 2013 happened.

I cannot recall exactly when I agreed to it but my Nee-san, Jackie Maulana, asked me to be their wedding singer during the middle of last year. I knew she and fiancee Armando Delima were based in Dubai, UAE but I assumed they would hold the event in the Philippines. However, I didn’t expect that they would bring me all the way to one of the country’s top summer destinations.

Prior to my departure date, I asked my pastors if I could hitch a ride to the airport considering I was bringing a guitar aside from my regular luggage. They hastily agreed and we left their house the next day at around 5:30am. The streets of Metro Manila were already a bit congested but we were able to arrive at NAIA Terminal 3 a few hours before our departure time.

A lot of people were already lined up to check-in their baggages and we followed suit. Waiting was a bit uncomfortable because of the fact that the air conditioning was non-existent. Once done, we, Kuya Carlo, Ate Zha, Julia, Sam, Baby Kathryn and I, looked for a place to eat breakfast. After quick deliberation, we decided that we’ll dine at Jollibee.

When it was almost time to board our plane, we rushed to the pre-departure area but found out that a couple of flights were still ahead of ours. Thank God for large TVs in that area we were able to watch Chicago beat Miami in Game 1 of the Eastern Semifinals. The attendant soon announced that passengers of Flight 5J-895 should board the plane which we did after letting a few people go before us. The Panlilios told me that it was hot inside the plane because the air conditioning is off while the engine hasn’t started yet. I sure am glad I was with them on my first trip to Boracay.

The flight itself was uneventful since the kids (that would be Julia, Sam and me) were asleep almost the whole time. At Caticlan airport, there was a drizzle but that didn’t quench the excitement I was feeling at being there. A van took us to the port and Kuya Carlo rented a boat for our exclusive use. With the knowledge that I didn’t know how to swim, I put on one of the life vests and prayed to God that I wouldn’t die out at sea.

Oh how quickly time passes by. This good friend of mine is married to my little sister.

My fondest memory of Bryan is when we were both ministering at Quirino High School. During our first visit, he still had long hair which was a carryover of his fratman image. But because we were trying to win these high school students to the Lord, Kuya Carlo wanted us to be good role models so he challenged Bry to have his hair cut. The next time we were there, he already had a haircut. Even then he was very committed to the heavenly vision. That’s why I’m not surprised that he is experiencing blessing after blessing.

Congratulations, Bry, on marrying the girl of your dreams. I trust that you will take care of Pau as long as you both shall live. God bless you and your family!

Oh how quickly time passes by. This little sister of mine is now married. Though Rache and I are not really related by blood, our bond is certainly as strong if not stronger.

 This Ilongga and I both cannot remember the exact details as to when and how we met but we can attest that we immediately became close. We shared a ministry in San Francisco High School which was one of our first conquests in soul-winning. There was a time when we both worked at Destiny Church - Manila as staff. She was the one who influenced me in texting all of my contacts to greet people on their birthday. We swap stories all the time. We’re committed to the Worship Team. We used to love Heroes and Prison Break but now it’s Suits.

Thank you for sharing your life with me, Pau. You know I love you and your friendship means a lot to me. Missing your wedding is something I’m going to regret for some time. You know I’m always here for you and I pray that God would continue to pour His blessings upon you and your husband.

P.S. I would’ve cried at your wedding. T.T