Age: 52 - Born, 18 Jun 1974 looks back and remember that special moment in my life...
... Love comes my way when I met Cherry May from General Santos City, Philippines during a online Yahoo web-cam chatting room 12th April 2009 just right after having eaten dinner around 17:30 in the afternoon. It was just a normal day that turned into a perfect day. When I first saw her, I instantly fell in love by her magic and beautifull eyes and gorgeous smile. I was mesmerized and in love. It was just one of those "omg" moments :-). And ohh, we love cats too...grey and black sparkled tigers are my favourite -->
After about one week in the same chat room (having early figured out we both were single and looking), we decided to take our relationship into Skype. Now we could share files, music, pictures, play games and chat about everything and nothing. Basically, living virtually, talking, singing, eating, sleeping and showing our houses to eachother and make dreams and plans for our beloved future together. Our Skype was running on high gear, 24/7 for over 2 years!. After about 2 weeks in Skype, I told her straight out "I want to marry you, Cherry May!", she instantly said "Yes!", and to cut the story short, on 10th July 2009 we decided to engage over internet via Skype. It's been done before for sure, and yet many don't think it is actually possible, believe me, it is. Set no limits and take control!
I sent her a very special ring box designed as a rose with the engagement ring inside engraved with "Din Stein 2010". My ring was naturally engraved with "Din Cherry May 2010". We were now totally convinced we were right for eachother. We had a unique special bond.
Since we both have been chatting for a while before we met, we was very comfortable communicating this way. It's the modern way (and for many, just by today's standard, a very common way of communicating anyway)...Facebook, SMS, MSN, Yahoo, Skype etc....you name it, you know it.
Our communication is a mix of very good written english as well as very good speaking english. We both understand eachother (even if we take shortcuts in our english writing and speaking) and we do feel and think as "one single mind".
Since I'm a well multi talented and creative within digital media and computers in general (I've been told) I naturally seek a mind similar to mine. To my greatest wishes, Cherry May fullfills all my inner feelings and desires for my "perfect-10" woman. She sings, she wants to compose music, she want to have a perfect love life, just like me. She just really hit my heart the correct way. Such a kind and understandable woman is a true gift from above. We discussed a very strange emotion where both of us seems to have a distant idle feeling of having met before or had some kind of Deja Vu especially regarding faces, specific landscape pictures and even names seen in a paper many many years ago. Thinking back to my childhood, I can even remember my mother once told me; "you will find a asian woman...". It seems there was a destiny, a true divine plan for us to meet one day...just that it took so many years to find eachother!
Then we started to plan our first meeting and our future wedding. Should we choose Philippines first, or Norway first?
Since I have a very good and steady job here in Norway, and this is where we want to create a family and find a job for Cherry May, we decided to go for Norway first (since it's the most difficult country on the planet to even just visit for 2 weeks for a foreigner! Shame on Norway). We had to prepare ourselves for a very enduring goverment processs via the Embassy in Manila and UDI in Norway. Since 13 Oct 2009 and until as per. April 2011 we were still waiting for a final decision (which includes a rejection based on missing paper process inbetween) so that we can marry legally here in Norway on our special date of 8 Oct 2011.
On 12 July 2010 I purchased a plane ticket to General Santos City, via Amsterdam and Manila all the way from Stavanger to meet Cherry May in real for the first time during my 3 weeks summer vacation. It was also my first vacation ever to a exotic country, so I was very much excited about it. After 12 hours+ of plane trip, there she was in front of me in real person together with her family awaiting me at the airport. The first real hug was like frozen time in complete silence and simply filled with loving love from both of us to both of us. After visiting her father's grave (which sadly passed away February 2010) we headed over to Jollibee to get some hamburgers. After that we went to her home and had a party and sang for instance; "Destiny by Paul Anka" through her karokee system before we finally headed off to the hotel to get some sleep and love. The following days were filled with activities around in Gen. San. mixed with a lot of vacation life in the manner of loving, laughing, hugging and kissing along with dinner dates, lunch dates, breakfast dates...in fact we were dating every second.
You can read more about our time together in our blog entry
From Philippines with Love
After 3 weeks beeing with my lovely Cherry May, I headed back home to Norway to start work again, and yet again, wait for the application to process further (this time as an appeal to the first rejection). We fired up our Skype again and our love just continued to grow. Every birthday and monthly and yearly anniversary we sent flowers and love cards to eachother, including birthday gifts with cake, hamburgers, candy and Coca Cola live on Skype. Our releationship simply just grew even better every day. During our entire wait for our application to be aproved we have made some concept art and movies to share our love for eachother online. Check our other links to find out more about those sweet special moments. You will find true love in our work.
So, finally after waiting so long for 2 applications to process (9months with its rejection and then the 11 months of appeal which included the additional missing papers), we endured and had success with our appeal. Which eventually ended in the greatest moment of our lives....it was APPROVED. Our world just light up early July (specifically 8th July 2011). It seems that the system do have belief in communicating mostly via Webcam and we are really happy that our story was believed in, because we know that our marriage will be filled with lots of love throughout our entire life. That's our intention and desire and with the above story told, everybody can rest assured that we certainly are up for the task! Be strong, always.
We were finally married during a rare and sunny day of 8 October 2011 in the Church in Nedre Vats, Norway. Just as planned, and everything executed perfectly. We both looked smashing and with approx. 60-70 people attending the Church the applauses roared high up into the sky. Thanks so much for all that took the time to share this final take on our amazing journey to get married and start our life together.
Now, I shall let my sweet wife, Cherry May, write her side of our love story.
That was the most romantic moment happened in my life and as a next step the situation had ripened to where we began to think we should meet in person. That's why he ask me to get passport, so we can apply for a Fiancee Visa. On October 10, 2009, I took my family with me, my two brothers, my Father and my Mother in Makati since it was my first time travelled on that place, then I want to make last bonding with my family here because me and Stein thought were just only wait three days after the day I apply in the Embassy!
Stein trying to ask what's other way he can take me in Norway! But we're just failed on our desires to get marry on that year of 2010 in Norway!