Miracles

Classmate 1: kawawa naman ung family ng kaklase natin noh? last feb lang he died tapos few
months after yung father naman nya..

Me: Oo nga e. ano daw ung kinamatay?

Classmate 2: sa throat e. CA. pharyngeal CA ata or something. basta late na nadetect kaya ang bilis.

Me: ako siguro, kapag may malala na akong sakit, hindi na ako magpapagamot. i mean, diba dun din naman papunta na yun e. sayang lang sa pera tsaka sa pagod

Classmate 2: ay oo ako din ata ganun gagawin ko...

Classmate 1: ako siguro, hindi subukan ko pa rin magpagamot.

Me: talga? bakit naman?...

Classmate: kasi I still believe in MIRACLES....

______________
this conversation happened around June. hanggang ngaun, the message still resonates with me to keep hope alive and to lean not on my understanding. God has never fails to constantly remind me that He is with me in this journey. He has never fails to give me comfort and assurance that I can put my trust in Him.

Almost there Lord! malapit na! =)

Uber Late Birthday Post

rock. hard. bible. God. Peter

"..Peter, be strong. Things may be hard. and it will be harder. But then, the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac has always been faithful to you. And He will always be and He'll be with you until His promise to you is complete."

Ewan ko ba, eto dating sa akin ng mga signs na ginagawa ng teacher namin habang tinuturo nya ang sign name ko . Saktong birthday ko lang din nung araw na yun nung dumalaw sila sa class upang magturo ng sign language. saktong kilala ko pang "artista" na lumabas sa isang indie film ang magtuturo sa group namin. saktong kaka-renew ko lang ng license ko sa nursing. Saktong mensahe lang:

tamang encouragement lang kung bakit nangyayari ang mga bagay bagay sa buhay ko. saktong assurance lang na kahit ano pang dumating sa buhay ko, panigurado, may isang Diyos na may plano, at hindi lang basta plano, magandang plano para sa akin. ang maganda pa dyan, nakakatuwa, God has been faithful to me these past few years. sakto. un siguro lang masasabi ko. walang patid. minsan hindi ko maintindihan pero kahit kailan never Syang nag fail na punuan ang kulang. laging may back up. laging may "ah kaya pala" moment. asteeg. Ngayon ko pa ba ku-question-in Sya?

at dahil sa isasabay ko na rin to sa "thanksgiving" post ko, gusto ko lang magpasalamat sa mga taong parte ng buhay. mga asteeg kayo. hindi ko alam kung hanggang kailan na lng tayo magkikita. pero sana sa pagsasamaa natin naramdaman nio kung gaano kayo kahalaga sa akin.

salamat din pala sa moonleaf st. thomas square branch kasi binigyan nila ako ng libreng pang sine hehehe complimentary cinema tickets sa SM =)

indie film actor pala nagturo sa amin ng sign language. panoorin ninyo pelikula ni Romalita Mallari, yung "Dinig Sana Kita". Feeling ko tinatawag akong film e. pangarap kong gumawa ng pelikula or kahit short film man lang balang araw

Salamat sa pagkakataong naging bahagi ako ng buhay ninyo. sana maging meaningful pa lalo ang pagasama natin sa buhay. mabilis lang ang buhay e. ang importante alam mo kung ano ang mas mahalaga para sayo.

Happy 26th orbit to me!! lapit na akong mawala sa kalendaryo! hahaha =))

Confeeeerrmm

hahaha laugh trip! hindi ko to naabutan sa cinemalaya to e buti na lng pinalabas sa main stream. in fairness, maganda sya. hindi boring, hindi naman masyado deep. may magandang message lang. kung hindi mo na gets, isa kang malaking tanga hahahah joke lang. panoorin mo na lng ulit pag hindi mo nagets. or talgang tanga ka hahahah =P kumbaga wala masyadong expectations. masayang pelikula at mapapatawa ka =) good job to the casts and crew! good job sa pelikulang pilipino! =)

How to Live a Life of Excellence

So how to live an excellent life? Accept who you are. Embrace what you can become. Be happy. Enjoy life. Share yourself with others. Take risks. Forgive. Learn to let go. Love. And hopefully, in the end, you’d hear seven words. Seven words that would define your life’s journey. Just seven words and that would be enough: “Well done, My good and faithful servant”

Voldemort Jr.

ako lang ba o parang nahahawig si Voldemort kay.....




KOKEY!
di ba may resemblance?! hahaha

Foodfest!

HALA! hindi pala nagbibiro ang parents ko nung sabihin nilang patatabain nila ako sa jeddah! grabe! lamon dito lamon dun! pizza dito, pasta doon! buffet dito, picnic doon! grabe! lamon kung lamon! minsan nga natatakot na ako. feeling ko anytime bigla na lng akong ilalagay sa kaldero at papakuluan eh bwahahahaa =)) buti na lang alam kong love ako ng parents ko <3 bwahahahaaha sobrang na feel ko ang support, love and concern ng family ko. sobrang nabuhayan ako dito sa jeddah. sobrang na feel ko kung gaano ako ka blessed at kamahal ni God. minsan nafe-feel kong unworthy ako pero siguro imbes na un ang isipin ko, ang isipin ko na lng eh kung paano ko ibabalik ang natatamasa kong blessing and love. kaya fight lang! hiyaaa! =)

six weeks. five pounds. summer 2011

Lolo Sabas

"...anak, ituloy mo ung flight mo. kung will ng Lord na makita mo pa ang lolo mo pagbalik mo, mangyayari un..."

text message ng dad ko last april sa akin habang ang lolo ko naman ay naka confine sa ICU ng isang ospital sa qc. sepsis. medyo kinabahan ako sa diagnosis dahil medyo delikado ang sepsis lalo na sa lolo ko na na-stroke a year ago and medyo may edad na rin (he's 74). May kaunting takot ako nung time na un kaya ayaw ko ring umails.

Couple of days before my flight, God gave me His words, "...so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.." (Is55:9). then i realized, it's not just a matter of me, going to jeddah or not e. it's a matter of faith and trust na kay Lord. that's when i received my dad's message. In that instance, i prayed and I asked God that I still want to see him again when i get back but whatever He wants and needs to do for my lolo, I'm accepting it.

and you know what? just a few days ng pagkabalik ko ng jeddah, good news agad. nagrecover ang lolo ko. he was able to breath without machines attached to him. he was able to raised his hands and even gave a salute to his doctors. I just knew God is working and doing something.

a week after kong bumalik from jeddah, i went to my lolo's house to see him. yeah, he recovered pero after what had happened to him, it really took toll on him: he can't speak properly and no voice is coming out from his mouth, he can't move his legs anymore, he can't move his hands as well. I hold his hand and ask how he is and I just knew that God has kept his promise to me. I asked my lolo to listen as I pray for him. I told my lolo how special he is to God and how we love him. I asked God to work in him, in us, in our family and let His will be done so that He may be glorified whatever it may be. After that prayer, I bid my lolo goodbye

Six days after that, God has answered our family's prayer. My lolo went home to our Creator. my dad and my tito from the US went here to attend to my lolo's funeral. some of my tito wasn't able to go because of work. it was really difficult to accept but what comforted us is that we know that, in during those times of unbearable events sa buhay nya, we know that he was able to see himself, who he really is, in front of God. I just know that, during those times of his "breaking", my proud and stubborn lolo accepted that he needs a saviour and he needs God. You see, though he is the reason why nakakilala ang side ng dad ko kay God, he has always been stubborn accepting the Lord. God did not gave up in reaching my lolo.

He kept His promise. He kept His promise to me and our whole family that He will reach out and work for my lolo's salvation. alam ko, hindi Niya pinabayaan ang lolo ko hanggang sa huling sandali ng kanyang buhay na nde nya maparamdam ang pagmamahal Nya sa kanya. Buti na lng, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are way beyond our ways. If there's anyone I would put my trust on, it would be God kahit hanggang sa sandali ng buhay ko, tanging sya lamang ang sasandalan ko.

to my Lolo, thank you, for the lessons you've taught me, for raising a family and giving me the kind of father I have. good job! till we meet again. may you rest in peace. we love you

"...because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.." [1 cor 15:58]

Steaksauce!

"The girl married her Prince...

..The bad guy is dead.

It's a Disney week here on Earth! ^_^

******
who knows, we might "live happily ever after", after all =)

Good Morning, Jeddah!

overlooking the red sea. yup! THE red sea that the israelites miraculously crossed to escape the pharaoh

feeding the pigeons [feeling london lolz =p]

traditional oven baked "khubs" [with matching photo op with "sadiq" =) hehehe ]

Life as We Know It

“...just because you accept help from someone,
doesn’t mean you have failed...

It just means you’re not in it alone...

****
*hugs* ^_^

Return to the Jeddah

nakakatuwa at the same time nakakalungkot ang mga eksena sa airport. mga eksenang punong puno ng pag-asa at pangarap. ngunit puno rin ng lungkot at pangungulila.

"..Kaya ni mommy to. para sa pamilya natin..." wika ng inang kausap ang kanyang anak sa telepono habang kaharap ang pakpak na magdadala ng kanilang mga pangarap at pag-asa.
****

all my bags are packed and i'm ready to go! yup! you heard (or read) it right! i'm going back to the land of sands and deserts. land of camels and mosques! the middle east! hehehe balik Saudi Arabia po ang inyong likod pero this time, sa jeddah ako magstay. since i left about 7 years ago, nagtransfer na parents ko from riyadh to jeddah. so medyo exciting and at the same time nakakakaba. hindi kasi ako faimliar dito e. hindi na rin ako familiar sa mga tao. at hindi na ako bata so basically magiging iba na rin pakikitungo sa akin ng mga tao. kinakabahan ako! hahaha parang first time! =)

ten hours and 30 minutes ang travel time. about 30 minutes longer compare to riyadh. i'll be spending the rest of my vacation dito. hopefully makapagpahinga ako and makapagrelax. as usual, asa sa magulang hehhe bahala na. importante lang din magkakasama kami lahat at kumpleto. i don't think i'll be able to go back to saudi arabia after this trip so kailangang i-enjoy ko na to and make the most out of it.
****



iwan ko muna problema ko sa pinas. in the meantime, kakain ako ng al baik, shawarma, kabsa, herfy, sambusa, al tazaj, pupunta sa shalal, sa sa corniche, sa kingdom mall, sa euromarche kung makabalik ng riyadh, dadalaw sa school, meet HS classmates based sa saudi etc. etc ^_^ to God be the glory!

For All the Loves that Keep Us Alive

"...If we can love someone so much, how will we be able to handle it one day when we are separated? And if being separated is a part of life, and you know about separation well, is it possible that we can love someone and never be afraid of losing them? [Or,] is it possible that we can live our entire life without loving at all?..."

"...I have been thinking. How will you make it from now on? But I believe so much that you can make it without me, because you have so much love for one another. Even though, sometimes, it seems to be too much that we end up hurting each other. But I believe as time goes by, we should agree that there is no such thing as 'too much love. Even if we made mistakes along the way, it's better than never having tried to love and be loved. Wouldn't you agree? Life always gives us opportunities to start over after we learn from our mistakes. I hope you take these opportunities and take good care of one another. Thank you for everything. I hope there's a chance that we will see each other again..."

After Four Days...

...of "intense" data gathering in Calamba and Cabuyao, Laguna...good job group 9! ^_^

That's Why It's Called "Falling"

Friend (3/31/2011 10:47:24 AM): Oo ayaw sakin ng love
Friend (3/31/2011 10:47:27 AM): Haha
Me (3/31/2011 10:47:26 AM): hehhe
Me (3/31/2011 10:47:42 AM): what made you say that naman
Friend (3/31/2011 10:48:19 AM): So elusive. Been trying to catch it, ayaw naman
Friend (3/31/2011 10:48:21 AM): Haha
Me (3/31/2011 10:50:33 AM): ganun ba. baka naman you shouldn't catch it kasi. let it catch you =D
Friend (3/31/2011 10:53:22 AM): Haha kaya lang hindi nya ako friend!

To Love....

"...To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell..."

-The Four Loves
C.S. Lewis

The Cityville Promise

okay. adik na ako sa cityville. ung game sa facebook where you can build your own city. puede magtayo ng bahay, buildings, at kung ano ano pa. puede nga din park e. basta may available kang supplies and energy, you can build anything! =)

yun nga lang, every time you build something, magco-consume ka ng supplies and energy.unti unting maubos ang resources mo hanggang sa wala na. puede ka namang mag "harvest" ng supplies e from your own farm, yun nga lang, medyo may katagalan. madalas nagkukulang. puede ka rin namang bumili ng energy. kaya lang hassle. magastos. mabuti na lang puede kang "bumisita" sa mga neighbors mo at makakakuha ka na ng bonus energy. puede ring manghingi ng supplies. nde kailangang mag intay, walang bayad at walang kapagod pagod. ASTEEG!

Kadalasan, sa sobrang hectic at challenging ng buhay natin, sobrang nakakwalan na ng energy. nakakawala na rin ng supplies. pero sa panahon na iniisip mong nde mo na kaya, isipin lang natin na andyan ang mga kaibigan at taong nagmamahal na handang dumamay sa atin. magbigay ng energy kumbaga. pero higit sa mga kaibigan at mga nagmamahal sayo, napaka comforting na isipin na meron kang Amang malalapitan anytime. Hinding hindi mauubusan ng supplies at energy at lalong hinding hindi mapapagod na magmahal sa iyo at sa akin. dahil "For those who hope in the Lorw will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" [Is40:31] o di ba mas ASTEEG =)

the priest and the levite

Luke 10:31-32 (New International Version, ©2010)

31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

these verses flashed in my dream last night. as soon as i was able to get hold of a bible, I looked it up and read it. the whole text talks about the story of the Good Samaritan. well, probably most of us alam naman natin kung ano ang story nun na two people did not even looked at the poor and battered person in that side of the road but a Samaritan, someone doesn't have good reputation nung time na un, was the only one who helped the guy.

Verses 31 and 32 focus on the first two guys who came before the samaritan: a priest and a levite. They're the two guys who did not even bothered to look and help the poor guy nung nakita nila ito. and what do these two guys have in common? both know the law. both know the commandment. both know God. and they did not even bothered to share the love, the kindess and the wonders of God to that guy.

Do we have time to share the gospel to our friends and family? do we have time to share His goodness and mercy to people who are in need? I believe it's a wake up call for us to share His love or whether magiging tulad tau ng levite and priest. it's about time that we take our place in this battle.