Two Cool Things About SM MOA

The missus and I went to SM Mall of Asia yesterday to do a little bit of post-wedding shopping.  Officially, I went there to purchase a tent for the local Red Cross chapter in my district.  We discovered two new and cool things in the mall.

Car Park Light Indicators

When we got to the car park, both of us noticed red lights and green lights hanging from the ceiling.  

Apparently, the red lights indicate that a parking slot was occupied while the green lights mean that a slot is vacant.  How cool is that?!  

So when you're driving, you don't need to go through each and every row to check if there's a free parking space.  All you have to do now is look out for a green light.  This innovation saves you time and gas.  I hope all parking lots follow suit.

Package Pick-Up Service

After buying the tent in ACE Hardware, I didn't want to carry it all the way back to the car so I asked if I could leave it at the ACE baggage counter.  Then I noticed a sign about the SM Package Pick-Up Service.  It's not really a new innovation but it was my first time to avail of it and it's so convenient.

What happens is I just fill up this piece of paper and I get a stub.  Then I can continue shopping around the mall.  Meanwhile, the store will transport the purchased item/good to the Package Pick-Up Station located at the back of the mall and it just stays there.  When I'm done shopping I go back to my car and then just pass by the Package Pick-Up Station, present my stub, and the attendants load my item/good in the car.  No hassle!  The service is very convenient for those buying large items.

Good job, SM!

Note:  This is NOT a paid advertisement.  The author is neither an employee nor a relative of an employee of SM Dept. Stores and Malls.  He has no personal connection or relation with any of the Sys.  The author also patronizes Rustans, Powerplant, Crossings, Metro Gaisano and other dept. stores in Metro Manila.  This article was written just to highlight a very commendable service of SM Malls and to encourage other mall operators to follow suit.  

Some Initial Thoughts about being Married

1.  The ring takes a little getting used to.

I've been wearing my wedding band for about 10 days now and I keep on forgetting it.  Many times nasa daan na ako when I realize di ko pala siya suot.  So I have to go back to the house to get it.

My niece Rosanne told me not to take it off at all, but that's difficult to do 'coz it might fall off when I take a shower or go to bed.

I guess a few more weeks of this and I'll get a hang of it.

2.  The woman has it worse because of the additional paperwork.

Yesterday, Ria and I went to the bank to open a joint account.  Two things:  

First, she was required to produce an ID card with "Ablan" as her last name.  Problem was Ria doesn't want the hassle to change any of her ID cards.  Kakatapos lang i-renew ng passport niya, so that's out of the question.  If she updates her IBP card naman, she has to also update her records sa Bar Confidant.  Next, pag-GSIS naman, well, all gov't employees know what a pain in the neck it is to deal with GSIS, so cross out na rin.  Tapos yung Drivers License niya, di pa expired.  In short, wala siya ma-update right now.

Ako, I told her I don't care about the added name.  It doesn't really matter to me if she uses Berbano-Ablan or just Berbano.  But I told her na kelangan at least ONE ID niya may Ablan kasi requirement yan ng ibang government offices to prove one's civil status.

Second, but related to the first, Ria was asked to provide them with a signature with the name "Ablan."  Right there and there Ria and I started thinking of a signature.  Testing kami ng testing sa scratch paper, na napuno namin in 5 minutes, and yet wala pa kami mapili.  We told the bank teller "to follow" na lang yung signature.

Meanwhile, I don't need to change anything (except check "married" instead of "single" sa tickbox).  I don't need to change my name.  I don't need to reinvent my signature.

---

Mag-plug lang kami ni Ria.  We want to thank all of you who attended our wedding two weeks ago in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte.  Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for making our wedding day a truly special day!

And thank you, thank you, thank you for all the wedding gifts!  We love 'em and we'll definitely use 'em at home!

Once again, many thanks to our friends and relatives who travelled 500 kms to see us tie the knot! 

Random Thoughts About Our Wedding

1.  When Ria and I were conceptualizing our wedding invite we didn't want it to be the usual kind of invitation--you know, the traditional and standard design.  In one of the wedding fairs we attended we noticed pop-up invites.  We immediately knew that was the kind we wanted.  Most of the designs had the couple as pop-ups, with the husband in barong and the bride in white gown, and a church as background.  Nag-isip kami ni Ria pano maiba.  Since both of us are lawyers, naisip namin na business suit damit namin and courtroom yung background.

Nawili kami sa lawyer theme na yun na naging main theme of the wedding.  The contents of the invitation was fashioned as a subpoena.

Moreover, my vows were written as an oath of office, while hers was an affidavit.

I mention this if only to emphasis that although we are indeed members of the Philippine Bar, neither of us appear regularly in court!  In fact, Ria and I despise litigation work.  It's not for us.

How ironic, no? :)

Oh well, a theme's a theme.

2.  The other day Ria and I opened the wedding gifts delivered to our Manila address (Thanks you guys!  We loved them all!).  We read the cards that came with the boxes and we noticed  after congratulating us most gift-givers wrote:

"Wishing you lots of babies!"

Lots of babies?

Now na?

Talk about pressure.

Nakaka-stress naman kayo.

Di ba mas-political correct ang:

 

"Wishing both of you to be fertile and in case of conception, we wish Ria doesn't have a difficult pregnancy!"

Ante-Nuptial Agreement

Ria and I had our Ante-Nuptial Agreement (or "PreNup") notarized yesterday.  It was witnessed by Mr. Mariano Honrado--Julia's Dad, and my sister, Annette.

It's a short document, consisting of only 3 pages.  Most, if not all, of its sections are carbon-copies of the Family Code provisions on Conjugal Partnership of Gains.

Basically, what Ria and I agreed is that all property she owned prior to the marriage is her exclusive property (cars, laptop, house and lot) and the same for me (car, laptop, bike, celfone, sando, boxer shorts, you get the drift).

Property bought after the marriage rite, and during the marriage, is community property.

Ayaw lang namin ng present "default" marriage settlement, which is Absolute Community.

Anyway, we tried to register our PreNup sa Local Civil Registrar early this morning.  Funny, di daw sila nag-aaccept ng ganun document.

Eh sabi sa amin ng married friends namin ni-re-register yun sa Local Civil Registrar.

Baka hindi uso ang PreNup dito sa Ilocos.

I'll have to look into this next week.  Basta ang importante, napa-notarize na BEFORE the wedding. 

Another stupid road ad na di pinag-isipan ng mabuti

The ad reads, "All your child wants for dinner is you."

Are serious?

Is Lucky Me now promoting cannibalism?

Should my dad now be afraid of me eating him?

I think what Lucky Me meant was "All your child wants for dinner is TO BE WITH you."

Di ba?  Sounds better?

Yun lang.  Just wanted to share.  Balik wedding prep.