Hi Guy's

This morning I got up to pick up the post and found to my surprise an envelope from Cebu, Philippines. So like a giddy child, I opened my letter with a smile I have yet to lose (after about 3 hours) to find a greetings card from Rizza with a couple of photographs and a prepaid pinoy sim card. Knew she was sending me this but did not expect it for another week, as I thought postage between the phils and the UK is terrible at best.

So today will be cool despite being full of a cold and not 100%!

But I have been thinking lately of how I can make our relationship public and even after reading the excellent advice given by Pete (in earlier posts) I am still a little scared! I know many in this country have a perception of Filipina's as money grabbers, in my previous relationship I confided with a friend only to have him lecture me for an hour plus as to how crazy I am, followed by a few emails of links to Filipino scammers, ladyboys and people nailing themselves to crosses.... Basically, he was not impressed! Despite not then ending that relationship (an regular forum members will know what happened), I told him I had finished it and never broached the subject again.

Now with Rizza, she is a friend on my facebook (as is one of her cousins from the states) and I had asked her to not send me postings indicating we were courting, no lovey dovey stuff! And she was a little hurt by this and could not understand why I was doing that and thought I was ashamed of her.

I suppose I am just fishing for thoughts here. I personally plan to not reveal our relationship until I have been with her in the phils and can show some photographs of the two of us together. But even the thought of when and how is not a good thought! I think that no matter when I do this I will be facing some sort of derision from my family and some friends. So how did you guy's manage this?

I also thought about leaving it until they meet her in person? But that would be if we went the distance and I got her into the UK on a fiancé visa, and is it too late by then?