Last busy weekend and the next busier days...

I thought that I would have ample time to relax this Christmas Vacation, but i guess i would have to postpone that a little bit, hehe! Got another little "raket" again to keep myself busy with til end-January, and though it's going to keep my hands full, I'm thankful to God for this door of opportunity He opened for me, so basically, that would be taking much of my time starting this day (supposedly!).

Last Busy Weekend.

Medical Mission

If last year, we did a "feeding program" project, this year, we had "free clinic". Last Saturday (December 20, 2008), my elementary friends and I held a Medical Mission in Salinas, Bacoor, Cavite as part of our charity project for 2008. It was rather well-organized, I must say. Each station was manned properly and everybody did their part willingly. Mia, Audrey and Eve were assigned at the registration booth. Jan and Ryan were at the Vital signs station. I and Neil were at the waiting area calling out the person's name as one doctor becomes available. Allan and 4 other doctors including Norman's wife, sister and auntie as well as Allan's friend were all very helpful and patient as we have more than 200 patients at hand. Norman, Lea and Gino manned station 5 where they gave out some free medicines. Eve, Louie, Norman and Gino brought us some food to eat while doing this mission. It was amazingly well-coordinated.

Since I was officially assigned in the waiting area, the patients there were asking me who initiated the project or if there were any politicians who funded it. I found myself very proud to say that this was actually a project of my elementary buddies/friends who thought that we should give back to others some blessings through a charity project. Hats off to Norman who actually thought of this idea. He gathered us only about a week before the set date for medical mission, but according to him, he had been trying to plan for this the whole year, hehehe! I think all the hardships and stress were worth it! I found myself feeling very fulfilled even if I only played a small part on this. Kudos to everyone, I'm so proud of you guys, double-proud for the friendship we had through more than two decades already.

Rehearsal

It was quite a hectic schedule for me. I committed myself into attending two activities that Saturday-- one was the medical mission and the other one was the p&w rehearsal. Since the medical mission preparation started at 6:30 AM, I asked my friends if I could go by 9:30 so I could attend my rehearsal at 10 AM and since they were all very kind, they allowed me to go with the promise that I should be back after my rehearsal, hehe! True enough, I got back by 3:30 PM and they were all packing up, hahaha! But anyway, I was both fulfilled that day. I was able to help in the medical mission and I was able to do something that I'm passionate about.

Praise and Worship
We had wonderful praise and worship that Sunday. The songs were arranged differently and I praise God for the wonderful talents He had to use in arranging these songs. I also thank God for the musicians who actually took time to play the intricate arrangements superbly. I'm truly blessed!

(on the picture: Marge, Beth, Summer, Eunice, Al and Mai)



Cantata
I was equally blessed as well with the Cantata that was presented by GCF-Ortigas. They sang very beautifully. The dancers were very graceful as well. I was indeed inspired and in awe while watching them. To God be the glory indeed.

Lunch at CPK, ATC
We initially planned to have a picnic at Tagaytay but it was postponed because most of us can't make it so we had lunch at CPK at Alabang Town Center instead. This was the growth group initiated by my brother and Ian. Since I don't get to regularly attend my growth group at GCF-Ortigas, I'm thankful that I had another one here in GCF-South Metro. I really pray that throught this growth group, our faith will be strengthened more and friendships will be furthere fostered.

Shopping with my brother

To cap this busy weekend, my brother and I shopped together for our gifts for dad and mom. We used to have only one gift so we always signed it "from Mae and Leo", kaya lang lugi ata ako, parang ako lang bumibili, haha! This year, we decided to have separate gifts, wehehe! It was a fun bonding time for me and my brother as well. I also bought him his Christmas gift already, di na nga lang surprise dahil nakita na nya, mas mahal pa gift nya kesa kina mommy at daddy, haha!

The Next busier days...

23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of December

Last Monday (December 22), I had a meeting with the main people involved in this "raket" i got myself involved into. It was rather an interesting research project although yeah, we have to meet again on December 26 and present the finished task expected of us by then. So that just means I'll be working at home on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th, waaaaAAAHHHHhhhHHH! but then again, this is a blessing and I hope that God will grant me excellence in this.

27th, 28th and 29th of December

I had something especially planned for these days, my gift for myself, something I'm passionate about, an investment on my experiences... but i won't tell you as of yet, hehhehe! nambitin ba? magwowork muna ako, haba na nito e!

my elementary friends' projectt

Last Friday night (12 December 2008), I met up with some of my elementary friends at Norman’s place. If last year, we had “feeding program” as part of the charity work of the batch, this year we are taking it on a higher level (naks!). Norman suggested that we organize a medical mission and that was actually the primary reason why we guys met up --- to finalize some details. The Medical Mission was scheduled this coming Saturday (20 December 2008) and we are planning to accommodate only 150 patients. If time permits, we might try to accommodate more but as per discussion, we will keep it at 150. Everything was almost set, Norman already had a place reserved and since he owns a Pharmacy, the medicines are well-taken care of as well. So far, we have 4 Doctors including our very own Doc Allan (haha! special mention ka talaga allan, wehehe!), 1 doctor is yet to be confirmed. The Christmas Party, on the other hand, will be on the 26th of December. If last year's theme was "Black and White", this year's theme would be "Something that you don't wear everyday" (that was agreed upon by the organizers), and I quote Norman's examples--- wedding gown, swimsiut, astronaut, etc. (seems like a costume party to me), oh yeah, and partners had to be coordinated as well.

It was fun seeing my elementary friends once again. The first few minutes were spent discussing the responsibilities we had to take care of, the stations we have to man, and some other logistics. The next few minutes were spent in eating the food that Norman prepared for us, wehehe! The next HOURS were spent laughing out loud while we were recollecting the memories from the past--- oh yeah, from elementary days when we still played “sikyo” and “diamond football” to our yearly reunions where unforgettable and funny moments always happen (I’m really tempted to share it here, but I guess, it just had to be the batch’s secrets, hahaha!). Anyway, I just feel like this is worth blogging as I feel so blessed to belong to a batch who had maintained that camaraderie throughout the years and I’m damn proud of my batchmates who have taken this initiative in doing some charity work. KUDOS!

Playing with Norman's son...

Meeting...

Eating...

First group pic... (wala pa si Louie)

landing...

I don't know if my brother would kill me for posting this, but i'll post it anyway, wehehehe! This is the reason why my camera got some scratches on it. I showed him the scratches and chips on my camera tonight... good thing that he said "sorry" for it, because that is all i needed to hear from him... like what i always say to him "Real man says sorry", hehehe! Anyway, as he explained it to me... it was a bit windy while he was landing, he put the camera on the "dashboard" and then when he landed he had to press the brakes and that's when my camera fell off... oh well... that's part of life, hehehe! here's the video of his landing...



I was thinking of how I could use this as a metaphor in explaining some essential lessons in life but i can't think of any as of this point. All that comes into my mind (which is a bit related to aircraft and flying) while writing this is the sticker that was posted on my study table when I was little. It says "If God is your co-pilot, switch seats". For some reason, I've come to always remember it in every step of my journey. It stuck to my mind as it tells me that I should give the control of my life to the one who knows it best, my Captain, God. Many times when I would reflect on the many things that happened in my life, I get to ask myself if I tried to control my life instead of letting God be the one in control, if I tried having it my own way instead of letting God lead me, if I tried following my own will rather than putting God's will above all else. And yes, there were many times that I tried to grab the wheel and the control shifts... and guess where it crashed me... to a world of hurts, pains and lack of peace. I thought I knew what I wanted, but the thing is, what I wanted may not necessarily be what is best for me. I could go on and on stating my experiences when I've tried to follow my own strategy and it was like running on a threadmill, I was so stressed and tired but I never get anywhere. And then it will hit me... that sticker-reminder would somehow surface out of the blue telling me to switch seats with the one who knows how to properly run my life, hehehe! It has always been a good reminder for me... and this is the reward of those who put their trust by letting God rule in their lives--- a life of peace, joy, love and grace among many other things. Yes, you will always be secured having God in your life.

On the white board I had in my room, I have written this verse from Psalms 16:7-10a because it reminds me of the promise and blessing you have with Christ in your life. It says...

"I will praise the Lord who counsels me, even at night, my heart instructs. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will also rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave."

truths to remember...and parties never to forget...

Somebody sent this article to me and i think it is worth sharing...

TWENTY TRUTHS TO REMEMBER

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of
shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to
be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not
religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

16. We do not remember days, but moments. Life moves too fast, so
enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it, otherwise it's
just hearsay.

18. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again.
Just
be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The
goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn
from the turtle -- it
only makes progress when it sticks out its
neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your
character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what
others think you are.

Other than the article, i guess, i should also include here the Christmas parties that I have attended so far... parties that are indeed hard to forget because of the fun and laughter it brought to many of us.

GCF Crossover Single's Ministry Christmas Party (5 December 2008). Masquerade was the theme of the party.

Here's me, joy and joel with our masks, photo taken by ate lennie.


I left early so i missed this game, "paint a picture", but I had quite a laugh when they showed me the picture where they had to paint the picture of the "nativity", wehehehe! (uhm, san nga ulit yung baby? hehe!)



YACIES (Young Adult Christian In Everyday Situation) - Tuesday Christmas Party (9 Dec 2008) at Lennie Reyes Residence.

The first game, jeopardy, reminded us of some yacies lessons and other old members of yacies. The second picture shows the winner of the first game. At dahil chocolates ang prize, eto ang famous bitter remark for the night "good luck sa gym, mahirap magpapayat!", hahha! winner!


YACIES pips are certified picture-addictus people! Picture taking has always been the highlight in every gathering...




Mga nakapila para sa aguinaldo... hahaha!


Mga magugulong bata... (who says Christmas are only for kids? it's also for kids-at-heart! hehe!)


Happy Christmas colors...


kanya-kanyang pose...

Dream Match!

Dream Match! – that was what most people were talking about last weekend! I’m blessed to have witnessed not just one but two dream matches that weekend—one was the dream match of love as my good friend, Aimee tie the knot last Saturday, and ofcourse, the dream match fight of Dela Hoya and Pacquiao last Sunday. These two occasions filled my weekend!

Dream Match of Love

Yup! As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, my dear good friend, Aimee, from gradschool got hitched last Saturday, and Peachy and I would not miss it in the whole wide world, hehe! Peachy even had another wedding (her cousin’s) to attend in Cabanatuan up north that afternoon (which according to her is about 5-6 hours drive) wherein she was part of an entourage… but she still did attend Aimee’s 8:30 AM wedding ceremony at the church, even if that means she has to run right after seeing Aimee walk down the aisle. We can’t describe how happy we are for Aimee, it seems like yesterday we were just talking about each other’s wedding and then now, we are actually witnessing this dream come true to one of us!

The moment that Aimee talked about Archie, I knew that she already had feelings for this guy (hmmm…) hehehe! Why? She remembers every details of what happened (another hmmm… hehe!). I’ve never seen Aimee this happy and I’m glad that her dream match finally found her!

Here are some pictures for the day… (note: my brother brought my camera so I used my dad’s camera which I don’t really like much, hehe! but oh well… I still gotta take pictures)

Ofcourse, Peachy and I just had to take pictures of ourselves, hehe!


Gotta have pictures of three of us before Peachy leaves…


Aims, this is the proof that we were both teary eyed (in fact, we did shed tears) while you were walking down the aisle, hehe!


Since Peachy had to leave early, I had to make friends with others, hehe! meet my newfound friends! (Aimee’s college friends in UPd)


I super duper love this video... timely with the Dela Hoya-Pacquiao fight, wehehe!


Small World--- I met Abbie, a friend of mine whom I’ve lost in touch with for years now. She happened to be an officemate of the groom! Small world huh? Who would have thought that we will meet each other in such an occasion! (Abbie and I met each other during my short one year stay at UPLB.)


Darn! I didn’t have any pictures while I was singing! Hehe! oh but oh well… this is the 4th wedding I have sung to this year, but this is where I had been most nervous for some reason, hehe! anyway, I’ll post this pic instead because I love my dress! Wehehe! (on the left picture, notice my birthmark on my left ankle, hehe! yup! damn proud of it! haha!)


Dream Match Fight

Sunday! weeeeH! This was also GCF South Metro’s G-day, and one of GCF-South’s fund raising activities for the lot and building fund is the showing of Dela Hoya-Pacquiao fight! Now, I cannot totally claim that I’m a boxing aficionado, but since my dad and uncles have been faithfully watching every significant fights since I was little (oh yeah, boxing matches are even shown on RPN 9 in the past), I have learned to love watching it as well. This is actually my first time watching it together with a big crowd! I must say it was rather more fun because everybody cheers together! Nakakatawa ang mga reaction ng mga tao, lalo na ng mga daddy. Ganito pala ang feeling kaya marami ang mas pinipiling magbayad ng mahal sa sinehan kasi iba pag marami kayong nanood at sabay-sabay kayo sa mga reaksyon at sigaw! Hehe! I could just imagine if you are actually watching it at MGM, whew! I had a fun day watching it… it was great to see Pacquiao won over Dela Hoya! It was a good fight although I expected more from Dela Hoya, he barely gave out some punches. Kudos to Pacquiao for his speed and agility. Anyway, I won’t add any more comments about the fight, I’ll leave that to the sports enthusiasts.

Some pixes on that day…

Mai and I after singing..


Leo and I while we were eating ice cream (ice creams, popcorns and many others are being sold as part of the lot-and-building fundraising activity)


While I was waiting in line for the popcorn, Maxine approached me (she’s an adorable little girl who always hugs and kisses me whenever she sees me at church)


She took this photo…

Friendship

After coming home from Aimee's wedding, I can't help but reminisce the friendship that i have come to build up with her and Peachy through the years... so I just had to revisit these pictures (and yeah laugh and shed tears as I recall the things that happened with the three of us). Aimee, Peachy and I met each other at the gradschool program of UP Department of Psychology...

This was "us" way back when we were all bangag studying for our Comprehensive Exam, hehehe! We had no place else to stay so we tried to romanticize our "being stressed" by having a picnic while studying at the lagoon.


Super windang ako noong mga panahong yun. I was actually juggling two jobs and a full-time load of Master's subjects plus yeah, during Saturdays, I had to study for a Comprehensive exam. WaaaaAAHhhHH! I don't know how I survived that year but one thing is for sure... Aims and Peachy were there for me...


Eto yung kinakarir na namin ang pag-aaral. This was Summer 2005, the Compre was scheduled on May so we regularly meet at Peachy's house to study. Each of us had individual assignments which we had to do before we actually meet for discussion.
And ofcourse, this is our gift for ourselves, we had a massage at Nurture's Spa in Tagaytay a day after our Comprehensive Exam. WeeehHHh!


Sadly, after our Compre, we didn't see each other much because we had no more classes together, we just had to wait for the results and then do our thesis. Nevertheless, we tried to see each other every once in a while updating each other with our lives...





This is one of my favorite... On my 25th birthday, we slept over at Astoria Hotel... just the three of us! We called it kikay night where we actually spent the night for kikay purposes (i.e., teaching each other how to fix hair and makeup), bwahahaha! We did go out after and then stayed over the hotel and sang videoke songs together. We also had a DVD marathon... unforgettable!

Done doin' our make up, hehe!


Eating at Misato Resto at Metrowalk


Singing our hearts out...


hahaha! antukin kasi ako...


Our buffet breakfast...


Before leaving Astoria...

Fave past time (taking pictures, haha!)


Fave meeting place (Starbucks, Shangrila)


Dinner at Penang Hill, Shang


The most recent picture we had at Starbucks, Vito Cruz (last month) before Aimee's wedding


I could go on and on telling you how much we had been there for each others' highs and lows, but suffice it to say that I'm indeed grateful to have them in my life! They are indeed a blessing to keep for life!