Di immagini e parole..

It is often said that a picture paints a thousand words. I believe this to be so. Most people look at pictures as mere images captured for posterity, but there are a few who see pictures for more than the images that they portray.

Every image captured has a meaning.
Each picture taken tells a story.

I remember the first time, Jeanne and I went to the first photographer we saw. I was a bit timid at first thinking, "There's so much fuss about weddings and pictures." As we went inside the studio, slowly my perception changed. As we glanced through albums and breezed through dozens of images, I thought to myself what it would feel like doing the shots that those couples did. At that moment I felt this chill running down my spine. "I want to do this.." I thought. I remember thinking that day, when time comes for our pictures to be taken, I want that they be images of something worthwhile. I wanted the images to speak of who Jeanne and I were as a couple.. I wanted every capture to tell our story..

Many images were taken, many photos shot. Conventional wisdom would say, a thousand pictures would then paint if not a million words. But when I look at our photos, I would always say they paint only one. One word, that of Love.

In its purest form shared by two persons.

We did not find love, instead..
Love found us..

For Sir Don,
For telling our story.. thank you.
Nobody else would have done a better job.


For Jeanne,
The best thing about me is.. You.
You to me.. are Love always.

Love you wife :D
Always me and you.

the Courage to Leap..

A month has passed for Jeanne and I, exactly 31 days since we became Mr. and Mrs. Tj Pasculado. Perhaps it is only fitting that this, our first ever blog, would be a tribute to the event on that fateful day. A day which will forever be the most significant and important of our lives.

There comes a day and a time when a man chooses to leave the life he has known for so long and takes a leap of faith into a life of uncertainty. I have watched many men, make the jump.. relatives, closest friends. Then I find myself asking.. "Why does one make that choice?" "Why does one take that leap?" and more importantly "Will my time ever come?" and if it does "Will I have the courage, to make that leap?"

October 17, 2008.. An event that took 4 years and 10 months in the making for two lives. Just an ordinary day for most, but a day Jeanne and I will cherish forever.

As I awoke that morning, a sense of calm came over me. All the preparations the past months had come down to this day. A day which we have been so looking forward to. Those that had gone before me, had usually said that on their days, they had a lot of emotions felt. Anxiety, pressure, nerves getting to them, which was why I was a bit surprised at how relaxed I felt.
As I was about to take my shower, I thought.. "This is it.. this is the last bath you will ever take of the life you will leave behind." at the same time thinking.. "This is my cleansing for the journey that I am about to leave and the new one that I am about to take." With each piece of clothing I wore ,each accessory I put on, the time.. my time came nearer and as I put on my "barong" I thought.. "I am ready." I got down and moved towards my waiting car. As I turned the engine on, I paused and said my final goodbye to the life which I was about to leave behind a rode off towards the start of something new.

I arrived at that church an hour early, at that point I still was in a state of calm. As time drew nearer people started coming in taking their places, posing for photographs, the magnitude of the situation started to dawn on me, yet still I managed to maintain my sense of composure.

3:15pm, my time had come. The event planner had signaled for me to take my place and walk down that aisle. All the calm I felt, all the composure I had changed to a feeling of uneasiness brought about by nerves. That was then that I kept thinking "This is it, your time.. hold it together.. and just walk." Those few steps were perhaps the bravest steps that I will take in
my life. With each step, different kinds of emotion were felt until I took my place at the altar's front. Waiting.

Moments pass, all the people had taken their turn, my heart was racing, beating faster than it has ever had in my life. Anxiously looking at the doors end.

Then there was Jeanne, standing at the doors, as beautiful as I had thought she would ever be. An image that will be forever etched in my mind. I might not have seen it but I knew had the biggest smile in the whole room that day.

As Jeanne was making her way towards me, every emotion that I had felt was starting to manifest itself. As she stood there halfway through, I turned towards mom and dad, kissed and hugged them. As I walked towards her, rain started falling from my eyes. The moment just overwhelmed me. As I took Jeanne's hand from her father's and placed them gently in mine, I could see she was crying with me.

As we walked slowly towards God's chamber, tears continued to roll down. It is during these moments when a man cries, that it makes him not less but more than a man that he will ever be. When he cries because he wants the whole world to know what he feels inside, and I wanted the world to know.. that Jeanne means the whole world to me.

The moment came, when we made our vows and wore our rings it was then and there that I came to realize everything that had happened.. that finally for so long my time had come.. standing in front of me is the choice I made , the person whom I am going to love for the rest of my life.. the person, who is giving me the courage.. to make that leap knowing that she will always be there to catch me fall..

It is in moments like these when you wish that time would just stand still or slow down even for just a little bit, I know Jeanne and I savored every minute of that day.

An when time came for the ceremony to come to a close the priest signaled for me to kiss my wife.. I turned towards Jeanne, gently lifted her veil and looked her in the eyes. As I moved my lips slowly towards hers, closed my eyes and with every ounce of love I had mustering the sweetest and most passionate kiss in my life. As we parted lips, slowly opening my eyes, I
kissed her 3 times more, saying "I love you."

They say another man goes wrong when he gets married, but when someone loves
you as much as much as you love her.. I don't want to be right.

For Jeanne..
All my life, I have waited for my time to come when all along it was you whom I was waiting for.

Thank you..
for giving me the courage to leap knowing that you'll always be there to catch me if ever I fall.

We may not know what lies ahead, but so long as we have each other we will always be alright.

Love you wife :D
Always me and you!