The Anniv Month is Here!

 Yeah, its been quite a while since this blog has moved.  Admittedly, blogging fell a bit out of fashion for me but there is a desire to find a way to make this specific blog active.  Rocky and I are nearing our 16th year together and today got me thinking about families.

Rocky's family has always been tremendously welcoming and kind whenever we visited them or joined them for a meal.  And likewise, ever since Rocky and I moved back to Paranaque to live with my mom in the familial compound, my mom has always made Rocky feel welcome and part of the family.  It even amazes me how the two can share moments even while I'm busy.  

But since gay couples don't have the option to get married in the Philippines, there's nothing existing that formally or traditionally declares you are now family members.  Our families have not "officially" met yet, despite our many happy years together.  I do get its not something easy for our parents despite how much they love us both.  In many ways, both are still finding their way.  And for that, we love them both.

We also have our chosen families.  Our collection of people from different walks of life whom we hold close in our hearts and always keep in our thoughts. When we can, are there to offer support, advice, assistance, and if need be, be critical and remind them when things need to chance.  And when necessary, they to the same for us.   We have lost some of them, but we hold them alive in our memories and our stories. 

I guess I just really wanted to say how full our life feels right now.  So full of love. Of wonder. And it just seems to constantly flow outwards.   I love you so much, Rocky.   I love the life we live together.  And I love the families we have surrounded ourselves with.

Celebrating How Ever Way We Can

This year has been a difficult one for us in many ways.  The ongoing pandemic and the debatable response has not made it easy to see the joy usually present in our lives. Finding opportunities to visit family, to reconnect with friends, and to celebrate life has been rough. And more so when you want to make your loved one feel extra special since it is their birthday.

I will confess that I probably would not have been able to make the day feel as special as it was had it not been for the awesome group of friends we have gained in the passing years. Rocky and I have been blessed with a wonderful mix of personalities whom we can happily call our friends.  Friends from geek circles. Friends from our gay life. Friends currently based so far away. But with the lock downs and the quarantines, it is not hard to feel like everyone is so far away.

I had hopes of arranging a more exciting celebration for Rocky. I wanted to get him bottles of his favorite wine. I wanted to have a special show set up for him at our favorite haunt, O bar.  I had hoped to get friends join us and celebrate another year of being himself. 

But yeah, the pandemic.
The wine order is still indefinitely on hold, as the suppliers are currently silent on the matter.  
The bar is closed as restaurants and bars have limitations in their operations. 
Having friends over would prove to be an irresponsible thing.

I shot out messages to various mutual friends, asking them to have some time to join us for an online hangout. And after holding a super cool episode of Baduy Pride where we talked about Rocky's favorites (my suggestion to call it Rocky-ology was shot down), we then had a chat-til-you-drop session with awesome friends.

This image was one of the few captures we were able to take. It was truly heart-warming and lovely reconnecting with so many friends.  And it just made us remember all the more how much our hearts yearn to spend time with our friends and loved ones.

But thankfully, it made the day special for Rocky.

I'm so proud of him. From his focus on maintaining his Keto lifestyle, his determination in staying fit and completing his daily workout routines, and his devotion to writing.  I am proud to have this geek in my world and I would not trust anyone else with my heart, my secrets, and the rest of my life.



Happy birthday, Rocky!
Here's hoping we can celebrate things better post lockdown.