One Day...

I admit that watching this marriage proposal video got me all weepy. It doesn't matter what you believe in, you have to admit that this was just beautiful. And the fact that they were supported by their friends and family in this special moment?
One day, we'll live in a country that supports the freedom to love the person that we want to be with for the rest of our lives regardless of gender. Hopefully that country will actually be the Philippines, but I'm not holding my breath just yet.
But yes, I will get married to the man that I love before I die. And it will be a marriage that matters and has full recognition of the law.
One day.

A Quick Reminder...

Have you kissed your dog today?

Enjoying Relish

This is Mexican Relish. I'm not sure if it's a "real" dish to be found in other cookbooks nor am I sure if it's actually Mexican in origin. But it does have tomato sauce and corn, so that does make it seem rather Mexican, right? At the end of the day, it's a recipe that has been floating around among my family and we all love the dish.

I am not a chef by any means, but in the years that Tobie and I have been living together, I've learned to decently navigate my way around the kitchen. I know a few decent base pasta sauces and I have some soups always in mind for rainy days. And there are the few other odd dishes that I can either prepare with the aid of various recipe mixes from the grocery. And then you have specific recipes like this that I learned from my mom or more likely my sister.

More importantly, Tobie loves it and would probably be even happier if I cooked it more often. But I try to space it out given it's a very meaty dish and we really ought to be careful about that much red meat.

So today I just want to talk about the process of preparing this dish - but this is not quite an official recipe just yet. I think the dish changes just a little bit every time I prepare it.

Finding the one who makes things work

Relationships are about finding the person who makes things work.  And that means for both of those involved.   Too many people keep obsessing over who is looking for the one who is perfect for them, or looking for the one who fulfills their checklist of what the perfect partner should be... when what they really should be doing is finding someone who is willing to give as much as they get.

Love is a two-way street when it works best.

Both communicate their happiness and sadness.  Both share their joys and passions.  Both whisper their anxieties and fears.   And through such communication, any obstacles that need to be surmounted can be tackled together.  Any trials that need to be overcome can be triumphed over as one.

Today is August, and in a few more days, Rocky will soon be celebrating his Birthday.  Admittedly, I haven't planned out anything yet since I still am waiting to hear as well from Rocky on what he would want to do to celebrate it.  There's always O bar, where we can invite our friends to join us as we geek out and enjoy the fantastic music and fabulous drag queens.  There's also having a tiny gathering at the house, perhaps maybe even cooking for guests to join us for some meals.  Lastly, there's the choice of renting a place perhaps - may a room or a restaurant private room - to be able to accommodate even more guests.    The options are many, and ultimately its up to Rocky what he feels he'd want to do.  And from there, I can work out something that would be fun.

The Strength of Holdings Hands

Well, it's already July and this year's LGBT Pride Month is already over. It's been a crazy busy time for us both on the social front and the work front and I'll admit that I had planned to write this post right after our Singapore trip. But one thing led to another and I just never got around to it until this morning.

One thing that I've really come to appreciate about being in a relationship is the amazing gift of having someone's hand to hold. Whether it's while wading through Metro Manila traffic or in a dark movie theater, there's something amazingly powerful about the reassurance of having your partner's hand in your own. And I particularly thought about this while on the flight to Singapore, during that always slightly tense moment when the plane begins to pick up speed as it leaves the runway and finally takes to the air or when you first feel the landing gear make contact with the ground and start to skid a bit as the plane tries to slow down.

Landing and take-off are typically rather dangerous times for planes since that's when they make that big transition from land to air. And considering recent news stories about airline accidents and such, there's plenty of fuel for our imaginations about what might go wrong. And so as I close my eyes to wait for the plane to take-off, I instinctively reach out to Tobie and take his hand into mine and hold on well past take-off. It's just something that I've become very accustomed to doing and thus it makes it hard to imagine flying without him.

Holding hands isn't about showing off or bragging about the fact that you're in a relationship (or a special friendship) with someone else. Yes, it is a rather public display of affection. But at the same time it's really something that you do for one another - the magic of physical contact acting as an additional reminder that the two of you are connected. And while you can always say that true love is intangible and is not measured by hands being held, you can't argue that it's entirely a bad thing either.

I hold Tobie's hand all the time - while walking in the mall or just when we're driving around the Metro together. It's a silent bond that we get to share - a chance to show support for one another and sort of say, "I'm here for you!" or something like that. It may seem like such a simple thing, but it can speak volumes between the two of you.

So don't be afraid to hold someone's hand if you love them. You have nothing to be ashamed of after all. Holding hands is a sign of strength, a show of support and most of all a sign of love. And love should never be hidden or found to be embarrassing by anyone.