waiting for my rocket to come (not the song)

You may be wondering why I haven’t posted a new article since that infamous day when I dislocated my knee…  Well, if you are wondering what happened, I underwent 10 sessions of physical rehabilitation and now I am able to flex and extend my left knee fully.  I still have problems walking up the stairs with my busted knee but I can get up one step at a time with my right leg domineering over the other…

But the real reason why I haven’t written anything is because I have been busy this last month preparing and finally taking the Philippine Medical Board exam.  Is it a big deal?  YES you innocent passerby, it is a BIG DEAL… I left my real home in the province to stay with my friend who is also a medical student.  The board exams were held for 4 days on 2 on a saturday and 2 on a sunday… Last Sunday was the last exam, and although it made me sigh in relief, the tension has not faded at all.  According to random people, the list of passers will be posted on National Newspapers and their online counterparts by tomorrow or Thursday.  I don’t even know if I could rejoice or kill myself by tomorrow.  I am literally hanging by a thread here.

I don’t know if it’s a sign of desperation, but we heard tons of superstitions before we took the test.  I decided to apply some of them.

1. Wear red underwear – I didn’t do this, but I did notice a lot of the interns wore red shirts while taking the exam.

2. When you finish the last exam don’t look back.  Just pass your paper and leave… And give a little kick at the door – This I DID do.

3. Break the pencil you used after the exam – Done!

4. My friend Dave had a different belief with the pencil.  He said that if he fails (which won’t happen!) he is gonna break it.  If he passes, he is gonna pass the pencil to somebody else – Good idea!  But I broke mine since it was the first superstition I heard.

I know, I know it may seem ridiculous, but hey, I can’t do anything about the exam anymore, the least I can do is do all those things and PRAY.  And pray we did as well.  The day after the exam, my co-board taker, Maan, her sister Macyl, and I, went on Vicita Iglesia, as advised by their mom.  We went to 7 different churches all over Manila!  Something I have never done in my entire life.  I am sure my mom is gonna be happy I did this.

San Agustin Church

our first stop

This church is found inside the old city of Intramuros.  If I am not mistaken, my high school class went on a field trip here once.  And my paternal grandparents had their golden anniversary here.  I really wanted to go inside but when we arrived the church was closed.  We said our silent prayers and went on our way.

Manila Cathedral

beautiful on the outside

marvelous inside

The Manila Cathedral is also found in Intramuros.  Fortunately we were able to go inside.  There were probably more foreigners going in and out of that place than Filipinos.  I felt like I was in a totally different country.

Binondo Church

Beauty amidst the hussle and bustle

the first candle lit

We weren’t able to find the place were we can light candles at Manila Cathedral, but we did find a place at Binondo Church… I pass by this church all the time when my mom and I go on our occasional Divisoria trips, but I have never been in there.  Now I can say that I have.

St. Anthony de Padua

in the narrow streets near Taft Avenue

We wanted to go to our church in De La Salle, but because it was a holiday, we didn’t keep our hopes up of getting in there.  Instead we went to this church.  Unfortunately it was also closed.  But there was a statue of Mary on the side were one of the vendors said that we can light a candle.  Instead of the usual red candles we found in Binondo, here in St. Anthony, they were selling candles with different colors, each signifying the kind of things we are wishing or praying for.  We each took a pink candle, which signified success.  Then we lit the other colors:

Red for Love

Blue for Health

Green for Business/Money matters

Yellow for Strong Spirituality

Purple for High Power

Orange for Attraction

see the different colored candles? all ours!

Church of Sto. Domingo

sto. domingo

more beautiful stained glass

Monastery of St. Claire

st. claire

This place has an odd tradition.  If you want the sisters to pray for you, the donation that they want for it is not money, but EGGS.  Right outside you will find vendors selling eggs by the dozen or half dozen.  We went to this church before the exams, and now we are back for our second trip.

fountain... give us hope!

We also threw some coins in the fountain and made a wish… Anything… anything to make us pass!!! ^_^

Jesuit Church in Ateneo de Manila

Ateneo, ateneo... whoaa...

Hahaha… they teased me a lot about this… Ateneo is, as they say, our RIVAL school.  Being a La Salle borne individual, I never thought that I would actually set foot in that place.  But hey come on, am I gonna let a little rivalry get in the way?  It’s not as if I was entering a non-Catholic church.  Plus, everybody knows that I am a green blooded person ^^ I played along with the teasing and pretended that I was burning as we were passing through the gates of Ateneo… hehehe… I know you’d do it if you were me ^^ This church is also called “the Spaceship” because… well… it looks like one!

holy water fountain

And that was the end of our trip.  The results of the exams haven’t come out yet, although some say that it’ll be out by TOMORROW! ^_^ I am scared, excited, and going crazy… With all that studying, and praying, I can confidently say that I have done my part.