What's in a Sandwich?

Noy and I had our first date at Wendy's in Robinson's Place Manila. We were young, idealistic college students who did not want to bother our parents with extra expenses, like a date.

Because it was a first date and I was happy just because we were finally going on a real date, it really didn't matter what he ordered given our small budget. Nevertheless, I teased him that we should share a sandwich because it's symbolic of our future together. I know it was crazily corny, but he did order just one sandwich, lots of fries and drinks. It was a shrimp sandwich, the one I, a seafood lover, had been yearning to have back then (not that I don't want one now) and one that he is allergic to (as he is to most other seafood).

We ate in silence - me picking on the shrimp patty, and Noy tearing off portions of the bread that lost a patty part. We kept the date short because it was finals week. Noy slept through the night without an itch or a flare.

I forgot about the whole thing and the fact that I never really wondered why Noy's annoyingly sensitive immune system didn't overreact that day. Until thirteen years later, when I saw this picture of a Wendy's Shrimp Sandwich on the walls of the very same Wendy's store where we had our first date.

There it was, the shrimp sandwich that showcased the beginning of my journey to married bliss. It taught me that in a relationship, one must stay true to the other. It does not always equate to exclusivity; it's also about revealing fears and worries and weaknesses to the other. Build the relationship upon this trust until you have something strong, tangible and long-lasting.

I don't have a perfect relationship with my husband, but we try to be perfect for each other everyday. He might have swallowed an anti-allergy pill right after our first date, or perhaps there really wasn't enough shrimp on the patty to trigger a reaction, I might never know. Whatever happened that day, I am grateful for the love that I found over a shrimp sandwich - soft on the outside, tender and crisp on the inside. It's perfect.

16 Churches. 9 hours. 2 pairs of feet. 1 fervent prayer.

As a child, my mama would take me to different churches during Holy Week, praying at the different Stations of the Cross and in the process being more intimate with His passion and sorrow, and from which we are expected to appreciate Christ's loving sacrifice for mankind. I haven't been doing this Visita Iglesia for several years now since I stopped singing at the old church choir. Since Noy and I were both free that Maundy Thursday, April Fools Day, I convinced him to go church-hopping with me this year because he hasn't done it yet, and we have a wish which we've been praying for for so long now. I believe that going on this mini-pilgrimage will refresh us spiritually and will help us build on our relationship more. So, at 3:30 pm on Maundy Thursday, we packed our bags (mostly food and water) and hit the road, rosaries in tow.


Our first stop was the Greenbelt Chapel. It was a little out of the way, but it's the only place whose confession schedule I know of. I didn't want to risk missing confession on Holy Week and besides, I wanted to start Visita Iglesia with an atoned heart =) seriously.

The lines were very long, though, and I almost got impatient. We didn't have the booklet to guide us through the Stations of the Cross, and I was hoping they'd sell it here. They didn't, and it added to my anxiety.


After an hour, we were "clean" and refreshed. And hungry, too. So we stopped by our favorite spot at McDonald's Paseo.

I am so having a breakfast bar in my future green home.

By the time we got to the next church, San Isidro Parish, the Kissing of the Feet mass was almost over. So we just took a picture of the church. It was our first time inside, so I made a wish =)


There wasn't, however, the guide booklets on sale. I got really disappointed over the two stations we could have prayed already.

I nevertheless looked forward to the next church - our favorite - Malate Church, no less! Where Stations of the Cross guide booklets were being sold! Hurrah! So from here on, the visit consisted of praying in front of the Altar of the Repose one station of the Cross, then taking a picture of it, as well as of ourselves in front of the church. Here's Malate Church's altar, which was surrounded by votives. I didn't like it very much because it almost looked like a seance was being held. But then of course I prayed and thanked God that Noy and I are able to this together.


Next church was in Ermita, the Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Guia. Its altar was one of the best I've seen throughout the journey.


After this, we headed for Intramuros. I suggested we go by foot from this point on, but Noy insisted we take the jeep. So we did, but there was still a lot of walking involved. In the process we bumped into Jona and Bart, Noy's med school classmates, and their kids. It was good to see them again after a long time. Noy and Jona were even groupmates during internship, so they knew each other pretty well.


We went into San Agustin first, where the Altar was too colorful, but felt really old and historic.


There was a lot to look at in this part of the Metro Manila, but the facade of the Manila Cathedral still proves breathtaking, especially at night.


Inside was a slightly different interpretation of Christ's crucifixion. The image had a broken right arm. It definitely pierces through.


I don't know what gives about the Altar though. It looked like somebody's wake.


A big problem we had to face was the lack of clean toilets at the churches. We decided to stop by a Greenwich (just because there were sooo many people at Chowking) to pee and have dinner nevertheless. Unfortunately, the only toilet Greenwich had was out of order. so I ended up in a very looong line to the Chowking toilet. What a bummer =( And of course, as always, the pizza never satisfied me. I know I know it's a local brand, so sue me. I never liked Greenwich pizzas since it was bought by Jollibee. And because they failed to deliver the one peso change due us. One peso!


Moving on, and with difficulty, because of the huge traffic buildup at around 10 pm, we took a jeepney to Sta Cruz, Manila. Noy was fascinated by the lights that lined up McArthur Bridge.


My family went to Sta Cruz church every Sunday when my brother and I were both very young, and being there naturally brings back fond memories. The people doing the vigil at the Altar of the Repose chose to sing in between prayers. I thought it helped set the mood; most people who do Visita Iglesia do so only for fun, especially the younger set.


I used to light a candle after mass, so I did the same. It was a childhood ritual that relaxes me up to this day.


Next on our list was Binondo Church, but we didn't go for it because there weren't many churches around it, and it might be quite dangerous already to walk the streets at around 10 pm. We headed instead to Quiapo Church. The crowd was not unlike that on a Friday, so we were able to go near the Altar of the Repose. I just didn't understand why taking pictures was prohibited. Noy was able to steal a shot just before an usher placed a hand over the lens. Feisty huh?! It's ridiculous, I'm sorry.


I felt bad I didn't get to pray enough because my emotions were disrupted by the camera-blocking hand.
Not to be disheartened, we crossed Quezon Boulevard and followed the crowd to San Sebastian. It looked like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.


We're problematic at this point because there weren't enough churches on our list to complete the stations. Just as I was about to propose a more tiring idea, along came a teeny weeny church to our left, a few meters before reaching San Sebastian.


It's called the Church of the Holy Face of Jesus. There was a huge replica of the Shroud of Turin at the main altar of this church, which is the size of a big house. Noy and I were relieved, but we had difficulty going in and out of the small church. It was really small, and there were so.many.people.


My husband, not wanting to break out of our little routine of taking a picture of ourselves outside every church, took a rather harsh shot, which captured the loser to my left. It was the perfect "Who the hell are you?" photo. Obviously he wasn't doing the Visita Iglesia to pray.


San Sebastian's Altar of the Repose was quite unfitting for the grandiose facade the church had. But the overall feel inside the church was still different. The sounds were a little hushed and a lot of people were lining up at the confessionals. Which is good because it didn't add to the stresses of hunger and tiredness.


We munched on our cookies while we walked a considerable distance to St Jude. It normally would have felt nothing but my legs felt heavier with each step. I realized it was past 11 pm, which is my sleeping time.

We briefly prayed at our favorite Shrine of St Jude before this simple Altar of the Repose,then went straight to our suki fishball vendor. I have been looking forward to savoring these true fishballs all night long.


Moving along some more, I was delighted to see that San Beda Church opened its doors to the pilgrims. It was Noy's first time to be there. Noy actually went to 5 churches for the first time that night. That's a lot of wishes!
Amongst all Altars of Repose we've seen, I liked San Beda's best. It was simple and elegant and solemn. No fancy stuff was placed in here.


We continued on with an impromptu decision to go to two nearby churches, St Anthony and Our Lady of Loreto, or what is referred to as Kambal na Simbahan (Twin Churches). They literally face each other, both being almost the same size and built on the same block just off Legarda. It's become a favorite among Visita Iglesia goers because it's like hitting two birds with one stone. Two churches in almost an instant. These two, while linked together, have very different personalities, at least from their appearance.We first went into St Anthony, a simple church which, judging by the architecture,was built around the 70s. It had a simple but solemn enough Altar of the Repose.


The other church was more lavishly built, what with marble finishing and all. What really attracted my attention, and I believe most of the others', was the fact that the Altar of the Repose had a special effect. It literally blows off steam every minute of so, the purpose of which is honestly baffling to me. It kind of distracted the vigil-goers rather than helping them concentrate on their prayers.

After Noy was done visiting 5 churches for the first time, we were ready to wrap it up. We excitedly took a jeepney to the last two churches we had to visit, the ones closer to home. It was around 12 midnight, the early minutes of Good Friday. As vigils on the Altar of the Repose conclude at 12 midnight, the churches were almost deserted when we got in. The lights had been turned off, save for some flickering candles and the security guard's.

The Sacred Heart Church in Sta Mesa was already dark as it is because of its location and structure. We didn't see much of its Altar of the Repose.


We didn't see the last church's at all. The Divine Mercy Shrine was altogether closed. We had to make do of the Adoration Chapel up front and under the driveway. It's no sense getting disappointed, because there was nothing I can do about. Instead, I was full of thanks, being able to complete this journey with the love of my life.


It was fun, it was tiring. It almost made Noy's knees buckle on a whim. But over McDonald's chicken fillets at 2 am, he told me he did it for love. Of me, of the Lord, and for our wish to finally be granted.

Memories of February 26s Past

I can fully remember two.

First was when Noy and I started this thing called togetherness twelve years ago.


After Humanities class at the new college building on February 26, 1998, we had a conversation in the middle of the classroom just when our classmates were leaving. It when on like this -

Noy (sliding his hands to my arms after resting his right across the back of my chair the entire time at class): So... (smiling) do I still have to ask....?

Me: Do I still have to answer (grinning)?

Noy (arms around my waist): So I don't have to ask... (grinning)?

Me (burying my face to his chest & hugging him): (inaudible giggles)

so technically, there never a yes or no thing. It bordered on "it just happened".

The details are in our theknot.com page we built while preparing for our wedding.

Nine years later, we had our pre-nuptial photos taken.

It had been drizzling since the morning of February 26, 2007. I was late for my trial hair and makeup appointment because Noy picked me up late, but Norman was a gracious and emphatic person. He's a very good artist, too. We were leaving the salon when Chito Vecina asked that the shoot be postponed, otherwise the quality of the pictures might suffer.
We could not let it happen so I prayed really hard while Noy d rove to Harbour Square. I mean I was ready to buy a really nice umbrella and some cool rain gear, if circumstances would ask for that. We really just wanted to have the shoot done on our special day. We were celebrating nine years for crying out loud.
The little streaks of sunshine on the car window a few minutes after felt like little warm pats on the back. We were ready. We were thankful.

But then there were little puddles on the floor.

And I was a sweaty nervous wreck.


But God gave me my sunset shot.


And the love of my life beside me through happy and sad, on-cam & off.


I could not ask for more.

I Love February

Not because of Valentine's day... Well ok, sometimes. But primarily because Noy & I are celebrating our "togetherness" (Gee. How does a married person call that time when she/he & spouse first became boyfriend & girlfriend? ) this month. This year we're celebrating our 12th, and that feels exciting.

Today, however, I'd like to share this blog entry I made about two years ago on what used to be our wedding site. I was on the crossroads of career opportunities when this happened, and the incident helped me decide. It happened in July, but since it's largely heart-related, figuratively and, more importantly, literally, I remember this life-changing moment whenever Valentine season comes.



I haven't had similar attacks for the longest time now, thank God. That tells me I made the right decision. Which makes me love February even more.

If you're planning to give that significant person a Valentine gift, consider a heart check. We have good internists and cardiologists in our country.

=) happy loving!

Two Years Ago Today

Noy took me out on a date in Sydney.
Three months into that month-long honeymoon cum job-hunting trip and quite fruitless - babyless, jobless - we decided it was time for a breather.

The hour-long train ride was fun, but looking for the Sydney Aquarium wasn't. Noy apparently had the wrong information on which station the aquarium was nearest, so we ended up practically circling the area and going back where we started. Our feet already hurt from walking, and that doesn't usually happen because we're such walk people. We spotted a bar on the same building as the Philippine Airlines office and Noy bought a large cup of strawberry milkshake that was unmistakably full of strawberry goodness. Too bad we didn't take pictures. I guess we were THAT tired.

We finally found the aquarium after getting the right direction from strangers who actually knew where it was. In between we got lost some more, but decided not to get upset and just enjoy the sights.

I think this church is just pretty.

St Patrick's Church had a little unsuspecting cafe in a corner of its yard. I wanted to come inside to take pictures, but I was afraid of running out of cash since we didn't know how much the entrance to the aquarium would cost.

In fact, we brought baon - peanut butter sandwiches, which we ate somewhere near Circular Quay.

This I found out - the birds that shouted "mine! mine!" in Nemo were really makulit! They practically stared at us while we were munching, waiting for little bits to be thrown at them. They looked seriously real in this photo, giving me the creeps.

I got so scared I thought I'd actually hear them say "mine! mine!".

In our desperation we just traced the coastline to Darling Harbour, where Noy was sure the aquarium was located, having been there before, and we stumbled upon these -

a really cute car I wanted to take home, and



a super big luxury liner where a cousin's husband worked (we met with him later that day to go to the opera house together; too bad we weren't allowed to come aboard so we'd know how being inside a luxury liner feels like).

When finally we were at the entrance to the aquarium, we could not help but smile...

(Can't help but notice my hair actually being thicker during my entire stay in Australia.
I love it, I was able to grow it a little longer than usual, plus I never had dandruff.
Nope, not a single flake. One more good reason to strive to finally live there!
Noy's though, got a little unruly since he didn't get a haircut - it was too expensive.)

... and pose with the little red train we didn't know the destination of.

At the time when the Manila Ocean Park was still under construction, it was kind of overwhelming to be in a place such as the Sydney Aquarium. Everything was pleasing to the eye.

However, seeing the Opera House and Harbour Bridge in person was an even more amazing experience. It's great to finally get a grasp of something I only saw on TV and in pictures before.



The Australian Idol finals was held there the night before, and the place was quite a mess, but it was beautiful nonetheless.


For some magical reason, someone (Noy doesn't even remember who) gave us a gift card entitling us to 50 AUD worth of stuff from Starbucks. It was such a yay! moment, which we needed more than ever. So eat and drink we did.

Fraps, muffin and sausage roll on a balmy Sydney evening

It was a happy day, albeit a tiring one. But if tiring would be the key to finally live in that city, I'd definitely tire myself until I drop. Until a kangaroo tells me I can't, I won't stop.