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John Romaniello

There's a new fat loss program coming out by John "Roman" Romaniello.  I'm excited about this one because it incorporates some strategies I've used personally with great success (intermittent fasting, fasted training, etc).  You can read my review and articles here:  Fat Loss Forever Review.

I promised to tell you a little more about our story, so here goes.

2011 B.C. (Before Cris)

I'll start this story by rewinding a few months--back to August of 2011.   I was 39, single, and determined not to give up on love (despite some serious disappointments over the previous 12 months).

I went out on a few friendly dates from August through September.  They were very positive experiences, but I really didn’t have 100% peace about going to the next level (pursuing courtship) with any of these young women. It’s kind of hard to explain, but something just didn’t feel right about it. I kept praying and asking God to guide me—I didn’t want another heartbreak (for me or for anyone else).  

It wasn’t long before I decided to move to Angeles City. The move consumed all my thoughts and energy (not to mention money) so I wasn’t really focused on dating.

Thanks for the Add

I received an add request in Facebook around the time of the move (November 1st). I don’t always accept requests from strangers, but I decided to make an exception when I saw the picture of a stunning morena beauty.

There were a few things going on “behind the scenes.” Cris’ friend and spiritual mentor is an avid reader of my blog. She was the one who suggested Cris reach out to me. Cris prayed and asked God to bless any future friendship/relationship we might have—all this before I had even responded to her in any way.

I thanked Cris for the add request. She replied and explained she used to live here in Angeles City before moving to Macau. I asked her to tell me more about herself.  Her response made my jaw drop: she had so many of the qualities I was looking for in a wife (and had never even had a boyfriend). Mare Cris just seemed too good to be true.

Love at First Skype?

We sent a few more messages back and forth through Facebook and arranged to chat on Skype. I sensed an immediate connection with her, and long video chats became a daily routine for us.

But I was still a little cautious before we met in person. Sometimes I even wondered if I was investing too much of myself in someone I’d never even seen face-to-face. Online chats are great, but there’s only so much you can really know through online communication.

The Best 3 Days of 2011

The next logical step was a visit to Macau, so we made plans for me to be there December 7th-9th.   I was excited and a little apprehensive about this trip. I knew it would be either a blissful confirmation of things to come or the most awkward vacation of my life. Needless to say, it turned out to be the best three days of 2011. I asked her to be my girlfriend and she accepted on my last day in Macau (December 9th).

I decided I would propose marriage the next time I saw her.  I knew I had found something truly special in her.  

I made a brief holiday visit to the States a few days after my trip to Macau. I introduced Cris to my parents (through video chat) and they were able to talk with her several times. We were starting to talk about marriage and I bought an engagement ring before returning to the Philippines.

Cris was planning to visit me here in the Philippines by late January. We were going to make a surprise visit to her family, and I was planning to propose marriage while she was here. The next step would be to finalize plans for her permanent return to the Philippines. But I also gave her this open invitation: “Just say the word if you change your mind and want to come back sooner.”

Reunited

Cris called me on January 3rd and told me she had decided to come back early. I agreed to buy her a ticket for January 4th, her birthday. I couldn’t wait to see her, hold her in my arms, and ask her to be my wife.

We picked Cris up at Clark Airport around 11:30 p.m. (my friends Erwin and Blessing were with me). We stopped by a coffee shop for a snack, and then Cris came to my place for birthday cake. I proposed to her early in the morning on January 5th and she said “yes.”

That’s the short version of how Mare Cris and I met.

I'll be doing a Basta LoveLife seminar in Manila on Saturday, February 4th at the Church Strengthening Ministry building.  As you can see, there's a discount for registering early and a copy of Basta LoveLife is included.  

This will probably be your only chance to hear me speak in Manila this February.  I'm busy with planning my wedding and will not be booking any other speaking gigs in the Metro Manila area.  This will be a simple seminar (speaking, group discussion, etc) and I'll be talking about some of the topics covered in my books.   

Some People Have Under-Sized Hearts

Royal Overseers: real-life Grinches.  

I'd like to share my unfortunate experience of renting with Royal Overseers Inc, the company that currently manages Gotesco Regency Tower A in Manila. 

I rented a unit in Gotesco Tower C from 2005 to 2010.  I was renting from the owner of the unit (through a broker) and there were no problems (tower B and C are fine as far as I know). 

But a change came around August of 2010.  My broker informed me that the owner of the unit was returning and I'd have to move.

An apartment/unit became available over at Tower A, which is in the same general complex but under different management.  I liked the unit because it had a nice patio and seemed to be a good place to continue my student ministry.

I did have some concerns.  Apparently a new management, Royal Overseers, had just taken over this building through some type of legal action.  This company demanded all tenants re-pay their security deposits, despite the fact that these people had already paid these fees to the previous management.  Tenants were intimidated and bullied until they paid (my apartment was located next door to the business office, so I witnessed all the drama).

Apparently the management of this building has changed hands several times over the past few years, causing a great deal of harm to the tenants (many of whom are foreigners and relatively easy to take advantage of).  This fiasco has been happening within just a few blocks of Manila City Hall.

I asked my broker if this management could be trusted.  She assured me everything would be OK, so I proceeded with the move and my broker transferred my security deposit to Royal Overseers (this deposit was the equivalent of two months' rent).  I signed a one-year lease: September 2, 2010 to August 31, 2011. 

Things went fairly smoothly until August, when  Royal Overseers gave me a new lease to sign.  They demanded a 10% increase in rent/fees and thousands of pesos in additional security deposits (remember that previous tenants saw their deposit fees disappear about a year prior to this).  I refused to sign it--I didn't see the need to pay additional fees and I didn't trust this company to pay back these fees (I later learned how correct my intuition was).

I paid my monthly rent/utilities for the next two months (September and October).  On October 20th I sent the management a letter stating my intention to leave on or before November 2nd.  I also asked them to send my deposit back to me in a timely manner.  They sent the following response:

"We regret to inform you the denial of your request due to short notification. On the other hand, the management has approved to give you consideration on non forfeiture of your security deposit is you pay the rent, maintenance fee and other charges for the month of November."

Translation: Give us more of your money and we may give you your deposit back.

Needless to say, this is neither legally nor morally correct.  According to Philippine law I was only operating under a month-to-month lease and under no obligation to inform them of my departure within a certain time period.* I left the apartment in good condition, so they should have only deducted the remaining utility expenses from the security deposit and given me the rest.  

Weeks went by with no word from them.  A lawyer friend of mine drafted a demand letter for me and I sent it to Royal Overseers around December 12th.  They responded by sending me another copy of the exact same letter I just quoted.  It is now December 21st and they have yet to return one centavo of the thousands of pesos of my money.  That's their "Christmas gift" to me--keeping money that does not belong to them. 


I don't expect special treatment as a Christian missionary.  Having said that, I find it reprehensible that this company would take advantage of someone that has moved to the Philippines in order to serve their countrymen. 

I'm still weighing my options legally.  In the meantime I'd like everyone to be aware of the way this company treats clients.  They should not have a business license as far as I'm concerned, since rental laws and ethics apparently don't apply to them.

Here's their information:

Royal Overseers, Inc
1129 Natividad Almeda Lopez Street
Ermita, Manila
President: Arturo M Garcia

Please pass this along so others will be warned.  I don't want to see other people get mistreated and ripped off.  

*Article 1670 in relation to Article 1687 of the Civil Code of the Philippines.

I've been in Angeles City for a month!  We've rented a place for Hope Angeles to meet on Sundays.  It is located near Angeles University Foundation along Sto Entiero St. at the RCBC building (it is the white and blue building on the rotunda).  We meet up on the second floor.

Right now we are meeting Sunday nights at 9:30 p.m.  This time may sound a little weird, but it is perfect for mall employees.  

We are hoping to have a Sunday morning service soon, as well as a Friday night service for students.  We are also hoping to have a worship service and/or Bible study time specifically for call center workers.

Please let me know if you are in the Angeles City area and would like to get involved.

I have two more quick updates regarding my fitness blogs.   My latest post over on the blog is MI40 Mass Intentions Review.  This is a new bodybuilding program from Ben Pakulski.

I also have another announcement:  I have a new fitness blog: Muscle Review.  This is a new project I'm working on so we'll see how it goes.  I really wish I had thought of this name/domain back when I first started.