random.assurance.from.Him.

Only Him...
How He keeps my heart fearful yet trusting...
Scared yet believing...

Going through tough times?
I'd rather focus on the truth that I'm not going through this alone.
He is with me.

Praise be the name of Jesus...


His loving assurance:
Dear Maricel,

Learn the art of doing nothing. Where enjoying your existence is the only thing you do.

Relax,

God

P.S. Let me work even in your resting, Maricel.

What Mico reminded Ninang...

I didn't have any plans for another long weekend.  Thursday was declared a holiday, kasi.
I just wanted to stay home and chill.
But thanks to Ate Sam's call and I instantly had a date...Mico.
Ninang Cheche mode on.  I commissioned (hehehe) the help of Jen and Abi upon knowing they also didn't have any plans for the weekend.

Browsing through the pictures, I was reminded of some lessons I may have disregarded at times.

Meet Mommy Dragon

You can do it, just put your heart to it.

Yup, that's a dragon. Har! har! har!  Mico first asked Tita Abi to mold Flynn Ryder.  Then he turned to me saying, "Can you make a dinosaur?"  In my shock, I replied, "Ninang doesn't know how to make a dinosaur."  Being the helpful kid he is, he took his dragon, gave it to me and asked, "Okay, please make a dragon.  This is the daddy dragon, please make a mommy dragon."  I didn't want to frustrate him so I worked on my clay.  And that on the picture is a mommy dragon, wings and spikes, and all. :)  That moment, Mico reminded me that some tasks may be too daunting at times but once you accept you can do it and put all your efforts into it...you will definitely achieve something good.

Mico's comment after my finished product, "beautiful" and "good."  Ninang is mission accomplished.

Ninang, the car is taking a bath, just like Mico!

Enjoy the experience.

I kept on delaying our trip to Magic Planet.  From Dubai Mall, we dropped Tita Abi at Warba.  Then I asked Mico if we can go for a car wash first.  He became wary at first but after some explaining and assurance that we will go to Magic Planet after, he agreed.  I was praying he'll enjoy the car wash experience and he did!  He was so delighted.  I asked Tita Jen to capture his facial expressions during his car-bathing experience.  He even asked, "Ninang, can I touch?" referring to the soap suds on the window by his side.  I said yes while explaining he won't be able to touch the real soap suds because it's outside.  I explained the water rinsing...and the air drying.  He super enjoyed it I believe he forgot about the Magic Planet thing.  Seeing him in awe of everything, I was reminded not to lose the child in me.  To never fail to find joy in each experience. To always anticipate good things. :) Sheer joy.

  

He is not scary, he is a good dinosaur.

Not everything is the way it seems to be.
He likes dinosaurs.  And because he likes them, he believes they are good.  We went to Deira City Center's Magic Planet so he can have his treat of rides.  Upon seeing this dinosaur, he immediately said, "I want that, Ninang."  I was the one who got scared.  Its rubber head combined with its mechanism allows its head to move and its jaw to act like it's growling and waiting to munch on you.  Enough of my imagination. Hehehehe.  Mico went for a ride at the dinosaur's back.  And after the ride, photo opp.  Mico kept on reminding me, "He is not scary. he is a good dinosaur."  And indeed, not everything that looks scary is scary.  There's more than meets the eye.

 

We will go to Magic Planet, after?!

Stay on the goal.
After delays and detours, we reached our destination---Magic Planet!  Patience pays.  Explaining works.  With a promise of Magic Planet, but first brunch at Dubai Mall, visit to Warba, and eventually the car wash, we finally reached Dubai Mall.  I was laughing when while I was asking Tita Jen if she wants to buy anything from Carrefour Mico butt in and said, "Can we go to Magic Planet first?" Heheheh... Not another detour, Ninang. I told him yes, we'll go to Magic Planet first before Carrefour.  In life, we may have delays and detours, it may seem like we're taking a different road than others, we may feel like we're getting farther and farther than the original road....but in the end, it pays to stay focused on the goal and believing you will reach your goal one way or the other.  Lord, whenever we are in doubt, touch our hearts to trust and be comforted with the truth that You are in control.

A dose of appreciation makes the heart leap with joy.
After I made the clay dragon, Mico said, "Thank you. It's beautiful."
During the car wash, Mico kept on saying, "Wow!"
Upon meeting the dinosaur, Mico kept reassuring Ninang, "See, he is good."
After several rides and eventually getting tired with the Play Area...he agreed to stop playing and go to Mc Donald's to have dinner.  While I was cleaning him with wet wipes, Mico looked at me and said, "Thank you for coming with the rides. And thank you for bringing me here." :) :) :) precious, precious moment...What a loving appreciation from a four-year old whom you'll think was so focused with his playtime.  But no, he was so appreciative.  On our way to the parking, he again repeated his thanks.  Priceless.  I immediately sent a bbm to Ate Sam and shared my loving experience with Mico.

These are just 'some' of what Mico reminded Ninang during our bonding.  There are still sooooo many stories for just a day of being with Mico.  Ang haba na pala ng nasulat ko, hahahah.  Ninang super loves you, Mico!

Till our next date... :)

Three years ago na pala yun.
I don't exactly remember the date; I have a talent for not-remembering certain dates.

It was during those times when I experienced yung hindi matawarang sakit.
While I was cleaning up my multiply site weeks ago, I decided to let go of the many articles I wrote updating myself of my pain barometer. Hehehehe.
I decided it's time to say goodbye to those memories and sincerely focus on creating new ones.

Three years ago.  Totoo pala yun na tatawanan mo na lang yung kagagahan mo after...
I started sharing about my experience whenever I give talks...and in all these talks, pinagtatawanan lang din nila ako.  Nakakatawa pala yun?!
But when we went to Fujairah for the same retreat, it as different.
While I was sharing, Gracie and Jeanette were there on the side. Hala!
Ayun na, we were laughing and crying and laughing and crying.  In fairness, natapos ko naman yung kwento...
Basta. Ang saya. Ang sarap sa pakiramdam.
Tapos sa MEC, ganun din. I was looking through my Christ Pursuit pictures and realized...eto yun, eh.  My worst and yet my best MEC.  And here I am now standing and serving to yet another MEC.

Thank You, Lord for bringing me where I am now.
Sabi nga ni Bruce Lee, "People who do not believe they are walking in darkness will never seek the light."
My take...kapag in denial ka that you're walking in darkness, praise God for very good friends and supportive family who will lead you out of the dark.
Thank You, Lord for being my One True Light.  And thank You for letting Your light shine through my friends...

Because of His Grace

It's been five months since I lost my last job, technically.  But looking back...five months ago...up to now...even just last weekend...I am so amazed as to how I am able to survive. No, I don't like the word 'survive' alone.  I am in awe with how I am living, loving, serving, smiling, and all happy action words I could think of. Only by His grace.  I would like to focus more on the blessings---His non-stop call for me to serve. From Princess' Diaries to Princess' Diaries; travelling here and there...even outside the country.  Indeed His providence is never lacking, more so, ever fulfilling. The promotion for the recently concluded victorious MEC sustained me to stay positive and be reminded that I should be the first one convinced of the message we are conveying.  It wasn't easy...waking up realizing you have bills to pay...but find yourself submitting CVs instead.  My thoughts are running crazy now. Define coherent. Define cohesive. Hahaha!

I can go on and line up how the Lord continuously calls me to come to His side, from talks to missions, from conference service teams to workshop speaking.  Not to mention the people I gt to meet along the way who really proves they mirror God in their lives.  For the renewed friendships, for the hearts that continues on its way to healing...

As I was writing this blog, I cam across Kuya Kirby's article. And it struck me. Kaya pala. There's a line that says, But the Lord wants us to live a blessed life, more so to live in abundance. Contrary to the world, true abundance is in knowing Him, following Him, and in serving Him.

That's why I feel abundance in my life.  Only by His grace; He steers my thoughts to focus on the abundance.  Kaya nga you may not have everything but you will never feel lacking if you have the Lord.

Lord, I know I have 'Doubting Thomas' moments' pa rin po.  Please continue holding my hand.  Stir my heart into clinging to You more as you steer my mind into focusing on what is essential. And please don't stop calling me to serve.    

Heart and mind, steady lang ha.  Basta. Kapit pa. 

Oh, I will live for You; every moment of the day, to You I pray

Oh, I will worship You; every part of me, I will surrender to You

And I'll do it all, by Your grace...

Love and Forgiveness

27.August.2012

Lovelovelove Day.
From A3 to Al Ain to Oman to Abu Dhabi.
Your love knows no bounds.
Your love is so great...thank you po.
Love and Forgiveness and Healing...

Still, my favorite song resounds...
Lord, have Your way in me...

Desert Song

by Hillsong

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be empited again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

Dear Heart

Dear Heart,

Hi!  I won't ask how are you...I know (very well) how you are doing...
Or do I?


I know you're a bit tired...
I feel you're a bit weighed down...
I can think of more synonyms for tired and weighed down....
But, I'll stop here.


I wrote to you because...
Not that I want to disregard what you're feeling
More so, because I want you to open your eyes further (Yes! Hearts have eyes)
You are the seat of 'feeling' things around you...
So, I want you to 'feel' that there is more to being tired; there is a horizon beyond being weighed down.


And believe me...it's such a beautiful horizon out there!


I can hear you...no, it's not like that.
You don't look further to the horizon ahead to mask whatever negative feelings you are feeling right now...
But to have that hope...not just a sense of hope...real hope...that better things will come.
Actually, better things are here already and there's more to come.


Believe me.
I want you to believe...because we are in this together.
And as long as I can feel you are not giving up, I will continue fighting for you.


So, heart...don't fail me. :D
You were fashioned after the greatest prototype ever.
The first prototype for the heart was God's...
He was so delighted He made our hearts like His.


And I can hear Him right now telling us...nah, nah, nah...no one's giving up.


Heart, don't fail me.
Be strong.
We can weather this.
One of m favorite lines in the greatest book of life, "these, too, shall pass," keeps stirring me into holding on tight...
And my favorite story, the Lord is my shepherd, fortifies that hold.


So, heart...don't fail me.
Stay strong.
Continue beating  for me...please.


Love,
Me

Better or Bitter?

Bogged down lately by the 'what-have-I-achieved-really' disease.  In a time when people are counting anniversaries, celebrating birthdays, I found myself thinking...I am here now; what have I really become? What have I really achieved?


I felt so low, like life was sucked out of me.  I didn't realize it at first.  Further introspection led me to realize what was happening.  I am focusing on what I have not achieved. I am leaning towards what I hoped for and did not happen.  "After all these years; you've achieved so little", I can hear myself saying.  Mind you, I need not look outside my self to be envious of what others have achieved; I can be by myself and start lambasting myself with degrading comments...all on my own.


I tried to shrug it off.  I need to function. I have work. I need to be in the world for the meantime.


Then a friend called.  She was was asking for some clarifications about how she's feeling.  We walked side by side through her emotions. I was somehow helping her process why she's feeling what she's feeling.  


The Lord has His loving ways...super!


Just when I thought I was the one 'helping' a dear friend...it was actually me benefiting from the conversation.


We were both allowing ourselves to be 'victims' of our past; of our shortcomings; of our failed dreams.  And all along we are missing the beauty of the journey.  The problem with us sometimes is we reinvent and retell the story of the past to ourselves...believing it would make us feel better. Only to realize that it makes us bitter...not better.  Leave the past. Capture the lessons. Bask in the victory of past failures; looking back, you became better after every bout.


I instantly indulged myself in a moment of gratefulness.  I made a mental list of places I have been to, places that I have never dreamed of, even in my sweetest dreams, I'd be going to; I reminisced conferences I have attended; I thought of very loving people I have met in the years that passed.  I even revisited my previous birthdays, Christmases, New Years, family gatherings, fellowship, every celebration of life I could think of, and in SFC, we really mean it when we say "a lot."  Whew!  It was quite exhausting and refreshing at the same time.  It was not all happy moments...but all in all; majority; majority = 90% of these moments were love-filled, happiness-overloaded experiences.


Now, I recognized what just happened earlier.  I failed to be grateful.  I did not decide to be thankful.  I wallowed in what could have been instead of what victories have been achieved in spite of.  


I am sorry, Lord.  I know I should have known better to be more grateful than ever.  Because You have proved it to me several times...a lot of times, already. 


I remember another dear friend once told me, "Do not be sad that it ended. Be grateful that it happened." and indeed, thank You for all the experiences; thank You for the blessings. Thank You; I am grateful. Thank You.

God's Great News

I claimed.
I believed.

And indeed, it is God's Great News.

Thank You, lord, for a new work environment.

It may have taken me some time to write because of certain events interspersed with each other.
I would like to give thanks for the blessing of new work...although all my prayers were asking for help for my ate's situation.

I know I still can never thank You enough for my new work.
But still, I'll say...THANK YOU PO.
Maraming, maraming salamat po.

Thank you for my 'Art Folio'

My FB Post:
"Woke up in the middle of the night, can't go back to sleep, thinking about what happened to you...But trusting and claiming that you are now resting in God's loving embrace...no more pain, no more suffering. Mahal ka namin, Ate Lea. Pahinga na ikaw."

Salamat sa paggawa ng magandang art folio ko...ikaw yun...ikaw yung 'creative' designer ko nun.
I want to stop thinking, analyzing, imagining how you might have felt...what you could have been experiencing...I want to believe it was 'painless' as possible. Love you, Ate.  Ayan, naiiyak ko na.
Tanawin mo kami mula jan ha. Bantayan mo sila Ate Malou at Ate Iting. Mahal na mahal ka nila.

Love you, Ate.

-------

After writing this post, nakita ko sa internet ang nagkalat na paghahanap sa iyo ng anak mo via different  tumbler posts and reposts. Nakita ko rin sa internet na libing mo po pala ngayon.
Siguro kaya kita naiisip kagabi, Ate. Pahinga ka na, ha. Hug mo na lang babies mo...lovelove ka daw nila.

God's Good News

And I....surrender...
All to You...
All to You...

:D
I claim, Lord that 'this' is good news, in Your Name. Amen.

01Feb2012 in numbers

31 days past 2012.
1st day of the second month of the year.
328 days till Christmas.
Less than 24 hours before my flight.

(DEFINITELY) Looking forward to 23 days of love-filled vacation experience.

My Tatay

Me and My Tatay

Happy, happy birthday to my sweet and gwapong-gwapong tatay!

Thank You, jesus for adding another year to my tatay's life.

May you bless Him with good health and more years to spend with us...

fan

Just now, I noticed, I'm on a 'I-am-a-fan' mode.
Last week, I wrote an email to The CompanY
And today, I sent an email to Fr. Orbos...

It's this certain happiness inside of me that I so wanted them to know they brigthened up my day, or days for that matter. And I didn't want to just let it pass.

I just hope I stay sensitive enough to other people who brightens up my day/s, too, and would take time to return the favor. 
Bless my heart, Jesus; please fill it with happiness overflowing that I may share You with others.

(edited as of 26Jan2012)
I just remembered...
I sent an SMS to Kris Fade of the radio show of the same name yesterday.
Fan mode, indeed!

Loving Conversations

scary. it's so uncertain. I'm such a worrier.
Will it be a 'good' year?
-Me

Anak, in the years that has passed,
never have I forsaken you.
I have never left you; ever.
I have stayed by your side.
What proof do you need?
Trust in me.
Believe that I will never leave you.
I will be here, my child.
-God

Can there be a new me? i'm so bugged with the 'hopeless case' scenario, Lord.
- Me

It's a new year. A perfect time for a new start; a new you.
Change your ways. You can do better.You can be better.
You will be better.
- God


Uhmmm...Lord, it seems like...our thanksgiving a while ago was too short...
Now we're on our supplication...prang ang haba po yata...daming requests...
-Me

I love to hear  your thanksgiving.  I like it when you pray your supplication.
Do you understand what I mean?
I LOVE the experience of you talking to me.
Just talk to me. About anything. About everything.
-God

I fought...and won! Praise be to Jesus!

I'm writing because I want to remember this day.
I fought...and I won...

Lord, I offer to you my (our) victories.
May you touch my heart to be humble and always seek You when tempted to be swayed.
May I always scoop victories upon victories in Your Name.

Sarap ng feeling po...
Salamat po.
Loveyou, Lord.

CJ

CJ CORONA IMPEACHMENT

Great God, please bless our country, Philippines. May your concept of truth and justice reign in this process of law.  May your love prevail in the proceedings.  Touch the hearts of both the prosecution and defense to consider first and foremost the people, our country...and its betterment; rather than their personal agenda.
Amen.

Sana Di Puro Lang Sana

(was inspired by Rhonz' FB post kaya i searched for the lyrics)

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la

Heto na naman ako iniisip ka
Masaya ka rin ba na tayo ay nagkakilala
Kumusta ka na kaya?
Sana’y ikaw rin pirmi ang pag-ngiti
Sa mga alaalang atin

[Chorus]
Sana di lang puro sana
Sana magkatotoo
Sana kahit minsan di ako mabibigo
Sana di lang puro sana ang bukambibig
Sana di lang puro sana ang ating pag-ibig

La la la la la la la

Alam mo ba, mahal, lagi kitang iniisip
Parang tuwing gising na lang ako nananaginip
Alam mo ba, sinta, tuwing kausap ka
Ang bulong ko sa sarili ko’y pananampalataya

(Repeat Chorus)

Panaginip habang gising
Sana marating ko rin

Sana di lang puro sana
Sana magkatotoo
sana di lang puro sana ang pag-ibig mo

Sana di lang puro sana ang bukambibig
Sana di lang puro sana ang ating pag-ibig

(Repeat Chorus)
(Sana, sana, sana ’til fade)

apologies

Praise God for breaking our Spirits so we can seek wholeness in Him and only in Him.

#lovedbyJesusnonetheless

Was hurt again...
But I chose to write it down only now when the pain has subsided...

I firmly believe...
friends may think you're a hopeless case...
But have faith...
Jesus isn't giving up on you,
why should you give up on yourself?!

#lovedbyJesusnonetheless

I Set Fire to the Rain

This lyric's long overdue...can't find the time to search for it...
Finally....I set fire to the rain! :D


I let it fall, my heart,
And as it fell, you rose to claim it,
It was dark and I was over,
Until you kissed my lips and you saved me,
My hands, they were strong, but my knees were far too weak,
To stand in your arms without falling to your feet,

But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew,
All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true,
And the games you'd play, you would always win, always win,

Chorus:
But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touched your face,
Well, it burned while I cried,
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name,


When laying with you I could stay there,
Close my eyes, feel you here forever,
You and me together, nothing is better,

'Cause there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew,
All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true,
And the games you'd play, you would always win, always win,

Chorus:
But I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touched your face,
Well, it burned while I cried,


'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name
I set fire to the rain,
And I threw us into the flames,
Well, I felt something die,
'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time,

Sometimes I wake up by the door,
That heart you caught must be waiting for you,
Even now, when we're already over,
I can't help myself from looking for you,

Chorus:
I set fire to the rain,
Watched it pour as I touch your face,
Well, it burned while I cried,
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name


I set fire to the rain,
And I threw us into the flames,
Well, I felt something die,
'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time, oh,

Oh, no,
Let it burn, oh,
Let it burn,
Let it burn.


credits:sweetlyrics.com

I love you like a love song...

I'm loving Selena... :D


It's been said and done
Every beautiful thought's been already sung
And I guess right now here's another one
So your melody will play on and on, with best we own
You are beautiful, like a dream come alive, incredible
A center full of miracle, lyrical
You've saved my life again
And I want you to know baby

I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby

And I keep hittin' re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat

I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby

And I keep hittin' re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat

Cursing me, boy you play through my mind like a symphony
There's no way to describe what you do to me
You just do to me, what you do
And it feels like I've been rescued
I've been set free
I am hypnotized by your destiny
You are magical, lyrical, beautiful
You are...and I want you to know baby

I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby

And I keep hittin' re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat

I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby

And I keep hittin' re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat

No one compares
You stand alone, to every record I own
Music to my heart that's what you are
A song that goes on and on

I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby

And I keep hittin' re-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-peat

I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby
I, I love you like a love song, baby

I love you...like a love song...


credits: sweetlyrics.com

Somebody I used to know

It's been one of my LSS these past few weeks...



Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end
Always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened
*And to know we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough
You didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
And I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know...

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened
*And to know we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough
You didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

I used to know
That I used to know

Somebody...


credits: sweetlyrics.com

Mall Tour

Pasahero   :   (naalimpungatan) Malapit na ba tayo sa Mazaya (Center)?

Driver        :   Malayo pa. Tapat pa lang tayo ng Ibn Battuta, eh.

Pasahero   :   Saan ba yung Mazaya? Nakalimutan ko na kung saan yun, eh.  Pupunta kasi ako dun, eh.

Driver        :   Nasa tapat halos ng Dubai Mall. Shiek Zayed.

Pasahero   :   Sige, pakibaba na lang ako sa MOE (Mall of the Emirates)

Driver + Other Pasaheros :   Huh?! Hahahahaha!

Blue is glue and red is dead!

I just realized nag-career na naman pala ako ng movies...from twilight to New Year's Eve...
And just now I noticed, all these four are not 'originals'

Breaking Dawn is a sequel of Twilight
Ghost Protocol is an installment of Mission Impossible series
My Week with Marilyn is from a documentary (almost original)
New Year's Eve is original but has almost the same twists and turns as Valentine's Day (same peeps behind, eh)

Anyway...I just want to remember them also because of their famous lines. (Sometimes, I imagine myself bringing a pen and paper with me in the cinema jotting down notes.) *credits to IMDb


Breaking Dawn

Charlie Swan: You're ready?
Bella Swan: Yeah. Just don't let me fall, Dad.
Charlie Swan: Never.

- - -

Edward Cullen: No measure of time with you will be long enough. But we'll start with forever.



Ghost Protocol

Benji Dunn: Blue is glue and red is dead!


My Week with Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe: People always see Marilyn Monroe. As soon as they realize I'm not her, they run.


- - -

Lucy: Did she break your heart?
Colin Clark: A little.
Lucy: Good, it needed breaking.

- - -

Marilyn Monroe: Little girls shouldn't be told how pretty they are. They should grow up knowing how much their mother loves them.


- - -

Milton Greene (to Colin Clark):  She doesn't need saving...


New Year's Eve

Claire: New Year is about getting another chance.  A chance to forgive, to do better, to give more, to love more.

from IKV

Last time I went to Bohol was this...
Had a great time with KFCs
Paved the way for my own nieces and nephew to join KFC
Was able to spend quality time with nanay, her first time to ride a plane, huh.
Spent perfect moments with Arianna

Today, I pray for the upcoming Bohol Adventure.

Bless our schedules, Lord
Bless our plans, bless our vacation.
May our hearts be open to what you want us to experience
May our minds be ready to learn from these experiences
And may our being be ready to possess these great adventures
May You be praised, our God, our great provider.

I'm inspired with Kuya Kirby's thrust for this new year...

Fear less. Love more.


Lord, grant me the grace to define and name my fears so that I can eventually face them.
Fear and less when written apart means a reduced amount of fear, but combined together, 'fearless' means courageous. Bless my heart, Lord to be courageous enough to stop what hinders me and continue what propels me.
All of these, may I do with love for You...leading em to love myself more and trusting you most.

First Day of 2012

It's the first day of the year.
After attending Mass, we realized we had nowhere else to go...
Not to the malls, please. (hahaha to this)
Okay, let's head back home and have a lazy dinner.

While having dinner, we were thinking of things to do...
Obviously, we ended up agreeing on watching the movie, New Year's Eve.
We left our home quarter to seven and the movie was about to start by seven
Imagine the speed we were on to reach the moviehouse on time.

Uhmmm...what can I say?
I recognized Bon Jovi right away (Be didn't, eh)
I recognized Phoebe of the Charmed Ones (amazingly, Be didn't again!)

So many intertwined lives ('sosyal' version of  the movie jologs, sabi ko nga)
Okay, okay, it may seem 'bitin' but they had to squeeze in 1, 2, 3, 4...how many lives into one movie.
Some were okay...for some, 'pinilit' na lang...

I love Halle Berry's story
I emphatized with Robert De Niro's plight
I love Hilary Swank's job
It's nice to see Russel Peters
I like how Jessica Biel's hubby ended their story
Zac is way, way too young for Catwoman (but that's what the story wanted)
Lea Michele was so lucky with her elevator scene with Aston Kutcher
Nice idea with the sweets, Katherine Heigl
What took you so long to decide Bon Jovi?
And...if there's Sarah Jessica Parker, there's gotta be a beautiful pair of shoes in tow.

there....
Happy New Year!

Am I not?

??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

How many question marks can fit into one's mind?

More than the number of neurons it contains?

As many as the cell it houses?

Hurt.

That was how I felt after she greeted me.

Was it a greeting? A reprimand? An order?

Passing judgement? Announcing a verdict?

I am hurt. Because the person matters to me.

I give importance and value to what the person has to say about me.

I just want to believe You know me better, Lord.

And yes, I am better.

Lord, lead me always to pray...to confide in you whenever I am besieged with emotions like these.

Whenever negativities swarm like a typhoon engulfing a whole city...

And teach me to be careful, too, with the words that I speak...

So I may not commit the same unintentional act

Of hurting the people I love.

Bless my heart that I may speak of words of love...

Amen.

The Blind Audition

The Voice's Season 2 is still a month away...

Am still amazed with their concept of the blind audition.

Makes me wonder and hope at the same time...

I just hope our ears are as attuned as theirs when it comes to hearing the voice of the One.
Even when 'blinded' or when we don't really see Him, we feel Him and know that that is Him
We know because we're so used to His voice
We know because we're attuned to Him
We know because we have developed a relationship with Him
We know because we always know the voice of the ones we love.
We know...and we are right.