Happy Yipee Yehey 27!!! :)

Woot woot! 27 na ako! hahaha. In five years time, my age will be officially off the calendar. I just have to say that this birthday was far one of the busiest birthdays albeit unplanned. To be honest, a lot of people asked me if what am I gonna do on my special day. All I say is that it would be certain I'm spending it with family, just like last year. Since I don't have specific plans in mind, I just told my sister that I just want to have a cake that I can blow, then simple lunch the next day then that's it. I don't really like having a party and would invite people but just simple and meaningful celebration.

If you're a follower of my blog right from the start, you would know how this celebration became so different from last year, and that difference would factor the apathy on planning my big day. Close friends of mine would be asking if I really feel like celebrating, but in spite of everything, pretensions undermined, I'm happy nonetheless. And here's why:

I know God blessed me with wonderful parents who truly love me and would give everything just to make me happy and keep me safe. (okay teary eyed!) hahahaha! If there's one thing I'm always thankful to God for, is providing me godly people, who tried their best in molding me, and educating me and continuously providing for me in all aspects where I lack. Since on my birthday that I had to go to work, I was stuck in a very traumatic traffic that I ended up walking home, my dad, who's very tired because he was caught on that same traffic minutes before I did, and my mom, who is tired from cooking toothsome dinner for this celebration, walked all the way to meet me at Masinag just so I could have someone with me to walk home. A person who loved me truly and dearly could only do that, that in spite of their age and being all physically tired, they still managed to walk more than two kilometers just to for me. It struck me how love takes so much commitment and sacrifice and I thank God for experiencing those in the form of my mom and dad.

Of course, how could I forget two of the most loving siblings in the world. Kuya and Donna of course together with mom prepared a very small yet delicious dinner for this occasion. The fact that I'm having only one hour left to celebrate, I got the cake that I wanted and Donna cooked delicious and delectable chicken pastel, este parmigiana for me. Sweet! hehehehe! It was an awesome night. I may not get to spend a lot of time with them lately but I know these guys will continue to love me no matter what. Bro, thanks for the gift that you gave me, sukat na sukat lang! and for helping Donna cooked the dinner hehehe; and to my Manowlow Blahnik, who made a blog and video cover for me, I cannot say thank you enough. You're the best sister anyone could have. Love you both.

Haggard shots of me, patunay na mahirap maglakad sa gitna ng traffic! Pero that won't stop me from posing for pictures. hehehe!

Familia Attack!! see those faces and utensils? Scary! hahaha!

Another thing would be, surprise surprise!!! Hahahaha! The youth core surprised me a week after my birthday. I thought it's just going to be plain Yellow Cab dinner but with matching cake and flowers! same flavor ng cake at color pa ng roses! hahaha! dejavu ba ito? hahahaha! Kidding aside, I was secretly wishing for flowers on my birthday, but last may 14, not even a single rose was given to me. So imagine how teary eyed I was for this, totally unexpected. Ang galing lang. hehehehe! Thank you so much for the love guys. Powerhug! :)

Roses and Cake! Love. :)

I couldn't thank God enough for everything that He has done. Not only for the great things that happened, but also for the lessons and trials that came along with that. I know that He has great plans for me, and I know He'll be with me as I journey this another year He blessed me with. Thank you God for being faithful.

Just like I said last year, If getting older could be this happy! I really won't mind. Here's to being 27!!! :)

Inspiring conversion

Because God's word is too good to be kept inside. I do hope that this video will move you, and may God's touch be felt in your life. :)

"No, I don't wanna keep quiet. I wanna tell people(about Jesus)"- Danica Sotto Pingris

He must be a Godly man. :)

In spite of being sleepy and tired. I just have to blog this. If ever I sounded too feminist, or hostile, sorry. Animated lang ako. hahaha! :)

It was mid-afternoon. We had to meet up at with our boss on Mann Yann at Ayala. Even if it was a quick meeting, I can't help but be really exhausted maybe because of the excruciating weather. Nakaka-drain ng lakas talaga. hahaha! But I'm glad it ended quick and well I might add.

So we rode a cab on our way back to the office. I was half-asleep. No. Make it really asleep. hahaha! Masyado ko na-enjoy yung aircon ni manong driver. I was about to go to dreamland when a loud yell woke me up. My eyes are almost open until I realized a guy in a motorcycle, taking off his helmet, starting to yell at manong driver. He was claiming that he was hit and his precious plate number got damaged.

Actually, I really didn't know what happened kasi tulog talaga ako, but if it would really be that bad to injure this motorist, the impact would probably woke me up than the yelling of this guy.

As soon as he took of his helmet, this guy, never thought twice in creating a scene. Since manong driver's windows were down, I can clearly hear the expletives he kept on throwing at him. I was starting to become really nervous, I was thinking in the back of my mind, "Kapag bumaba si manong.. gulo to."

I kept on looking at this guy, still in his motorcycle, provoking and really trying to pick a fight. He even dared the driver to alight the cab and threatened him that he will swat him with his helmet. My officemates were just quiet but I instantly told our driver to just let it go, I saw that manong driver is starting to get mad. I'm kind of taking quick glances to both of them. Kahit alam kong malaki si manong driver kesa kay boy motor, I know this would end bad.

Once the driver unstrapped his seatbelt, I automatically massaged his back. (Sweet ko no? hahaha!) But I was really nervous that time. The last thing I wanted to happen is someone getting hurt. I guess manong driver instantly smelled my fear that he opted to stay in the car and just gave piercing stares to the guy. The driver just scratched his head and said "Pasalamat ka may pasahero ako..."

The guy took off, raising a bad finger and saw that his precious plate number wasn't even dilapidated. I was like.. "Ang arte mo lang?! Ni-wala ngang gasgas eh." I was really dumbfounded on how this guy is willing to risk something valuable just to prove something. How eager he was to show how manly he is, that he even challenged someone double his size.

I'm quite disappointed how young men, behave these days, specially with this guy who thought of himself as all-macho because the driver didn't do anything. The most heartbreaking thing was, his motorcycle even had a sticker that says "I love You Jesus!" Hay nako?! hahahaha! affected talaga ako. Too bad, he really has the looks, but sad to say, it didn't go well with his character, or should I say character nga ba talaga?. The fact that it's just a simple spat, simple misunderstanding at the road, he is very willing to go overboard why? because he's macho? because that's what strong guys do?

From what I've learned from one pastor, Manhood, doesn't come with tantalizing eyes, sculpted figure, fair-skinned complexion, sex-appeal, or how accomplished you are even. It's more than that and sometimes, we women, tend to be drawn with what we only see on the outside. Being a man, doesn't equate how many girlfriends you had, or how luxurious your car is, or the number of push-ups you can do, or if you belong to the elite of the elites. It's more than that.

I'll be hypocrite if I say that I don't consider good looks. I hope you won't misunderstand. I appreciate beauty. I'm just saying that if a guy can be all-gwapo, yet if he doesn't have a character that God wants him to possess, entertaining them would be downright stupidity. I have dealt with this situation before, (many times I might add) and trust me, I learned it the hard way.

It takes a MAN to surrender his life to Christ, submitting to His will and commandments and from there a character worthy for a princess will appear. It takes a MAN to hold women with high regard for they believe that God made them specially to be taken care of, to be respected, to be loved and not to be defrauded. It takes a MAN to be calm and composed whenever they face arguments, even if the urge to enter a physical bout is at peak. It takes a MAN to say no to provocation and temptation. It takes a MAN to be humble. It takes a MAN to admit he is wrong. It takes a MAN to commit. It takes a MAN to love genuinely. It takes a MAN who walks away from violence, because he believes that even though he didn't fight, God will fight for him.

Psalms 1:1-3

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night."

So for us girls, who God considers as princesses. It's about time for us to pray for the Man of our dreams. For "boys" who happen to be reading this, Man Up! :)

***

OFFTOPIC:

In lighter news, I also went to this nearby gym at our office. Lately I've been thinking I wanted to join aerobic dance classes. Don't have the talent though but it's something I really enjoy doing... by myself. hahahaha! But seriously, I have to set a deadline for this and hopefully I can start soon. :)

PS. Anyone who know where I can find a video of this? I really want one. :) pretty pleaseee??

Hello Sunshine!

So excited for Summer! Yay!!! :)

Breaking News..

I was on my downstairs, finishing up before going to church and I saw my sister who just got out of bed and we had this quick conversation...

Do: "Magdadala ka ng sasakyan?"
Me: "Oo. Bakit?"
Do: "Wala lang. Mag-ingat ka lang." (but her facial expression says something else.)
Me: (becoming a little bothered..) "Bakit nga?"
Do: "Alam mo ba nangyari kay AJ Perez?"
Me: "Hindi. Bakit?"
Do: "Patay na siya."

Though I don't know him personally, not even close in meeting him personally, I really felt like there's something valuable that was lost that I become really troubled. I happen just to watch him on ASAP and Showtime. The last time was when he's the featured artist for Cinema One and from what I saw, I think he's a really nice person.

This incident brought me back to the days when the whole country was shocked on Rico Yan's death. Seriously, I even cried. I'm really sad whenever I hear people, who has so much going on for them, who has so many things to prove for, who were at their prime.. died on such early age. In Aj's case, he was only 18.

I'm sorry to sound a little emotional or "OA" but the reality is, When I heard the news, I can't function properly early in the morning. I can't smile. I can't praise and worship on the Church. My mind was elsewhere. I was gloomy for a certain time.

Then I remembered in one of my devotional reading, it said: "Just because difficulties come our way, or troubles happen; It doesn't mean that God fell asleep or lost track of us, we're living on an imperfect world."

We can purely question why this happened but we serve a God who is not bound by time. He was never taken-aback on things about you. He knows it. He will never be surprised. It only proves that God is sovereign among us all. That if He says our time is up, it's done. Over.

What happened to Aj Perez made me realize two things: One, is that how in awe I am of God's grace. That it's not my effort, or my own strength but His mercy that gets me through during the day. I thank Him for the protection and security that He gives me and my family everyday. That I know, the will He has for us, it is good, pleasing and perfect.

Two: Life is really too short. We'll never know when. So I took time to reflect if I'm doing things that are with utmost importance and glorifying to my Father in heaven. Whether I'm neglecting the purpose of this life God lent me. Such queries made me think if I'm doing fine in being His daughter. Life has offered so many endeavors, which is not bad, but sometimes they conceal and deviate us to what our purpose in life really is. I realized I need to take serious action when it comes to spreading God's Word, in every possible way I can. I realized I need to cultivate relationships with people who never met Jesus and who don't understood what He did. I realized I need to hug my grandparents more. I realized I need to tell my parents and siblings how much I love them. I realized I need to exercise more on giving. I realized I need to fix broken friendships. So many meaningful things that needed to be done actually. Life is really short. We must do things that really matter before it's too late.

Before I end this blog, I encourage each of us to include Aj Perez' family on our prayers tonight. Words cannot fully describe the sorrow they are facing right now. Let's all pray that they may feel God's love and embrace in this situation.

Because God knows better than I do.. I will wait. :)

I am sharing to you this video that I saw on Miss Thammie's site. In spite of being sleepy and unimaginably tired from work. I can't let this newfound revelation unshared. So I hope that you guys will be moved like I did. Hopefully I could write a more detailed commentary about this video. As of now, I am blessed to stumble on a site wherein it contained the complete poem, so let's just watch and then break free..

"But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 NIV

So it seemed that it was cool, for everyone to be in a relationship but me.
So I took matters into my own hands, and ended up with him.
Him who displayed the characteristics of a cheater, a liar, an abuser, & a thief.

So why was I surprised when he broke into my heart?
I called 911, but I was cardiac arrested for aiding and abetting,
Cause it was me who let him in…
Claiming we were “just friends”.
It was already decided for me by the first date, that even if he wasn’t!
I was gonna make him ‘The One’
You know, I was tired of being alone.
And I simply made up in my mind, that it was about that time,

So I decided to drag him along for the ride,
Cause I was always the bridesmaid & never the bride.
A virgin in the physical, but mentally just a grown woman on the corner in heat!
Who was tired of the wait!
So I was gonna make him ‘The One’.
He had a… form of Godliness… but not much.
But hey, hey I can change him! So (honey) I’ll TAKE him, I mean he’s close… enough.
Ready to sell my aorta for a quarter, not knowing the value of its use to me.
Arties so clogged with my will, it blocked His will from flowing through me.
So, I thank Christ that His blood pressure gave this heart an attack,
That flatlined my obscured vision, put me flat on my back
Through my ignorance He sawed,
Through my sternum He sawed & cracked open my chest
To transplant Psalm 51:10
A new heart & a renewed right spirit within!

So now I fully understand,
Better yet I thoroughly comprehend,
How much I need to wait… for You.
See, the bad thing is that I knew he wasn’t you from the beginning..
Cause in the beginning was the Word
And he didn’t even sound or shine like Your Son
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,
And all he could whisper was sweet, empty nothings –
Which meant NOTHING.
He couldn’t even pray when I needed him to,
Asking him to fast would be absurd!
So forget about being cleansed & washed with water through the Word…
But I know You..
You were already praying for me.
Even never having met me,
Let me assure you, I will wait for you.

I will no longer date, socialize or communicate with carbon copies of you
To appease my boredom or to quench my thirstiness I have for attention
And short-lived compliments from ‘sorta kindas’.
You know….
He ‘sort kinda’ right, but ‘sorta kinda’ wrong?
His first name LUKE,
His last name WARM.
I, I won’t settle for false companionship
I won’t lay in the embrace of his arms,
Attempting to find some closeness,
But never feeling so far apart cause, I just wanna be held
Cause ”all I gotta do is Say” No!
No more ‘almost sessions’ of ‘almost coming close’
Passing winks & buying drinks,
I’ma, I’ma, I’ma flirt!
Who flirts with the ideology of,
‘Can you just tell me how much I can get away with & still be saved?’
NO more.
I’ll stay in my bed alone, and write poems, about how I will wait for you.
He won’t even come close,
Our fingers won’t even interlock
We won’t even exchange breath
Cause I have thoughts that I’ve ‘saved as’ in a file that God has only equipped you to open.

I will no longer get weighted down,
From so-called friends & family talks,
About the concern for my biological clock
When I serve the Author of Time.
Who is NOT subject to time,
But I’M subject to Him,
He has the ability to STOP, FAST FORWARD, PAUSE, or REWIND at any given time…

So if we could role play,
You would be Abraham & I would be Sara
Or you can be Isaac & I can be Rebecca – a servant’s answered prayer
I am bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh,
Made up of your rib Adam!
And once we meet, like electrons
I will be bound to your nucleus, completely indivisible atom.
We even speak the same math: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, which really equals 1 if you add Him.
We were all created in His image,
But you have the ability to reflect, project & even detect the Son.
If I were to explain what you looked like,
You would have to look like a star,
A son of the Son..
I would gain energy simply from the light on me.
I would need you , in order to complete my photosynthesis
I await your revelation, but once again from the genesis, I will wait for you.

And I will know you… because when you speak I will be reminded of Solomon’s wisdom,
Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses,
Your faith will remind me of Abraham,
Your confidence in God’s Word will remind me of Daniel,
Your inspiration will remind me of Paul,
Your heart for God will remind me of David,
Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah,
Your integrity will remind me of Joseph,
And your ability to abandon your own will, will remind me of the disciples,
But your ability to love selflessly & unconditionally will remind me of Christ.
But I won’t need to identify you by any special Matthews or any special Marks,
Cause His word will be tatted all over your heart.

And you will know me, and you will find me,
Where… the boldness of Esther meets the warm closeness of Ruth.
Where the hospitality of Lydia is aligned with the submission of Mary,
Which is engulfed in the tears of a praying Hanna.
I will be the one, drenched in Proverbs 31… waiting for you.

But to my Father, my Father who has known me before I was birthed into this earth
Only if you should see fit…
I desire Your will above mine,
So even if you call me to a life of singleness,
My heart is content with YOU – the One who was sent.
YOU are the greatest love story ever told,
The greatest story ever known
You are forever my judge & I’m forever Your witness
And I pray that I’m always found on a mission about my Father’s business
Oh, I will always be Yours!
And I will always wait for You Lord, more than the watchmen wait for the morning
More than the watchmen wait for the morning…

I will wait.

"I will be your confidence.."

For everything that happened for the past 5 days... Questions were asked. Emotions shattered. Up to now, no one can answer all the why, how, what, when of everyone who are affected by this calamity. Yet one thing is sure and it's been said... "I will be your confidence."

In Proverbs 3:25-26 (NIV) "Have NO fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared."

If there is one thing that I am certain, my God is bigger than all this. I will continue to TRUST in His power and glory, for He continues to show that He is Sovereign among them all.

Luke 8:23-25 (ESV)

"And as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Let's all continue to pray for this country. I pray not just for the country's recovery but I do pray that every nation will continue to reach out to the Master who governs this earth, recognize Him that apart from Him we can do nothing.