It's a bald's world...

Frap-o, beer and others...

2007-08-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to fill this place up. It's been so long that I've been into blogging. Anyway, random thoughts lang naman eto. Just for fun...

Frap-o and Beer

I had the best 1 on 1 with my unit head last thursday (and sorry for my household, I kept on waiting for Bro. Jhun downstairs, forgot to check everyone on the CLP venue). It was a relaxing conversation with Bro. Jhun. Of course, the normal place, Coffee Bean malapit sa Sts. Peter and Paul church. Had a nice talk about things, affirmations and sound-quality advises. And that thing called 'love', haha! Di mawawala yan. And of course, same orders - frap for me, cappucino for the big bro.

But this time, with bonus - sound-tripping with beers sa Chimes... Sarap. There was this question I misheard na natawa kaming dalawa. Akala ko "Bro, may insomnia ka ba?" un pala "Bro, nakapunta ka na ba ng insomnia?". Nasagot ko tuloy "minsan bro, minsan nakakatulog ako ng 4am". Haha!

Ended up the night with SMS message from Bro. Jhun - "laban mo, laban ko. walang iwanan..." Another reason to cherish friendship and brotherhood. Thanks bro, we've been a lot of struggles together. As promised, andito ako kahit di kailanganin...

Banda Fantastica Album Launch

Long overdue na eto pero update na din. Last July 21, 2007, Transient Attack was given the privilege to perform as one of the guest bands sa album launching ng 'Banda Fantastica' sa Bar None, Marriot Hotel. Another great experience.

Another great experience to treasure din, first gig namin ni Buddy Kaloy as bandmates. Brad, you're such a Holy Bassist. Kaya naman... wala... haha!

August 12 was really a frustrating one. Pre naman! Dun namin nilaan ung mga songs na pinilit naming di tugtugon sa Bar None para panggulat man lang sana. Pero oks lang. That "Charlie Brown's Parents" with piano intro... Sayang... Haha! O eto, videos, for everyone's indulgence...

Bar None Gig (Down and Killing in the name of)

Bar None Gig (And Fools Shine On)

Between MM practice and...

...my keyboarding class last wednesday, as always, priority ko ang believer music class. And I always wish MM members can attend any music programs from this school. Where can you find a music school that teaches how to play an instrument with praise and worship integration?

Every session is an inspiring one. My instructor is always opening everyone's heart and mind and instill to everyone the importance of being in the music ministry. Kaya nga, I just wish SFC MM members can attend to any programs they offer :).

Banda Fantastica 2 - Octoberfest!

And now we're finally in. We just confirmed, we will be taking part for the BF2 album project. Can't wait to hear the final output of any songs we will be including (can I just suggest "Her Masquerade"?) Bro Jay-R, you're a wicked drummer, tingnan natin talento mo sa paglapat ng tono. Surprise us, tol!

My National Anthem is back...

"People don't know bout the things I say and do
They don't understand about the sh*t that I've been through
...
I've been giving just ain't been gettin'
I've been walking that thin line
So I think I'll keep on walking With my head held high
I'll keep moving on and only God knows why"

- Only God Knows why by Kid Rock

Just never wish me to sing this song in a common crowd...

Treasuring Tito's Trust...

2007-07-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

As I wrote this post, I still don’t know what to feel. I just wanted to release the joy. This is about one of the few people I trust most, our SFC big tito – Tito Beng. He’s not just the one that made me say I need to defeat him in a singles tennis match because he’s really good. Not just someone I can’t answer back “no, I can’t” even if it’s thru a phone conversation whenever he needs me to do something regarding SFC service (imagine talking to him in person, I barely can’t speak nor can’t refuse a call for service). But he’s our tito, an exemplar of servant leadership.

Supporting him for CFC Leaders Assembly Praise and Worship as part of the music ministry and with my household is really a blessed experience. Tito can’t hide the joy, we saw it. “You’re the man” gesture is the assurance that he enjoyed serving with us and same goes in us with him. And yet, it’s a humbling experience for all.

Supporting SFC Discovery weekend MM led me to enormous gratitude, after tito’s embrace while saying “thanks bro, job well done”. How I wish I can share that very moment with my household who also supported him starting from his P&W leadership for CFC-LA until SFC-DW.

Continental Leaders Forum is on the way. I know I can’t be with the Singapore contingent because “Hello Asia” gig is on the way. That gig is something that I wanted. Tito asked me why I can’t come and I gave that reason.

Tito wanted me in (according to a close friend who is one of the organizers of SG deletion for CLF in Indonesia) so that I can support MM for the CLF. It made me feel so heartrending. He’s willing to give up his slot just for me. I just wish I didn’t disappoint tito.

Why is this so important for me? Because there was a point that I no longer trust some people inside the community, making it to the point that I collectively view community with distrust. But then, with the help of my 2 unit heads (yes, I have 2); I was able to regain that trust. But it’s like a start from scratch.

Why is this so important for me again? It’s because it made a BIG difference in me. It made me want to serve more, an assurance that the help and support will always be available to those who made themselves available to help and support others.

Hey tito, I hope this will be the last time that I'll say 'no' for service. Thanks for trusting me.

For all of these, may God be praised!

UPDATE:

31-July-2007: Transient Attack will no longer take part to the "Hello Asia". It's because the management of the event suddenly changed certain activities in line, and band performances are no longer included (except their very own Pop Machine). Even if half-hearted, I decided to join CLF in Indonesia and support the Music Ministry of SFC Singapore.

The First Photoshoot

2007-05-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to say much in this blog, except my first photoshoot here in Singapore. It’s an awesome experience; I didn’t expect it’s a fun kind of endeavor. Hmmm. Thinking of switching career? No. Sideline cguro, pwede pa. Ika na ni Sis. Vinkie, Programmer, then rocker, then model. Haha!

Brad (Waway), thanks for the experience pre. May utang akong cuervo sa tropa mo. Salamat. Thanks for the recognition din sa personal site mo.

Here are some of the pics taken. More on the gallery section.

I breathe and eat music...

2007-04-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am about to post something about my 25th birthday but I guess it’s better that people that are mostly reading my site are not aware of what happened. Hehehe. I’d rather post something that would be a source of happy thoughts every now and then.

When 2007 began, I set goals for myself and I set this year as a year for myself. One of my goals is to write or arrange a song every month. That means, to complete 12 songs for the whole 2007 and eventually be compiled. Big goal isn’t? But what made this year a memorable year for me so far is that I was able to collate 4 songs already. Three of them were poems written by my closest friends and one of them, I wrote and arranged it as a birthday gift for my friend.

I wish I could record these songs and post them here. Anyway, just run thru with the lyrics first and hopefully, within this year, I can commission my friends to sing these songs for me for a one big recording. Hehehe. The songs are arranged from latest to oldest. Enjoy!

	Her Masquerade
	Lyrics: Almin Manalo Arrangement: Almin Manalo (soon) Alternative/Rock-type - Intended for my secular band here in Singapore 1. She promised lasting insanity As she gazed to stars above She promised earthly serenity Never thinking, it’s all profanity CHORUS: Oh, she’ll let you sleep on her bed of lies And she’ll leave you dream with dull surprise REFRAIN: Behold, roll now the red carpet In the greatest revelry on dirt Put the mask, start the show Enjoy the end in her masquerade In Her Masquerade In Her Masquerade 2. And she said her’s as sweet as fantasy Trying to dress grin of simplicity She’ll dance with you on shoe of death Be mesmerized by her poisonous scent BRIDGE: Oh, she’s beautiful... As she crafts a heavy fair Slowly walkin’ down the fire She’s killing me with a stare Repeat Refrain In Her Masquerade... In Her Masquerade... (until fade)
	Lord, It's You
	Lyrics: Almin Manalo Arrangement: Almin Manalo (soon) Gospel/Praise Song Verse 1 Lord, in You, I take my safe haven In you, I won’t be put to shame Rescue me, from the dark, let me see Reach out Your hand, free me, save me Chorus Here Lord, stand still, be my Rock And be my stronghold as I walk For You, O God, my guide and might In pain, free me, be my light Refrain It’s You, O Lord, my pride, my love That brings peace to every heart My truth, my trust in days of strife On You I lean, my hope, my life Verse 2 Lord, in the hush of my serenity Shape me; mold me, with Your mighty hand Fill me with the Joy of heaven Cleanse me, give Your peace within Bridge Faithful and loving, You’ll always be Never giving up walking with me Help me strive to serve You each day That others will see Your will, Your way

	Blue Taxi (Joy Ride)
	Lyrics: Almin Manalo Arrangement: Almin Manalo (Birthday gift for Sis. Raia) Intro: A-E-Dsus2-E (2x) I. A E Hey, wazzup? It’s late again Dsus2 E Let’s grab a cab, let’s go, start the trip A E Never mind the distance, just seat back Dsus2 E Fasten the strap, plush a seat REFRAIN C#m Dsus2 A See the lights, passing by E A We’d rather talk, share a life E D Let them out, weariness, pains Dsus2 (pause) All heartache, in side of strife CHORUS A E Dsus2 Good to know, we share the rhyme E Bumping in to humps of times A E Dsus2 With this blue taxi, passing night E (pause) Thanks to you, and this joy ride A-E-Dsus2-E II See in us, with pain inside But same here, let’s drive the past With old memories, calm the heart Into the road, let’s see life’s new start Repeat Refrain Bridge C#m Dsus2 A E As the old chap do the driving, let’s just relax C#m Dsus2 A E We hush distrust, we sense the hope A (pause) E (pause) Dsus2 (pause) Dsus2 Good to know, we share this life Repeat Chorus (2x) E A-E-Dsus2 Thanks to you, and this joy ride (2x) E A Thanks to you, and this joy ride
	Ngayong Kapiling Ka
	Lyrics: Ruschelle Pena a.k.a. Moomai Arrangement: Almin Manalo Gospel/Worship-type of song. Capo on 2nd fret Intro: C-Em-F-G I. C-Em-F-G Kakaibang saya ang nadarama C-Em-F-G Ng nabatid na ako'y Iyong mahal F-Am-Dm-G Kakaibang pagmamahal ang nadarama F-Am-Dm-G Ng nadama ang Iyong pagmamahal II. Kakaibang ngiti ang namumutawi Ng nalaman na Ikaw ang aking ngiti Kakaibang tibok ang pumipintig Ng nalaman na Ikaw ang bawat pintig III. Kakaibang sayaw ang ginagalaw Ng nalaman na Ikaw ang bawat galaw Kakaibang musika ang sinisigaw Ng sa'king puso ang naghahari ay Ikaw. IV. D-F#m-G-A Kakaibang ningning ng mga mata D-F#m-G-A Ng laging Ikaw ang nakikita G-A Bawat saya G-A Bawat ngiti G-A-G Bawat tibok, galaw ay iba A (pause) D-G Ngayong kapiling Ka... D-G Kapiling Ka... D-G Kapiling Ka...
	Pagsibol
	Lyrics: Emma Rose Ramos a.k.a Emskie Arrangement: Almin Manalo Gospel/Worship-type of song. Capo on 1st fret Intro: G-D-Em-C-D (2x) Verse: G-D Sa pagpatak ng ulan Em-C-D Isang pagsibol ang inaabangan G-D Liwanag na inilaan Em-C-D Sa dilim na nararamdaman Chorus: Bm-C Gulo sa isip, Bm-C Wala ng mapuntahan Bm-C Gulo sa damdamin D Di maintindihan Refrain: G-D-Em-C-D Ibubulong na lang sa hangin, itong mga hinaing G-D-Em-C-D Iduduyan na lang sa bisig, samyo ng paghihimbing G-D-Em-C-D At kung ika'y mahihirapan, wag mag-atubiling C-D Lumapit sa langit... Repeat Intro Repeat Verse Repeat Chorus Repeat Refrain
	Alleluia, Praise Thee!
	Lyrics: Emma Rose Ramois a.k.a Emskie Arrangement: Almin Manalo Gospel/Worship-type of song. Intro: E-B-C#m-A (2x) 1. E-B-C#m-A The song of praise, I will sing E-B-C#m-A And forever in my heart, I will bring G#m-C#m-F#m-B Joyful songs for the world to hear G#m-C#m-F#m-B (pause) And God's graciousness, for His children He loves so dear Refrain: E-A Alleluia, Ruler of Heaven and Earth. Praise thee! E-A Alleluia, Ruler of Heaven and Earth 2. The Joy I found in serving thee Is the fountain that nourishes my soul My heart sings for joy, for in You I have found I praise you God my Lord, for blessing my whole life By giving me Your love Repeat Refrain Bridge: G#m-C#m My life had changed F#m-B My heartbeat had changed G#m-C#m-F#m-B The way I see things has brought meaning to my days G#m-C#m-F#m-B It is in You I owe, the happiness I claim G#m-C#m-F#m (pause) From the bondage to myself, made chain B (pause) That you had freed me Repeat Refrain Glory! Alleluia, Ruler of Heaven and Earth Amen! Alleluia, Ruler of Heaven and Earth

Feb 18 Gig

2007-02-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

For those who came, thank you very much. Being the lead vocalist for Kernel Panic is an awesome experience. Hoping to experience more gigs with the band.

Last night's line-up of songs for Kernel Panic were:

01. Dani California (RHCP) - Sound check
02. I Alone (Live)
03. Counting Blue Cars (Dishwalla)
04. Like A Stone (Audioslave)
05. Alive (Pearl Jam)
06. Under The Bridge (RHCP)
07. Here Without You (3 Doors Down)
08. Why Cry (The Panic Channel)
09. Creep (Radiohead) - impromptu, due to technical problem.
10. Mr. Clay (Bamboo)

11. Doo Bidoo (Kamikaze) - Encore performance

Here are some of the captured moments last night. For more photos, you can visit Leyo Odulio's photobucket site. You can also visit PhilMusicSG Yahoo Groups. Currently, the group's cover photo is me with Mesh Potatoes' lead vocalist.

-o0o-

Encore... Finale with Mesh Potatoes' lead vocalist...

Hoping that I was able to rock the house...

The supporting SFC-Singapore brothers...

Kernel Panic on stage...

Connecting with the audience.

The Band...

2006-12-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

Pablik Schul... Miss ko na kayo... Thanks Erome (bassist) for the video.

Pahimakas Sa Nakaraan

2006-12-06T01:09:00.000-08:00

Pagduyan sa awiting ating naririnig
Pagsabay sa agos, kung san dalhin
Sa oras ng paglisan, kaway ng nakaraan
Alaalang nakaguhit sa bawat pilat ng ulan

Lumingon sa pinanggalingan, alaala'y balikan
Alalahanin at pulutin, magagandang karanasan
Maglakad sa parang ng bawat kabutihan
Sumayaw sa saliw na dala ng kamusmusan

Ibaling ang pansin sa sulok na madilim
Sa mga sandali na naging bulag at sakim
Bilangin ang luha na dumaloy sa mata
at mga pagbugso ng damdamin sa lamig ng baga

At Ilipad ang sarili buhat sa nakaraan
Kalong ang punla ng mga natutunan
Ibaon sa puso, sa lupa ng kinabukasan
Ng bumunga na huhubog sa minimithing kinabukasan

Humarap sa bukas at isulong ang hakbang
Ituloy ang yugto na may ngiti at tapang
At sa mga araw na mapupuwing at masasaktan
Alalahanin ang pahimakas sa nakaraan

You’re still my best buddy...

2006-11-21T01:37:00.000-08:00

“Mom, it’s been 2 decades when I first saw the mom that I know in you since then. The family was in great turmoil but you managed to stand alone. That was the time I first saw you cried, struggled and confused what to do with us. You were always filled with fear by then, which the smile you were wearing was just to cover those things from us. But then you continued the life that God had entrusted to you. You failed us to give a descent house, sumptuous food, elegant clothing. You let us live in a shanty, eat anything just to complete the 3 meals, ask your friends to give their children’s unused uniforms for school. Because I know, financially, you really can’t, even if you desired. I saw you worked so hard just to meet one thing – education. I know… that’s all that matters to you.

I’ve been your bodyguard. I know the places you’ve been, the people you’ve met and emotions you’ve felt, every little thing about you. I got the chance to listen to your problems and sighs, as if I’m already mature enough to understand every thing that you’re telling me. You’re always asking me to be with you. Yeah. Those were the days that my toes became stiff because we have to walk a mile just to reach a place and save the fare instead. Yup, too tiring mom. We started doing that when you’re already alone…

I can still remember your face when you scolded ate in front of your co-teachers because she lost me after watching Rita Avila and Cesar Montano’s movie in Cubao. I was in Grade 1 then. I have to walk from Cubao to UDMC in Welcome Rotonda. I can still remember your fear back then.

Isn’t funny that you’re the one who went with me when I was circumcised? Of all the parents there, you’re the only girl. I was so ashamed that time but I have no choice. You’re alone, always alone… But then, I’m still lucky. There’s no such thing as Father-and-Son event at school. Or else, I’ll be missing the fun, or should I say, I would prefer to miss it.

Mom, remember those days when we were always coming home late because you have to go to different houses, rendering your time to be their tutor? I think you don’t even have a rest day because even during weekends, you have to do the same thing to them. During those days, I learned to do my home works in one of those houses, do my reviewers for the upcoming exams and do the reviewing in the jeepney, trying to memorize every bit of information, always thinking that I should not fail any exams because I might fail you as well. I know it will make you cry.

There was a point in my life that I failed to be the top notch of the class. I didn’t even make it to the honor list because of the reason that the principal didn’t like me, at the same time, my teacher in values education. I should be the one asking why. But then, you’re the one who pleaded her to explain. I saw you walked out from her office crying and when you approached, you just smiled and told me ‘ok lang anak… medal lang un’. For me, that time, it’s just about the medal and the honor. But for you, it’s for the yearly scholarship. I saw you accepting more work. I know it’s for you to cover up my sister’s tuition fee that’s by that time taking up Nursing, my brother’s fee who’s taking up Engineering and for my tuition fee that is almost of twice as your monthly salary. But then you just smiled even if you’re alone.

Love life… remember the time when I told you that I already had a girlfriend? I can’t figure out if you’re happy or not. You just smiled. But then I know you. You’re not expressive since then. That time, we’re always talking about my girl. And also, you opened up your worry that the school might feel bad if I declined their offer to send me to the seminary at their cost. Remember my first ambition. I’m the one who wants to be a priest. You didn’t tell me any words if you really wanted me to become one or not.

I offered my high school graduation to you. I asked you not to let dad go on stage because he didn’t gave anything to support you. But then, you insisted. So naïve and selfish of me, isn’t? You even asked me to mention his name and thank him during my valedictory address. While I was delivering my speech, my teachers were weeping. I saw people crying. But then, you’re not one of those people. I failed to understand you that time.

I carried ‘til college the insults of my high school teachers to me when they knew that the top of the class will just end up with PUP. That made me doubt what I can do for college. But you said it’s not about the school. You’re the only one who understood my situation, even if I didn’t mentioned the reason why I have decided to go to that university. It’s always about the money mom. I want to finish college without giving you the burden of sending me to school. I stopped thinking that expensive schools would be cool and much honoring.

College days, you saw me smoked cigars and even drunk too much. But you’re not saying anything. I can still remember the time when you discovered that I smoke. You just asked me, ‘kelan ka pa naninigarilyo’ in a tone that won’t hardly break a thread and I just answered you ‘matagal na’. I know I broke your heart, but then I tended not to mind you. Instead, I continued. I didn’t mention that I cut classes because I don’t want to focus on the minor subjects, I drunk every week; I spent my allowance for non-sense stuff. I was so quiet that time about what’s happening in my life. You still continued your life, but I know deep inside, I was a burden to you already…

You punched me, unknowingly, when you got your retirement benefits and the first thing that you have decided to buy was a computer for me. It even consumed your savings to half but you still insisted to buy me one. You told me that I needed it. Months passed, you still made it to provide what we need. But you hid something from me mom, you’re savings was dropping. And when you realized, you started looking for a source of income. I saw your hardship that time. Your punch gave me a wake up call. I have to help you somehow. Because of you, seeing you worked so hard for us, gave me the initiative to dream for something valuable. I want you to be my best buddy. I want to give you a descent house. I want you to experience things you haven’t experienced before. I want you to feel that you are loved. I want you to enjoy life.

My diploma and my medal, I offered those things to you. Though I already forgave dad and I asked him to come, he didn’t came. But that’s ok. Your presence sufficed and completed my final graduation day. Same thing, you didn’t cry. You’re still the mother I’ve known, never been expressive. But I know you’re happy for me. You didn’t tell me that you were not able to sleep because you prepared a banner for me, made up of cartolina and letterings, entailing ‘Congratulations, our dearest Almin’. So cheap, and yet, so touching. I just knew when we went home and my elementary teachers were there. You surprised me that time. I didn’t tell you how happy I was.

I worked, bearing every lesson that you had taught me. I fulfilled my dreams for you. I sacrificed. It’s something I learned from you. I thought I failed you, but every time I see you smile, I know I didn’t. We went a lot of out of town trips. I saw how you enjoyed those things. I saw that in your face, but no words uttered. I even saw you frightened when I asked you to try things like snorkeling, ice skating and mountaineering. Even if you refused at first, I’m thankful because you dared to try the things I enjoy most.

Remember when I graduated from my CLP a couple of years ago? You surprised me. I didn’t know my friends in the community will be doing it to me. I was so happy then, the happiest graduation of my life. You witnessed the start of my renewed life and I thank you for having time going there.

I missed you mom. When you arrived here in Singapore, you’re still the same. Never been expressive. I even asked you what it feels like to be here because it’s your first international flight; you gave me response that’s absolutely not the answer to my question. But then, I know you’re happy. When you are about to leave, you’re still the same. Until such time when I embraced you as you went inside the departure. I saw you wept. I should be the one doing it. With that, I accepted, I am destined to be here, for you, for the family.

You’re still my best buddy mom. And for all the things that happened in my life, I’m glad that you’re always there… As promised, I will give everthing just to make you happy. Mom, remember, you're not alone. I am here...”

That’s why I’m here...

2006-10-31T01:00:00.000-08:00

Most of the times, we have this feeling of we want to belong in a group of people with at least have the same interest or share the same passion we have. That we want to see and feel people intended to be part of our whole being, of our whole system, of our whole “me”. In short, we wanted to feel the belongingness. And it could be destiny why you are in a group, a community or in a deeper sense… family.

I joined SFC because there’s something deeper that I want to do… to change.

I always look back on the days when I was in college. Majority of my life were wasted on non-sense stuffs. Too much of the darker side of life. Too much of desperation to be cool and to be in. Too much of aspiration that you have to experience the bad side as well to make you say “been there, done that” without fully realizing that the statement is only applicable for an event in one’s life where things are so uncertain and the future is so unpredictable. Life’s darkness sometimes came to a decision where you have only two options and you opted not to stay on the light.

Sometimes, we’re searching for answers to give us a head start on how to begin a particular thing that, in our minds, could be very easy but in reality, can take us to finish the whole course of our lives here in material world. We’re too busy sometimes looking for answers from afar, where most of the times; answers are all right under our very nose. To change… for me, it didn’t come like a birthday present, ready to be opened. It came from a deep realization. It all started from a profound comprehension and understanding… it’s time for the prodigal son to come back. And the keys when I restarted… family and friends.

There were a lot of ups and downs when I was in the community. The worst case, I even planned to relieve myself from it, not once but many times. I even questioned my faith and started thinking that I don’t deserve to be in the family. Self-guilt led me to that mentality, as if when you are in the community, you are not suppose to be showing any signs of faults or flaws.

So, why is it that I’m still in the community?

I strongly believe that nobody’s perfect, that everybody commits mistakes and change doesn’t seem to be an overnight or instant process. I joined SFC carrying my deep intention, aside from the shallow reasons that because my friends are also members and they asked me to join. I almost forgot to hold on to it, that I promised with conviction. And nowadays, this conviction is being tested repetitively.

And what will make me continuously love the community?

If I still see people who do not expect their brethrens to be flawless because nobody is. If I still see people who believe in their brethren’s deeper purpose and desire to improve as a person and as a living disciple of God. If I do still see some brethrens who accepts their brethrens, no matter how many times they stumble and fall. If I still see people who will give me reasons to still believe to others. And if I still see hope in me in spite of the unenthusiastic forces surrounding me and hindering service life and that hope was left if no one is able to continue for Him. Then there are no grounds why I should stop my serves to the community.

I’m here because I just don’t want to belong; I’m here to change – for God and not for others…

God bless everyone!

I've never been more homesick than now...

2006-10-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Homesick
Mercyme

You're in a better place
I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times
I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken
the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is
then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength
to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord
cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder
if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me
the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here
so far away from home

I close my eyes
and I see your face
If home's where my heart is
then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength
to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus
with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes
and I see your face
If home's where my heart is
then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength
to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength
to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength
to make it through somehow...

I've never been more homesick than now

What’s next in God’s Plan?

2006-10-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

The decision didn’t came in an instant. The decision came after the few weeks discernment and constant hope. It was one of the most difficult decision ever, to the most unpredictable place and could be in not-so-good-neither-bad timing.

I resigned from my current company.

I’m having mix emotions right now. Happy, yes, maybe because I was able to find a new work place here in Singapore. Worried, most likely, because starting today, unexpected things might happen and since I’m so vulnerable right now because of the things happening in my life right now due to unenthusiastic forces surrounding me, there is a tendency for me to really give up. Honestly, I’m not worried of not getting a new job here in Singapore because I can always return to the Philippines and continue the life that I left there. Much heartrending? One could be, or most likely the saddest is, saying goodbye to my new-found family here in Singapore.

It was His plan for me to be here. It could be His plan this time for me to go back home.

What triggered me to relieve myself from my current company? Money. Mukha na nga akong pera siguro. It’s just like I want to see my face in one of the dollar sheets. It could be the devilish way of life, thinking about money. Will that be a call to return to the dark side? As long as what I’m earning is for the betterment of my family, then so be it.

Another? Career of course. I don’t like what’s happening with my career with my current employer. I’m in the height of looking for more knowledge, more exposure and more marketable-me. Not a selfish thing actually. Because it’s the only gift I can give to myself. To sum up, I don’t want to see myself going to work but don’t really work at all.

God knows how miserable I am fighting my struggles here in Singapore. He knows how homesickness consumes my whole being. Though I’m still trying to fight for that negative emotion, He knows that I’m already exhausted. I’m just waiting Him to tell me, “You’re already tired. It’s time for you to go home”.

Right now, I’m thinking what should be done in my remaining 2 months here in my current employer. I want to spend it with SFC. I want to continue my service to the community to the fullest without minding all the struggles that will hinder me to attain it. I want to go to the places I’ve never been before. I want to spend my remaining days here with my best buddies, my closest family, my truest friends – Raggamuffin Family.

And when I’m home, I’ll be cherishing the days I spent here in Singapore, the people, the places I’ve been, the food, the happy moments of my life, while continuing the life I used to love before I went here. My journey back home can also be the answer to my question which SFC chapter really needs my service? Until now, I’m still worried about it.

If God permits me to stay here in Singapore, then that could be fine. Sacrifices, sometimes I’m always thinking about it when I need to deal with His plan. Too painful most of the times. Nevertheless, I just hope He will continue to bless me and provide good people, to become my stronghold and my strength in times that things are so unclear and the uncertainties are so unbearable.

I’m asking everyone to please pray for me.

God bless everyone!

Celebrity Look-alike huh?

2006-09-29T04:22:00.000-07:00

Time to change career?

Longing for mountains…

2006-09-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

I miss the way we stuck our feet with mud…
I miss the way we carry 12 liters of water at the back, walking for almost 2 days…
I miss the way limatiks suck my neck to get some fresh blood…
I miss the way we shout unceasingly while pouring a very cold water from the head…
I miss the way we slide when the trail is slippery…
I miss the way we eat oatmeal with milo for breakfast…
I miss the way we bring ponkana juices, lots of meat loaves and sausages when performing an assault to the peak…
I miss the way we shouted “I declare this, the PEAK!”…
I miss the way we rest without minding how dirty the ground is…

I miss my mountain buddies…
I miss the mountains…
That’s all I can say for now…

My Favorite Superheroes...

2006-09-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

I'm still in the process of summarizing all the things that happened during the one whole month sportsfest, including the recent anniversary celebration of the Couples For Christ here in Singapore. It's been a long time that I wasn't able to put some entries here. Though, not originally made, I decided to share this to everyone. I got this one from Bo Sanchez's DIDACHE, based reflection for September 26, 2006. This reading inspired me more - to love my friends more and also to share the love I'm getting from them to others. Enjoy...

---

“They don’t possess super powers the way the members of Justice League of America or the Fantastic Four or the X-Men do.

They aren’t even the Rizal-Bonifacio-Aquino-ready-to-save-the-nation types.

In fact, they’re normal, everyday people who hold regular, often boring, jobs.

This is the group I call my friends.

Their common characteristic? They have BIG hearts… and not the ones that give you coronary when you least expect it. I mean that they have so much love in them that when I need them, they go all out to provide me with the time, energy, efforts, ideas, money and yes, shoulders-to-lean on. Without expecting me to return the favor.

I could have chosen at any point to take advantage of these kind-hearted people or to be a parasite to them. Instead, God made me realize that my life is meant to be like theirs and not to take from theirs.

I am meant to serve others in return.

There are people who act as if there is no hope. No tomorrow. No soul. What can I do for them? I repay my friends by giving them some of the goodness they shared with me. I’m sure, after all, that the goodness had a source… the biggest Superhero of all time… Jesus.”

---

God bless everyone!

Meet the SFC-SG Band...

2006-09-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

Over the mountains and the sea,
Your river runs with love for me,
and I will open up my heart
and let the Healer set me free.
I'm happy to be in the truth,
and I will daily lift my hands:

for I will always sing of when
Your love came down.

I could sing of Your love forever!

A bunch of… thanks!

2006-09-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

For a couple of weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of things that really made me not to think about the feeling of “homesickness”. I thought I’ll be sucked up with this negative feeling until such time God answered my prayer to give me something that will make me not to mind the lonesome sentiment. That negative feeling, it subsided, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those people who became a channel of His answer, for letting their selves to be used as an instrument -- unconsciously.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Him of course for answering my prayers. Those things really meant a lot to me for these past few lonesome days here in Singapore. I know that He let me feel and long for home to remind me everything -- success, failures, everything we have right now – is to be used for His Glory. Thank you, Father.

Thank you very much for the books that made me think of the things that are much important than the things I’m feeling right now – The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Tuesdays with Morrie, The early bird catches the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese and It’s not about Me – that I was able to finish reading in the span of 2 weeks (I’m just new in reading inspirational books so I don’t know if I’m too slow for reading those books). I know that thinking solely of my very own feeling is a selfish thing and changing the way I think will surely drag me out of my comfort zone. But I’m very grateful that God handed me those inspirational books. These books boosted me a lot. Most especially the last book I mentioned. It was written by Max Lucado and I’m very blessed for having that one. It’s fate why I grabbed that book and I know, the day I bought it, He directed my eyes to it so that He can relay His message thru that book.

SFC-SG Band, I thank those people who first thought of forming this group. For the second time, I got an opportunity to be with people whom I can share with the same passion I have in music and for one purpose – to praise Him. I know that being in the guitars and vocals at the same time is not an easy task but I thank them for empowering my confidence to play that part. For our maestro Bro. Rei (keyboards), Bro. Je (drums), Bro Eric (bass), Bro Carlou (lead guitar), Bro. Red (vocals) and Sis. Tintin and Liway (vocals), thanks for the support you are giving to each member of the band. Our first debut was a success and I know that’s just the beginning. I know we’ll be rockin’ the community on its upcoming activities.

Sis. Rowena Micua, my brethren here in SFC Singapore. She deserves a ‘thank you’ space here. When I went back to the Philippines, one of my plans was to buy Bo Sanchez’s Didache but unfortunately, Glorietta’s National Bookstore wasn’t able to give me a complete set. When she read my previous blog, she told that me she has a complete set and she’ll give it to me. Nahiya ako kasi I know she’s using it but then she insisted. Thanks sis! I’m reading it everyday, don’t worry. Thank you very much for giving me those inspirational stuffs.

For those who appreciated my sharing last Prayer Assembly, especially Tito Beng, Sis Moomai, Sis Weng, Sis Marian and her company. Honestly, I don’t know what to share that time. At the same time, I’m to afraid that I might (again) run out of words to say and start talking non-sense stuff. But then, when Tito Beng acknowledged the things I said before the closing praise and worship, that gave me a very happy heart. It was seconded by Sis. Moomai when she texted me and she said that thru my sharing, her question was answered. Sis Weng even left an offline message for me when I got home after the household fellowship. Sis Marian, with some of our brethrens who went to Esplanade for fellowship, also informed me that they also talked about what I shared last Prayer Assembly. I appreciated those things but then, I just want to convey that He should be thanked and be recognized, not me. I was just the messenger and I’m happy to be one. He used me to tell His message to the whole SFC community.

To my Household, thanks for a very wonderful Fellowship last Saturday. Even if we were not complete that time, masaya pa din. Also, thanks for bombarding my inbox on how we can plan Bro. Marnie’s and Bro. Lloyd’s surprise party. Kukulit! Urung-sulong ang mga plano. In the end, we had a very nice output. We deserve a treat from Bro. Marnie. Hahaha. The closest family I have in the community, I thank my big bros for minding this little bro in the household. Hahaha. I do honor these bros, especially our head Bro. Edwin. Even if he is in deep struggle right now, he is still giving his focus to service. Thanks for all the time-well-spent, ka-bros.

To the Raggamuffin and Friends Badmintrekkers, hay. Emails from this group of people really made my inbox blow up. I really thanked them for the companionship, sa badminton, sa tennis (with Bro. Gabbs), sa upcoming trekking activities. All of these, led by Sis. Raia, the Raggamuffin girl (and now you know why it was named Raggmuffin and Friends Badmintrekkers? Hahaha) and I really honor this sister for all those upcoming activities. The first time I played badminton with them – Sis. Marian, Sis. Emma and Sis. Raia – napagod ako sa kakatawa, hindi sa kakalaro ng badminton. You know guys, when I saw the 3 of you, Bro Gabbs sitting at the back and Bro Jomer as well, plus the non-stop exchanges of emails for nearly 2 weeks, that gave me the idea of why BONDING is very important in the community and why there is a need of working together and being with the brethrens even if the activities are not related to SFC. That’s why I was able to come up with the my sharing in an instant last Prayer Assembly. As of this very moment, emails are still coming in. Keep that spirit…

To the whole SFC-SG community, thank you, thank you, thank you! For all those people who appreciates what I’m doing, what I’m sharing and for just being me, thank you very much. Piece by piece, I am already seeing the jigsaw puzzle inside of me, depicting the picture of the answer I prayed for regarding my faith. I am hoping that the hindrances in building the puzzle within me - doubts, fears, confusions, anxieties - will be replaced by this whole picture. I'm happy that I'm not building this puzzle alone. I'm happy that I found a community that is continuously helping me to build that one. I'm keeping my grip tight, even if I falter, I'm still holding on. And I'm hoping to hold on for last. Thanks!

I’m hoping I’ll be seeing new faces in the upcoming activities of the community. Sports fest is coming. Let’s have FUN.

For all of these things, May God be praised!

The dilemma of Idleness

2006-08-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

“Busyness?” is the ever famous question Mae used to ask me. Most of the times, I’m too lax to tell “petiks na naman” with a matching grinning smiley which in turn happily turned by the IM application to an image that until now fascinates me to look at and imitate. There are times that I’m too busy at work, minding how to debug existing Oracle Stored Procedures, generating reports, collating batch files, completing and addressing SIRs from the end-users. But then, counting the instances that I’ve been in that situation is in no less than the number of fingers I have in my hands vis-à-vis to the number of months I’m working in my current company.

You see, most of the times, I’m busy chatting my online friends and even invisible because I have no choice but to talk to them. It’s either I’ll die in boredom or do something that will make my day very worthwhile in my own right. If not chatting, surfing is the next. Recently, I have this habit of composing something for my blog and publishing those entries during work hours where it’s clear that no personal web surfing is allowed during work hours, but here I am, breaking that rule again. Hahaha.

Before, I’m so happy I’m not stressed out or burned out at work because all I have to do most of the times is wait for my team lead to assign a new SIR to me, having a deadline of a week whereas the issue can be fixed in an hour or two. I’m waiting for a new reporting task, minding and thinking of SQL statements and considering the utmost value of cursor in a PL/SQL block to complete the report script and satisfy the one who assigned it to me. I’m even waiting for an end-user or anyone from the team to bombard me emails that the web application that I am currently handling is experiencing intermittent issue that should be addressed once and for all.

When I went back home last, last week, there’s this SIR ticket that I addressed, ran greatly in my local PC, no problem with the development server. When I got back, they said that there’s an error regarding the changes I made that’s why they have decided not to include it with the release. Wow, that’s great! So I have something to work with. But then, I tried it again, it worked in my local pc and in the development server. To my dismay, it also worked with the staging server. Good Lord! What’s with this people that they’re always doing suspicious code changes with the rest of the components, but then here they are, pointing at you and at your well-tested module giving the most “remarkably wrong” expression in a tune that my team lead used to say and also, an expression that keeps me on laughing every time I’m hearing it. I found it an annoyance to the one who deployed it rather than an opportunity to fix my own fault. Yeah right lah!

Anyway, back to idleness. The problem is that I am supposedly be knowing more, more things, NOT by just reading a book or attending a training and listening to a trainer who doesn’t know how to pronounce properly the letter R and can’t even speak clearly words containing two consecutive consonants, making proud that we speak too much of an American accent rather than adapting their Singlish (Singaporean English). I want to make experience to be best teacher, just like Morrie talking to me that life is not about in school but outside the school. But what happens now is not what it seems to happen, given the nature of work and the field that I am in.

Also, I'm just avoiding comparisons which is I know is very much possible every where. I'm also thinking how these bosses of mine will rate performance if they are not giving me tasks that could bring up the competitiveness in me. Maybe because I used to the Contractual-rule in the Philippines that at the very start of your work, you already have this problem of understanding the modules that were given and fix the issues already without asking you, "are you fine with these issues?"

Sometimes, I'm thinking, these people around me, most especially my team lead who's also until now mock the managerial position and focus himself with the development, don't want to let other people of other nationality to know more or understand deeper the application of my current company. Maybe, they're thinking if they'll gonna assign a bigger development effort to us foreign workers, for them, they're already exposing the facet of their company. Whooo! Exag! Nyahaha...

Anyway, though I do still have some negative thoughts and vibes regarding my being a petiks boy in the office, I'm still seeing it as an opportunity to do something, such as play tennis even after work, play badminton (in which I just started last wednesday), have a jamming session with SFC-SG band, commit to any activities in SFC or maybe I can begin working out again. Ayos!

P31.80 = 1SGD

2006-08-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

I’m having mixed emotions right now. I don’t know what to say or what to do. I’m thinking of the amount of money that I need to remit for this month. I’m also thinking of my investments in the Philippines. I’m thinking about the dollar I’m earning. It seems that the fixed amount that I am sending back home should be bigger this time.

I’m happy – because Philippines is gaining it’s economy in the aspect of global exchanges of monetary value. That’s good, at least. Better than hearing political issues governing the state and not by the politicians themselves. That’s better than hearing our gigantic global debt with World Bank and with global investors. I’m pretty sure, something good is going on with the Philippine economy and I know that it will never stop there. That’s just the small aspect of the growth in the economy. In the long right, if the Philippine peso value keeps on going up (or down, I don’t know how to point that out, which direction) compared to first-world currencies, the rest will just follow. In the perspective or a "say" from an optimist person, it could gain trust from foreign investors because of the stability of the economy of the country, could be the start of a more grand of the whole country.

I’m frustrated – just a little bit. Not really this huge embankment of negative thoughts running and jogging inside my head. Dollars… Dollars… Dollars… You’re too small already for the Philippines. What should I do? Prices right now in the Philippine market are not yet depreciating. My investments are tangible goods that doesn’t depreciate at all. Commodities are not yet declining. If I’ll be sending the same dollar that I used to send these past few months, it’s value is the same here in Singapore but no longer the Philippines. To meet the same PHP (Philippine Peso) value, you need higher SGD (Singapore Dollar).

My consultancy experience rolled back in my memory. Before, I used to earn nearly half a hundred thousand monthly and honestly, it’s more than enough. It’s like I’m talking with B1, and being his ever trusted buddy B2, now asking “Alam mo ba ang iniisip ko B1?” formulating a result “Operation Balik Pinas”. Do it really worth it to remain here in Singapore knowing that I can earn a considerable higher salary back home (considering the cost of living)? 500sgd could be my rental fee but in the Philippines, it’s my monthly amortization for my house. 400sgd could be my budget for my monthly food and transportation but it could be my budget for whole family’s food, transportation, allowances of my pamangkins, mom’s grocery, even payment for the utilities and even budget for the weekly gimik. To sum up, considering the last salary I have in Manila, I’m having a hard time adjusting myself and my savings here in Singapore.

Anyway, we’ll see. If that day comes that I am so sucked up with my thought of “why I’m still here” phenomenon which is still bugging my head for months, I’ll go home and work there again as an IT Consultant. What’s the difference? In both worlds, I’m under contract, lesser security but offers more learning (learning nga ba ako nowadays?). It could be country, could be the future of my career. One thing’s for sure, until now, I’m still being consumed this so-called “homesickness”.

31.80? Could be worth back home. It costs 1 Coca Cola in SG, but in this price, you already have one sumptuous one burger steak value meal in Jollibee. It could be worth of the MRT’s fare here in SG from Jurong East to City Hall one way, but in it, you already have 2 way tickets from Manila’s MRT, from SM North Edsa to Taft Ave. Station.

My Manila Week (part 2)

2006-08-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Friday (August 11, 2006)

Citibank Makati – And for the third time, bumalik ako ng Citibank Makati, bearing in mind all the things I asked the other day. Dumating ako dun ng mga 9:30am. That time, nanibago ako dahil dati-rati, kapag mga 8:30am, sobrang siksikan sa MRT. Pero nung sumakay ako, maluwag pa. Kaya nakarating ako sa MRT Ayala ng hindi nagugusot ang damit ko at walang bahid-pawis. Hahaha. Sa Citibank Makati, nakapasok na ako, then nakapila at umabot na sa teller window. I’m waiting her to tell something na medyo kaaasaran ko pero thank God, nakuha ko din ang inaasam na last pay in cold cash.

Ating – Since nasa Citibank Makati na ako, I called Ating. She’s working in a company located on the same building. She is Mark’s GG (God’s Gift). Ang sabi ko, bumaba sya dahil nasa baba ako. Talagang hindi pa naniwala. Hahaha. Sabi ko, kain kami sa Greenwhich. So Nakakain ako ng lasagna at pizza supreme. Ayos! Ating and I talked about things happening in her life, sa kanila ni Mark, sa SFC Bacood. Mukhang hindi pa informed about the Friday gimik kaya ako na mismo nagsabi. Nagdalawang-isip pa sya at si Mark because of Bro. Thox. Hehehe.

Manila CI Team – After meeting Ating, I went to GT Tower. Ngayon ang lunch out ng Manila CI with me and with Gilda. Si Gilda kasi, umuwi din pero nauna ako sa kanya dumating ng Manila. We were supposed to eat sa isang japanese resto along Ayala, in front of GT Tower pero the reservation was already cancelled kasi late na dumating. Kaya we have to find a place where we can eat. Finally, we found something that is too far from GT Tower. Nakakamiss din etong mga eto. First team ko kasi sila sa Accenture. Sayang Liza was not there.

Books – After having lunch with the Manila CI Team, I went to Glorietta because I wanted to visit that mall too. Lusutan ko kasi iyon kapag naglalakad ako from office building to Ayala Station. Walang pinagbago, same stores, same food chains, same music alleys. Since I’m also on my way to SM Mall of Asia because I want to treat my family dun, naglakad na ako papuntang SM Makati. Before the escalator, I saw the National Bookstore at naisip ko lang na tumingin ng Didache ni Bo Sanchez. Bad trip, sold out. Kaya naghanap ako ng iba sa section ng mga inspirational books. I saw “It’s not about me” and the title caught my attention. Kinuha ko sya. The second one, I saw “The early bird catches the word, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” Kinda funny and inspirational one kaya kinuha ko din. Nung nasa counter na ako, naalala ko ung book na sinabi ni Mark. So I asked kung merong “Five people you meet and heaven”. Buti naman meron. And I did paid for all of those books. Hindi naman talaga ako mahilig magbasa noon. Puro computer books lang ang gusto kong basahin. I bought “Purpose Driven Life” pero chapter 1 lang natapos ko. Mark also lend me “I kissed dating goodbye” pero hindi ko din tinapos dahil medyo di sa akin ok ung approach nung witer (not the topic).
Nahikayat lang talaga ako ni Mark.

SM Mall of Asia – I took MRT again papuntang SM Mall of Asia. I alighted at MRT Taft at medyo namiss ko din etong place na eto dahil when I used to work for AstraZeneca sa Bicutan, dito ako bumababa. Matagal-tagal ko ding natitigan ung place, same bars, same stores, same dirty city (hehehe). Then I took a jeep papuntang mall of asia. Medyo familiar sa akin ang design ng mall. Same style ng katulad ng ginawa nila with SM Baguio. Hindi na conventional sm mall. Malaki nga sya. Hindi maipagkakaila. Pero natuon ang pansin ko sa Go Donuts. Hahaha. Miss ko na to! I waited there, eating the nostalgic cinnamon and choco donuts with matching choco frap. While waiting, I started reading “five people you meet in heaven”. After an hour, dumating na ang late kong pamilya. Nyahaha. Mom came with ate and my 2 pamangkins. Tapos nun we went dun sa sinehan. Iba pala patakaran nila sa Mall of Asia, kapag nagsimula na ang sine, hindi na pwedeng pumasok. Kaya ang ginawa ko na lang, pumikit ako at kung ano ung direction na makikita ko, dun kami pupunta. Jackpot! Pagdilat ko, una kong nakita, "Ice Skating Rink". Kaya nag-ice skating kami.All of us went to the rink, kahit ung mommy ko na nung una e ayaw pa. More or less, we're there for an hour or 2. Enjoy ciempre kasi sa tingin ko, first time mag-ice skating ng mommy ko at ng mga pamangkin ko. Ate's eldest, Virgini, was able to learn how to do the basic skating, first try pa lang. After that, kumain kami sa most-famous-manalo-kids-hang-out McDonalds.

PUPILS' Redbox – Kailangan kong humiwalay kina mommy kasi meron naman akong lakad with tropa, ang PUPILS. Nung pumunta ako doon, hindi pa nga sila kumpleto. Same old people pa din talaga, laging late. Mark, ating and jopacs were already there. Sa Powerbooks kasi ang meeting place. After that, the rest arrived. All in all, 11 lang ang nagpunta. Hindi kumpleto, wala ung iba na madalas ding kasama noon kapag merong gimik ang tropa. Wala pa din silang pinagbago, makukulit pa din, mga pasaway pa din, mga kengkoy pa din, lakas hirit pa din, asaran pa din. So nagdecide ako sa Redbox na lang dahil alam ko namang sabik na ang bawat isa na marinig ang boses ni Vega. Nyahaha. Di yata ako natigil sa kakatawa maliban lang kung kakain. SISIG! Wala nyan sa Singapore. Kung tutuusin nga, sa ugali, sa pananamit, sa kilos, mga walang pinagbago. Ang nagbago lang, ung mga status na nila sa buhay. Si kelly, meron ng mitsubishi na kotse, si kuya benjie di na long hair, si Marcq at ung banda nya nakapasok sa semis ng Muziklaban. Tumataas na ang estado ng bawat isa sa amin pero ang gusto ko talaga sa kanila, kahit anong mangyari, hindi nagbabago ang ugali - makulit noon, makulit ngayon, pasaway noon, pasaway pa din ngayon. Midnight na nang umuwi kami. Jhane and I took a cab since iisang way lang naman kami. Sa novaliches sya nakatira. Namiss ko un, mga open up sessions ng bawat isa kapag pauwi na.

Saturday (August 12, 2006)

Mico's Bike – I made a promise to Mico, ate's second child and my godson. He was his class' # 1 last school year that's why I told him that I will give him something as a reward. Nung nasa ospital sya, Mico asked me to buy a bike for him. Sabi ko pagaling muna sya, saka na ang bike pero naisip ko, un na lang ang ibili ko. Nakakaawa nga dahil hindi din sya nakasama sa out-of-town namin. Kaya pagkagising ko, pinagbihis ko ung ate nya at sya without telling them kung saan kami pupunta at kung anong gagawin. Pumunta kami ng SM North Edsa dahil un lang ang naisip ko na pwedeng bilihan ng bike. When we went there, I saw Mico smile. Tinanong ko sya kung anong gusto nyang bike. Gusto ko sana malaki pero ang gusto nya, tama lang para sa kanya (kasi sya naman ang sasakay at hindi ako, bakit ako ang pumipili ng size. hehehe). The bike was customized in front of him. Habang inaassemble ko un, I'm telling them to keep their grades up, kahit hindi top 1. Sabi ko, kahit top 10 lang, ok na yun, may reward na sila agad sa akin.Pagkatapos iassemble, sabik ung pamangkin ko to try it so kahit nasa SM pa lang kami, sinakyan na nya agad ung bike nya.

Pablikskul - Nagmamadali kaming umuwi ng mga pamangkin ko dahil merong jamming ang banda. Kaya pagkauwi ko, I grabbed a cab and then pumunta na ako sa usual place na pinagpapraktisan namin -- Noisecurb sa New York, Cubao. Nandun na si popot (drums) at Soc (guitar) with her girlfriend. Pumasok na kami ng studio, after a few minutes, dumating si Mark (lead guitar). Wala namang pinagbago sa kanya, lagi syang late. Then Erome (basst) came. Same line-up. Ang nagbago lang, ung tugtog. Sumasabit na madalas dahil for 8 months, walang practice ang mga mokong. Kailangan pang umuwi ako para magkaroon ng jamming. Namiss ko eto. Kulang nga lang kami ng isang fan, si Mae, girlfriend ni erome na nasa vietnam na ngayon. Namiss ko din si Jr, ung nagbabantay ng studio. Nyahaha. laging nagmimisscall ung mokong na un. After ng jamming, since hindi sila nakapunta sa redbox gimik, nagpakain na lang ako sa Max's. Naalala ko kasi, may pinabibili si Ate Weng na caramel bars kaya ok na din na dun na lang. Ganun pa din, mga jokes na kumupas at mga bagong pauso na mga jokes na tipong hindi pa makakahinga si popot. Ganun pa din si ating, hagikhik ng hagikhik sa tuwing may magpapatawa. Ganun pa din si Mark, puro plano na naman. Hay.

SFC Bacood - Gabi na din ng maghiwa-hiwalay kami ng mga bandmates ko (walang 'dati', bandmates ko pa din sila). Sumabay sa amin si popot kasi nagtaxi kami nila Mark at Ating. Papunta naman kami ngayon sa on-going CLP ng SFC chapter ko sa Manila. Kinuha muna namin ung mga instruments bago pumunta sa Fatima. Kami pa lang tao. Habang naghihintay for the participants and for the members, nirecord ko ung mga bagong songs ng SFC para sa kanila. Tinuro ko na din kay ating ung iba. Isa-isa ng nagdatingan ang mga members at participants. Nagugulat pa sila, bakit daw ako nandun. Hahaha. Ciempre service. Ate Ging was the speaker that time. Mahusay! Pwede ng speaker for larger audience. Hehehe. Namiss ko Music Ministry ng SFC Bacood. Kaya ung final song, ako na ang naggitara. Ayos! After ng CLP, nagpunta kami kina Tito Alex sa San Juan. Tiempo pa na birthday nya nung araw na iyon. Di din kami masyado nagtagal sa kanila dahil kailangan, before midnight, nasa bahay na si Ating. Hehehe.

Sunday (August 13, 2006)

4:30am – Aga-aga, kailangang gumising. Unlike my departure from Singapore to Manila, etong departure ko ang parang ayaw kong pagmulatan ng mata. Since wala naman kaming heater, as usual, dating gawi. Magsisisigaw na naman sa banyo habang nagbubuhos ng malamig na tubig. Umalis kami sa bahay ng mga 5am dahil akal ng mommy ko, 5am ang first mass sa OLPH church at sa Sto. Nino. Un pala, hindi. Kaya nagdecide na lang kami na dumiretso na lang sa airport.

Immaculate Heart of Mary - On our way to Clark Airport, thank God may nadaanan kaming simbahan. So I took the 8am mass. First time kong magsimba doon so I asked for a wish - bless my family always (as always). After that, we headed for Diosdado Macapagal International Airport.

Bye, Manila - When we reached the airport, I checked-in the largest bag and brought my electric guitar and the bag that contains the amplifier as my hand carry. Bago ako pumunta sa immigration, lumabas pa muna ako to bid farewell sa mommy ko at sa mga pamangkin ko. I really hugged my mom really tight, as if I don't want to go back in Singapore. Naluha ako when I did it. I also hugged my 2 pamangkins who went with me. I turned my back and when my nephew and niece said goodbye, I refused to look back, I just waved my hand. Baka hindi ko kasi kayanin. Nung nasa loob na ako ng departure lobby, most of my friends texted me. I thanked them, PUPILS, banda, previous colleagues, lahat ng nameet ko during the course of my one week vacation. The longest was the one I sent for Mark. I'll be missing this buddy very much. 11:40am came, I boarded to the plane and the whole time na nasa ere ang eroplano, natutulog lang ako.

Post-manila vacation:

Hanggang ngayon, homesick pa din ako. Those things that happened within the span of one week are still on my head. Sa trabaho, ganun pa din, nakatunganga most of the times, clicking "Check Mail" button of Yahoo! Mail, talking to my online friends, loitering inside the M1 building, sleeping inside the bathroom, going home on time, talking to my laptop the whole night, thinking it's already october and december so I can see mom and my pamangkins again...

My Manila Week (part 1)

2006-08-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

MONDAY (August 7, 2006)

4:00am – Just like what happened with the Desaru outing, I woke up 30mins earlier as what I had set for my 3 mobile phones to alarm. Di bale ng magulo ako sa kakapatay ng alarm ng 3 phones kaysa sa hindi ako magising at hindi ako makaalis. Hahaha. Walang antok-antok because my excitement that time was so intense. I took a bath, dressed up and dragged my one and only bag. I didn’t bring much of my clothes because I do still have clothes in the Philippines. Just enough to change clothes for 2 days.

Budget Terminal – Because I was in a very tight budget, it was my first time to fly with TigerAirways, bound to Manila via Diosdado Macapagal Internal Airport in Clark, Pampanga. I arrived at the airport 1 ½ hours prior to my scheduled flight. Ok naman ang terminal, less amenities pero ok naman ang services.

Philtranco – Good thing there is Philtranco Bus Terminal at Diosdado Macapagal International Airport. I don’t have to think of how can I go to Manila from Clark. Hehehe. One thing I hated about it was that we were there for 1 hour waiting for more passengers. Nearly irritated. Hahaha…

Mark Abad – The first drop-off of the Philtranco Bus was SM Megamall. When I arrived there, I called Mark Abad, my best buddy, to meet me at the SM Food Court. Sabik akong makita etong utol kong swanget. Hehehe. Having no breakfast and late lunch, not a good picture. Hahaha. I looked for Jollibee as my brunch (wala kasi sa Singapore) and after that, Mark and I had a long conversation about what’s going on with our lives. He also told me his struggles and hopes, of course, with teary eyes and a familiar "open-up" place -- SM Megamall Food Court.

Accenture Last Pay – At last, nakuha ko na din ang last pay ko sa Accenture, after 1 year of waiting. Salamat.

RTS Team – After meeting with Mark, I went to Robinsons Pioneer because it’s where I have to get my last pay. Naalala ko, ung RTS e nasa Pioneer na so I called Ate Shawie and I told her na nasa Manila ako and on the way to Pioneer kaya gusto ko silang ma-meet. Good thing, Gezelle was there. Bakasyon nya din. Sad thing, off-set day ni Marlin. Hehehe… Si Love naman, hindi na RTS. Si Lee, nasa London na ang kalbo. Hahaha.

Hospital – On my way home, my mom texted me to visit Mico, my nephew and godson, sa hospital. He was confined due to neuro-viral ailment. Nung araw ko lang din nalaman na na-ICU pala ung pamangkin ko at for days, naka-oxygen sya. Nainis lang ako kasi hindi sila sinabi sa akin. Oo nga, para hindi ako mag-alala pero kasi that time, my mom’s source of financial resource e ung remittance ko every month. Ang sa akin lang, sana sinabi nila sa akin para hindi ko na personal na dinala ung remittance at pinadala ko na agad prior sa pag-uwi ko. Maybe it was the reason why I was financially blessed when I went to Manila. Buti na lang din, ok na si Mico.

TUESDAY (August 8, 2006)

Citibank Libis – My last pay that I got from Accenture was a Citibank cheque. No idea what to do with it except thinking of a Citibank branch where I can encash the cheque. Citibank Libis first came to my mind. Mas malapit kasi sa bahay. So I went there. Medyo mahaba ang pila pero mas iniisip ko kung anong procedure ang dapat gawin. Kasi dito sa Singapore, for deposit lang sa savings account, baka ganun din. Pero iba ang nangyari. It’s my turn. “Sa Citibank Makati po eto…” Anak ng! Sana man lang, nakalagay, for Citibank Makati Encashment only. E Metro Manila Encashment ang nakalagay. Pambihira…

Citibank Makati – From Eastwood, I grabbed a cab to Makati and to my dismay, the
guard told me, “sarado na boss!” Darn!

Soluziona Last Pay – Maliban sa Accenture last pay ko, hindi ko pa din nakukuha ung last pay ko sa Soluziona thru Thesauros, my previous agency. Jen, my agent, told me a few months back to send the ID so that I can claim my last pay. Since pauwi ako ng Manila, I told Jen a week prior my flight that I’ll get the last pay in person. So I went to their office sa San Juan. Nahirapan pa ako because the address that was indicated at the back of my consultant ID e hindi na pala un. Buti na lang, Jen instructed me how to get there. At last nakuha ko na din ang last pay ko! Buti na lang, in cash. Hehehe…

Shopping – After San Juan, nagdecide akong pumunta ng SM North Edsa. So sumakay ako ng jeep papuntang cubao (patok na jeep), tapos MRT. Nanibago ako kasi ang MRT dito sa Singapore, maluwag at malamig. Hehehe. Sira lang talaga cguro ung train na nasakyan ko. The new building of SM City is now open. May mga bagong stalls and stores pero ang kapansin-pansin is merong isang banda sa mismong gitna ng mall. Aside from the that, wala naman. I saw Girbaud store dun, baka nilipat na from the Annex.

Hospital Again – Visit for Mico again. This time, I had with me McDo food for him. With matching toys. Yun naman lagi ang gusto ng mga pamangkin ko, palaging merong pasalubong.

WEDNESDAY (August 9, 2006)

6:00am – My mom woke me because today is our out of town trip with relatives. Kuya Ding and Ate Gina went to Q.C. with my nephews. Kasabay na nila sina kuya bong at ung family nya. Sa amin na nagluto si ate gina. She really is a good cook, it shows naman sa katawan nilang mag-anak. Hehehe…

Cousin’s House – Ate Susil, my cousin who is an ex-Executive Senior Manager of Hong Kong SmartOne (Vodaphone), is now living in Quezon City. She relieved herself from her previous company because she wanted to further pursue her studies. Mama Sylvia (mom’s older sister) and Papa Beting (mom’s older brother) were in her house. Mama Sylvia came from Florida and went to the Philippines for the grand family reunion held in our province. After leaving our place, we went to ate susil’s house to peak them up.

Dasmariñas House – Before going for swimming, we went first to my house sa Dasmariñas, Cavite. At last, after 6 months, I was able to visit my house. Gawa na sya few months back, hindi lang malipatan kasi ayaw ng mommy ko na mag-isa. Next year na lang daw para ung mga pamangkin ko e sa Dasma na din magpatuloy ng pag-aaral. Unfortunately, hindi namin nabuksan ang main door dahil sa tagal na hindi sya nabubuksan, nagstuck-up na ung lock at kahit magfit ung key, nagstuck na ung bolt. We don’t have much time to mind the problem kaya nagpasya akong balikan na lang kinabuksan.

Splash Mountain – First time ko sa place na eto. Nothing special naman. Hehehe. Giant slides were closed because it’s currently under maintenance so hanggang swimming pool lang na normal. The whole remaining day, nandun lang kami. We really had a great time. Nabilib ako sa anak ni Kuya Ding, at the age of 4, marunong ng lumangoy.

THURSDAY (August 10, 2006)

Citibank Makati – Dahil sa bigo akong mapa-encash ang cheque na bigay ng Accenture nung isang araw, ako ay nagbalik with my mom. Successful naman akong nakapasok at nakapila. Un nga lang, nung malapit na ako sa teller, may lumapit na isang employado at tiningnan ung cheque ng mga nakapila. Nung nakita na nya
ung sa akin, “Sir, hanggang 10:30am lang po ang transactions namin with Accenture…” Anak ng putakti talaga. Before lunch na. Dahil sa inis ko, tinanong ko lahat sa kanya ano ang mga requirements, paano ung process, kung for cash ba or for deposit sa existing savings account, etc. etc. etc. Sa madaling salita, bigo ako sa ikalawang pagkakataon.

Chowking – Sa inis ko, my mom and I grabbed a cab from Citibank Makati to Baclaran ng nakasimangot. Dun kasi ang sakayan ng Dasmariñas na malapit. There,
I saw Chowking. Sabi ko, dun kami maglunch kasi walang ganun sa Singapore. I ordered Braised Beef, Congee, Chao Fan (di ko maalala ung spelling), Buchi at Halo-halo. Hahaha. Dinaan ko na lang sa kain ang inis. That was also the time when mom and I had a long conversation about the family, her sentiments, hopes and wishes.

Dasmariñas House – Dahil sa nung isang araw, hindi namin nabuksan ang bahay, kailangan bumalik. We went first sa engineering to ask for assistance. Ang kailangang gawin – change the door lock. So bumili ako ng bago from the nearest hardware. Dalawa ang binili ko, isang door knob. Why? Because ung susi sa back door, 2 keys lang. Natakot ako kasi baka nasa masamang kamay ang isa kaya I asked the engineers to replace the door knob sa likod ng bahay. Ok na ang bahay kung tutuusin, puno na lang ng alikabok kasi wala ngang nakatira. Mom and I talked about our plans for the house. Medyo na ppressure na ako kasi kailangan talaga pagtuunan ng pansin ung bahay.

Grocery – On our way home, nag-isip ako ng pwedeng bilhin para sa bahay. Naisip ko na maggrocery so I told Mom na pumunta kami ng SM North Edsa at mamili para sa bahay. Medyo gahol na din pero I let mom choose kung anong mga kailangan sa bahay. I also grabbed some pansit canton at soupy snacks na pwedeng dalhin d2 sa Singapore.

To be continued....

There's a place called... Desaru!

2006-08-13T04:50:00.000-07:00

"Bro, can we meet at around 5:20am?" Anna Uy, one of the SFC sisters here in Singapore and also one of the members fo the Service Team texted me. I just said yes because taking a cab from Clementi to the farthest east of Singapore is too costly. I need someone to share with the fare. Hehehe.

The day came for the SFC Singapore to experience again of having fun in God's Love and Service. It is SFC-SG's outing in Desaru, Malaysia. It was my second time to be in Malaysia. The first was when I went to Johor Bahru for a night.

The assembly time was 6:00am to 6:30am but Sis. Anna wanted to be there as early as possible because service team should be there first. I woke up 4:00am, 30 mins earlier as what I have set to alarm on my 3 mobile phones. Exag no? Hahaha. I took a bath, dragged my things and set for the outing. I arrived at the McDonalds Clementi by 5:00am. I took breakfast and waited there. Few more minutes, Reyland came. He'll be going there with us. Then after a few more, more minutes, Anna came. We grabbed a cab and went to Changi Ferry Terminal.

Good to know that we came from the same company - Accenture. Hahaha.

We arrived at the meeting place just in time. Some of our breathens were already there. It seems that they were much more excited than we were. Hahaha. We waited there until such time na complete na ang lahat ng kasama. I guess we're nearly in 70. Partida, madaming hindi nakasama because of much important errands and endeavors.

It took us 45 minutes from Changi Ferry Terminal to Desaru, Malaysia. Most of us were sleepy because either we had less than 4 hours of sleep or came from work at dumiretso na lang sa outing.

We arrived at Desaru safely. After that, we set for the Golden Beach Resort thru bus service. Hindi naman ganun katagal ang byahe. Siguro mga 1 hour lang from the Desaru port.

At the resort, most of the service team members were already there to welcome us. Rooms were not yet set that time so we went first to the conference hall for the P&W (Praise and Worship) and also for the Talk 1.

The talk 1 was facilitated by Tito Gary. It's about how good and beautiful God's creations are.

After the talk, room assignments were already announced and Kuya Jojit and Je were my roommates. We went to our designated rooms and prepare for the afternoon activities. While waiting for the activity, we were designated to create a cheering for the Singles' Night.

Team-building activities were set in the afternoon. I'm in the Red team, headed by Kuya Arman. These were the things that happened:

The first game was face-painting contest. I whole-heartedly sacrificed my face para lang paglaruan at gawing canvass na walang kasiguraduhan kung maayos ba ang magkakagawa sa aking pagmumukha. Luckily, we won! Hahaha...
Second, relay na hindi ko matandaan ang pangalan. Basta lang, tito Gary was the one carrying my feet and I have to move using my hands. Tipong mamang-sorbetero ang dating. Un nga lang, dahil sa bilis namin ni Tito Gary, tuluyan akong nagpagulung-gulong na nagdulot ng ilang gasgas sa tuhod at binti ko. Pero, nanalo ulit kami. Hahaha...
Third, saluhan ng balloon na merong tubig. Di ko na maalala kung sinong team nanalo basta basa lahat ng natatanggal. Hahaha.
Longest line using team members' bodies. Ate Moomai's team won. Lamang sila ng ilang ga-sentimetro sa amin. Hehehe.
And lastly, pataasan ng sand tower. No pails or containers allowed. Clothes can be used so what I did was to remove my shirt, dipped it on the pool and dripped it sa sand tower na ginagawa ng team namin. Nanalo na naman kami.

Of all the awards that we got, we always fail to get the early bird award. Hahaha.

After the team building activities, everybody prepared for the Singles' Night. We were required to wear hawaiian outfit. Before the said event, lahat ng groups abala sa pagpapapractice ng cheering. Ung grupo din namin, seryoso. Hahaha.

Singles' Night came. These were the highlights:

I guess our presentation was the funniest. Why? When kuya Arman, Kuya Reggie and I were planning what to do for the presentation, eto ang naformulate ko -- "ung grupo nila allyson, serious cheering un dahil allysson was a cheerer way back college years. Kina ate moomai, serious dancing un kasi dancer talaga si ate moomai. Kaya ang naisip, no choice tayo kundi magpatawa..." And so we did. Akala lang nila, serious ang entrance namin pero tawanan sila ng makita nilang sumayaw kami... Hahaha... At para kay ate moomai, wag mo ng purihin ang sayaw ko, alam kong masagwa. Hahaha.
Nakakatawa pero I was designated by Tito Gary to be the group's guy representative for the fashion show. Hahaha... Si Kuya Reggie naman ang sa hoola dance. Nyahaha...
Isa pa, nominated ako for best hawaiian outfit. Tigas! Pero si Kuya Reggie ang nanalo. Hahaha.
Last activity was ung portrait contest. Parang merong ipoportray na scene, given the theme. Ung first theme e hawaiian celebration. The second was the theme of the SFC outing which is "SFC Shines.. One in spirit... One in service... Worshipping one God...". Galeng magdirect ni tito Gary.

The night ended with a solemn celebration of praise and worship. Being the main guitarist of the whole event was really exhausting. Nananakit na ang mga daliri ko. Hehehe. Pero thanks kina ate aileen at ate moomai, they were there to be my reason to keep on going.

Kinabukasan, late na ako nagising. Most of them played volleyball, some took a splunge in the sea, some took pictures, some overslept. Hahaha. Muntikan pa nga akong maubusan ng breakfast. After that, we prepared for the pre-departure activities and also for the Lord's Day.

The talk for the second day was about the spiritual gifts. When I joined, I asked for the gift of healing, not just physical but also in most aspects of a human being. The talk was facilitated by Tito Malcolm.

Uwian na. Pagod ang lahat pero masaya. Para sa akin, bitin ang outing. Hehehe. Pero ok lang. At least, God gave us a reason to have some fun serving Him. To sum up the lessons I've learned during the outing -- based on people's thoughts, talks, everything:

God gave us all the talents and the gifts we need and even desire. But it doesn't stop there. There is a BIG reason why we acquired the gifts and the talents that we have right now -- to serve Him using these gifts. Because for me, it will be the biggest token of appreciation that we can give to the one who gave us those gifts. Our service is not just an act of our Love for Him, it's a sign of thanksgiving.
There are a lot of reasons why we tend not to serve God. Kung ano man un, don't let these things hinder our way to serve God.
Service is not about competition, it's about cooperation.
We serve not to meet other people's expectations. If we are afraid to serve because we might not reach other people's expectations, then we are not serving Him, what we are trying to please are those people thinking too much of our actions. Just remember that we do service for Him, not for anybody else.
Inhibition kills faith -- faith to ourselves that we can do for Him, faith to the gifts that God had given that we can utilize them in God's time and faith to Him in the end. Let's not falter thru inhibiting ourselves of the abilities we know and we can do for His glory.
To strengthen the bond connecting each and everyone of us in the community, we must bear in mind that each and everyone of us has one purpose in the community -- serve God. Thru this, we can carry out the mission and vision of the whole community, to bring the fire of the Holy Spirit in order to renew the face of the earth.

That's all. Misterclay is now signing off...

Spending time generously… with the elders…

2006-07-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, some of the SFC members went to a hospice dedicated for the Singaporean elders. It is similar to Philippines’ Golden Acres where elders are being, sad to say; either abandoned by their loved ones or somehow alone and there are no relatives who can take care of them.

There’s no special celebration last Saturday. It’s just part of the monthly social activity of SFC here in Singapore. Some of us came in the late afternoon because we attended Kuya Eric’s despedida at CAEC. When we arrived, Kuya Arman, Ate Aileen, Kuya Carlou and some were already there. Movie-viewing then has started – Kung Fu Hustle. While watching, we gave them pansit bihon. After the movie, Kuya Red led the group to give the elders an exercise. We decided to leave when they are about to have their dinner.

There is a particular uncle there that really touched me. An 83-year-old man operated a year ago, causing to loss his 2 legs, was left by his own son to the hospice after the operation. The old man was assigned to Ate Tintin. Mine was an uncle who had a stroke and can’t speak anymore (but he can still hear) and can’t move his right hand and foot. Since he can’t open his mouth anymore, I have to wipe his mouth every now and then because his saliva is swarming.

Though these uncles and aunties are to be pitied, at this rate of their lives, they don’t need pity but they need kindness, attention and affection. For at least, if that day comes when they need to be with our Father, they’ll be going with Him happy, that they will depart this material world joyful because of people who, given this very fast-paced society, still care and allot time for them. Time alone to be with them is enough gift and enough reason for them to become as the happiest people that they could be.

During those instances that I am spending my time with the elders, I remember a promise I made to myself few years back. That I’ll never let my mom experience loneliness, that I’ll be her confidante every time she needs me, that I’ll give her worthwhile moments and things she didn’t experienced before, that I’ll fulfill all the dreams she set for the family and that I’ll devote every thing that I earned not for the reason of I worked for them but because of the reason that because of her why I was able to work and earn those things. Until now, I am committed to that promise. Simply because she’s my mom – someone who offered life selflessly and bravely, stood fearlessly amidst of dark times and instances that she should be weak, prayed for our well-deserved blessings and performed her duty very well.

This is also a call to my brothers and sisters. God commanded us to love our parents wholeheartedly and selflessly. Because they were made by God to be our stewards, guidance and mediator of His Love. No matter what, they stood as God’s instrument in order for us to experience His extravagant Love here on earth. Someday, we will be standing on their shoes, tending, nurturing and guiding our own children. If that day comes, for sure, God will never cease to return all the blessings that we gave to our parents. For in every thing that we give to our parents today will also be the same when we became one.

God bless everyone!

Reviving the netter’s life…

2006-07-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

I started playing tennis when I was in high school. Freshman year to be exact. It’s one of my mom’s moves for me to learn sportsmanship (having been involved in fist fights during basketball games is not a nice one). Jon Inri Grape, Jr. Celestino, and Jenny Segovia were some of my batchmates in Milo tennis clinic in New Galas Tennis Club under Coach Eloi. After finishing the course, we were ranked as Class AB (Advance Beginners) along with the other ranks (A, B, C). So, kapag merong competition, kasali na kami. For 2 consecutive singles matches, I bagged the top position. Unang sabak namin nun sa Philam Milo Tennis Tournament, nanalo agad ako kaya, honestly, medyo pumasok sa ulo ko ung mga un.

I experienced playing in Vigan and Baguio. Unlike Niño Salvador, a Class A player and also my classmate, playing tennis was not my career. It was still my studies. Even if I ranked below 50 in the Philippines for 14-16 age bracket, hindi ko pa din talaga nakita ang sarili ko that I will be playing tennis more than just a hobby. Although minsan, hindi pa din obvious ung pagiging sports ko nung nag-uumpisa ako pero there were a lot of instances that I really learned to accept defeats. Especially when we played in Baguio. Ayaw ko na alalahanin un. Madami akong traumatic experiences dun.

The last time I really played hard was when I was in 3rd High School. After nun, hindi na ako naglalaro ng ganun kadalas. By that time then, I have decided to engage again in a team-sports. When I was in college, Lawn Tennis was my first PE subject pero nung time na iyon, hindi din ako masyadong nakakapaglaro because my professor told me not to join the basics. Usually, after class lang nya ako binibigyan ng time. I was told then to join the varsity team pero umayaw ako dahil nangako ako sa sarili ko na wala dapat ako magiging extra-co activities during the freshman year. After 2 years, I played with Uncle Dondi twice pero after nun, hindi na din nasundan un. I saw Jenny Segovia playing nung college because she’s also studying in PUP. Ahead sya sa akin ng 1 year. Sya din ang nagsabi sa PE instructor namin na marunong ako magtennis. Varsity player na sya ng university that time. Dati, lagi kong nakakalaban si Jenny sa championship pero nung time na iyon, mukhang malayo na ang tennis skill ni jenny. Hehehe.

College graduation came, walang mga opportunities for me to play tennis. When I was still in Accenture, madalas merong mga sportsfest pero lagi na lang walang tennis. Usually, basketball, volleyball at badminton.

To count, it’s been 8 years that I didn’t played tennis the serious way where there are regular practices or tournaments to play. Until such time I came here in Singapore. I have decided to play tennis again when I heard Kuya Gabbs, one of the SFC brothers, is playing and a good one and also, some of the SFC brothers are also playing tennis. Dalawa lang yan, it’s either badminton or tennis. Nung una, nakikihiram lang ako ng raketa kasi nasa pinas ang raketa ko pero last Monday, I bought my own. Because Kuya Ernie called me and he’s asking me to register for the Filipino Tennis Club (FTC) Doubles Tournament. Hanap daw akong partner. Naisip ko, sina Kuya Marnee, Kuya Angel at Kuya Jhun. Di pwede si Kuya Marnee, kasi may trabaho kapag weekends. Si Kuya Angel, nasa pinas. So si kuya jhun ang kinulit ko. Kaya kailangan ko na talagang bumili ng raketa.

Ung pera na ginamit ko, un ung ipon ko para sa XBOX 360. Hahaha. Kaya ulit ng ipon ulit for XBOX 360.

Last Saturday, unang tournament namin ni Kuya Jhun. Ala akong practice kasi almost 1 month akong hindi nakalaro dito sa Singapore. Si Kuya Jhun, di pa din naman masyado ganun katagal naglalaro at di gaano kadalas maglaro. Usually every Monday. First game, sina Kuya Gabbs agad kalaban namin. Pambihira! Feeling ko talaga nun, sinadya ni Kuya Ernie na pagtapatin kami. Hahaha. Ang hirap pa, alam ni Kuya Gabbs weakness ko – backhand. Dikit ang laban nun, 7-8. Wala daw kasing slide-twos sa elims. Sayang. Nung second game namin, kung tutuusin, mas malakas sila kina kuya Gabbs pero natalo namin sila in 8-6 score. Bakit? Mainitin ang ulo ng kalaban namin. Hahaha. Yesterday, olat kami kaya laglag na kami sa elims.

I realized then, after 8 years, I played hard again. Walang nagbago. 8 years ago, Coach Eloi used to scold us (and throwing bad words) when we don’t play the way we were trained. Madalas ako ung nasisigawan nya kasi even if malakas ako pumalo during rally and practices, kabado pa rin ako kaya kapag game proper kaya mahihina lahat ng balik ng bola. After 8 years, nakikita ko pa din ang sarili ko. Kabado pa din at puro under spin. Isa pa, may backhand 8 years ago was my strongest stroke. Ngayon, liability ko na sya. Ganun pa din ang second service ko, pambata. Isa pa, wala na din akong endurance kaya ung laban last night, una pa lang pagod na ako, kaya ako pinuntirya nung kalaban namin.

It’s time to revive my tennis life, in preparation na din for the upcoming tournaments. I need to practice again. As I have told Kuya Jhun last night, gusto ko magback to basic. Isa pa, aside from SFC, eto lang ang pwede kong maging activity dito sa Singapore.

Co-worker, a pinay abuser…

2006-07-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

When I knew that she’s maltreating her pinay domestic helper, it really distressed me. I know that it has been everywhere, where a fellow Filipino is being maltreated and abused, most specially those working as domestic helpers. But not as close as meeting someone that I’ve been working for months.

At first, I thought, this officemate of mine is being courted by a Filipino guy because he handed me a love letter written in tagalog. She asked me to interpret it for her. After a month, she asked me to translate phrases that are normally can be referred to domestic helpers like “You only have one sir and one madam” or “Meron ka lang isang sir at isang madam” as I interpreted it.

Yesterday, she handed me a letter she wanted me to interpret. It was written by a Filipina domestic helper for a recipient named “Alvin”. Entailed in the letter is the grief she is experiencing with her current employer, her sufferings with her agency and her experiences of maltreatment from her employer. Sort of asking for a savior at the end. She even included the address. The letter was really distressful. I shared it with Gina, my co-worker who’s also a Filipino and during our lunch time yesterday, we talked about some possible approaches how to deal with the letter. I have decided not to interpret it because it’s too personal for me to handle and I don’t want to involve myself in a situation where originally, I’m not really involved.

When I read the letter, I had the speculation that she is the employer. Hmmm…

I told her recently that out of personal discretion, I will not interpret the letter because of the reason I told to Gina. She then began asking me questions if the letter is sad or what. I just told her that it’s a sad letter. She suddenly sent me a message in YM asking if the letter entails harmful details regarding about her. Jackpot! So it’s her. I just told her that I’m not in the right position to answer her question.

Lately, she approached me and she tried to explain everything. It was really suffocating. Not only because she’s trying to include me in her situation, but also she explained to me her situation, her family, her attitude, etc. She should not be telling those things to me because personally, I don’t know her that much, only an officemate to me, not even a close friend one. When she was asking me question related to the letter, I really tried to control myself from telling information that might cause harmful impression to the pinay DH and also to me. After that, she admitted that it was her helper and she just ran out of their house.

I just knew, this colleague of mine is probing her helper’s mail. From the love letters to the letter of grief. Tsk. Hay buhay! I just hope that not many of the Filipino domestic helpers are experiencing the same thing. I just pray also that the pinay helper will surpass the challenges she is encountering right now.

By the way, I kept a copy of the letter. Hehehe… It can be used someday. Hehe… Just kidding.

MISTERCLAY.. It's a bald's world...

2006-07-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

At last! After 2 days of Macromedia Fireworks and Flash tweaking, I finally came up with this design. Hopefully, this will be my template for my personal website. The site is hosted by Brinkster and I used FreeDomain's URL cloaking.

What can you say? To see the site, click the image or you can click here. Hehehe...

Plush Drive

2006-07-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

Plug it men! It’s Rockstar Supernova time. I started watching the second season just last week because Mae told me that she’s watching it. I was able to watch Rockstar INXS last year and it’s really an awesome show.

I never thought these two songs will be sang in tonight’s performance night – Plush by Stone Temple Pilots and Drive by Incubus – sang by Magni and Jenny respectively. When I first heard Plush, men, this has been my most nostalgic moment here in Singapore. I thought it will be the last but then Jenny sang Drive, %&**&^, it really made my home sickness worst. I’m really thankful Josh sang Nirvana’s Come As You Are and not Smells Like Teen Spirit. Buti na lang talaga.

Plush is, I guess, the very well-played piece ng banda kong pablikskul. Drive could be the second but I do much prefer Selling The Drama by Live or Like A Stone by Audioslave.

I’m waiting for Mae’s comment. I can’t rely to Ating’s comment because she’s not watching the show. Pambihirang Magni, kinanta mo na nga, kalbo ka pa! \m/

Si Gina, atbp...

2006-07-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

For more or less 3 months, ako lang pinoy dito sa IS Department ng M1. Nung una medyo mahirap dahil halos lahat ng employees ng M1 ay mga chekwa tapos hindi pa ako sure kung meron pinoy din sa ibang departments. Ang alam ko lang, may mga pinoy sa Customer Service Dept na madalas kong nakikita sa canteen every 5pm, kapag nagbbreak ako.

Kuya Marnie told me ne merong papasok dito sa IS na friend nya. Sya si Gina. Last week, ung agent ko ang nagconfirm sa sinabi ni kuya marnie. Nameet ko na sya ngayon. Salamat meron na akong kasamang pinoy d2. Ayos! Sana may susunod.

....

Ano ba madalas sabihin ng mga pinoy programmers kung ang program na ginagawa nila e hindi gumagana? Tipong palusot? "Bakit ganun? Gumagana yan kanina e?" sabay kamot sa ulo o minsan, may pagkayamot ang boses.

Ang mga chekwa, may ganyan din. Sabi ni kuya Edwin Tamayo, ganun din sa kanila kaya hindi lang d2 sa M1 ganun. Kapag ung program nila ay hindi gumagana, it's either "So funny huh?" o minsan meron pang "Oh sh*t! So funny huh?". Hahaha...

....

Di ko alam kung sadya eto o talagang eto ang decided caption nila sa frequently asked questions page ng Tiger Airways. Sa una, parang nakakailang sya basahin. Nadiscover ko lang eto, hindi naman kumalat sa kung saan-saan. Hehehe! Visit this link - http://www.tigerairways.com/about/facts-sheet.php.

Sorry kung medyo barubal. Hehehe...

Gilda and the Auntie Taxi Driver

2006-07-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Gilda is my officemate when we were still working with Accenture. I worked with her when I was assigned to Manila CI Team. Though I was transferred from CI to RTS, my communication to my previous team was not elapsed. Even when I resigned from Accenture, I never failed to communicate with my previous colleagues thru SMS and IM.

I came here in Singapore a month ahead when Gilda went here. The first time I met Gilda here is when me and my brothers in SFC were having our lunch at Paya Lebar and it so happened that she was also there. My first reaction was to embrace Gilda because I didn’t see her for a year.

Last Thursday, Gilda texted me because she got a new place and she wanted to invite me for a dinner. So I went there. Gilda’s place is so nice. Bago pa lang. Nung pumunta ako dun, Anson was already there We had a long chat regarding our experiences here in Singapore, places we’ve been and also reminiscing experiences we had when we were still working in Accenture. After an hour, Mark Turvs and his wife came and we started eating. Kare-kare was so good. Matagal-tagal na din akong hindi nakakain nun. And also the shrimps. Hehehe. Madami nga akong nakain. Anson brought ice cream so merong dessert. While we were eating, we were talking about the current situations in Accenture, experiences we had, frustrations, almost everything about our previous company (my previous, previous company. Hehehe) and also ung mga experiences naming so far dito sa Singapore. We spent a long night talking and laughing about things we’ve been through. We decided to go home when it’s nearly about midnight.

Anson took the bus and the rest of us caught a taxi. We got an auntie taxi driver (auntie is manang or ale in pinoy lingo). We have to go to Mark’s place in Toa Payoh first. On our way, we had a chat regarding my experiences before I went here and by the time I was applying for a job. That was not a long conversation because from Gilda’s place, it took us 15 minutes to be in Mark’s condo villa. After that, the auntie driver drove for Clementi.

On our way, auntie asked me “Filipinos?” and I affirmed to her. I began asking her if she has been to the Philippines and she said that she came to the Philippines for a church mission trip. They stayed in a hotel near the coconut palace and after that, went to Daet, Camarines Sur for a mission trip. She told me that she’s active in their church and informed me that she’s a Born Again Christian. “And You?” , asking me if I am also active and I said yes. I told her that I am a Catholic and I am actively serving Singles For Christ here in Singapore. She then asked me if I have some friends who are Born Again Christians and I told her, “Most of my closest friends are Born Again Christians.” The biggest question thrown to me by auntie was if I want to attend to their Church and I just said that I am uncertain. At the back of my head, if this auntie asked me a few months back, I would have said yes. But then, I tried to explain my side and told her that I am still searching for a place where my faith can rest comfortably. I even told her that it’s just a matter of faith and accepting Christ as our Lord and Saviour and not merely of what religion we are in.

I noticed auntie was sleepy so I asked her if she knew Hillsong just to throw a question that will keep her awake. Well, I just assumed because most of my Christian friends know it. She said yes and told me some titles of the song like “Redeeming Love”, “To the end of the earth” and “Now that You’re Near”. I told her that I know those songs and I started singing them. Nakakatuwa talaga. It’s not because we both know the songs but I saw how big auntie’s smile was. My heart was gladdened that time. Tuwang-tuwa talaga ako.

Nakita ko na ang Clementi station so malapit na akong bumaba. Parang ang bilis ng oras the mere fact that Clementi is far from Toa Payoh. After the station, she asked me if I know the song ‘I will sing of your love forever’ because she didn’t hear that song for a long time. I said yes and I sang the song for her because it’s one of my favorite gospel songs and also, I want it to be my token of appreciation not just for driving me home safely, but also for a very wonderful acquaintance.

Bago ako bumaba, auntie gave me the email address of their church and also the web site. We exchanged regards and smiled to each other before we parted. I don’t know how many times I said “thanks” to her. Basta lang, sobrang pasalamat ako for that very wonderful moment.

Now, I have one question in my mind, what is God’s purpose why he gave me this kind of experience? To answer my question regarding my qualms and uncertainties of continuing my service in SFC or a response to my question regarding my in search for a place where my faith can rest comfortably? Hay. Another moment to ask for strong discernment, wisdom and courage. For now, I am so happy that I met auntie and gave me a great joy not just for this day but something to treasure for the rest of my life.

God bless everyone!

Pimp My Blog...

2006-07-15T00:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm doing some customizations to my blog. I'm in the mood to change the appearance of my blog but not in the total spirit of selecting good templates and designs. Jologs ata napili ko. Hahaha.

Anyway, a lot of things were changed here. I got the template from Blogger-Templates website.

Another thing, you can still access this blog thru Blogger's defined link but you can also try to access this blog site thru www.misterclay.co.nr.

These updates are just temporary updates since I'm in the process of thinking of how will I redesign this blog site. I just hope that I can come up with a simple one.

God bless everyone...

Captain Sparrow strikes back...

2006-07-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Norrington: You actually were telling the truth.
Jack Sparrow: I do that quite a lot. People are always surprised.
Will Turner: With good reason.

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These were one of the many funny lines in the movie. It'll never be funny just as you read it in text but if you will be watching the movie, catch Jack's lines before the scene that these lines were uttered and the his facial expression when he said these, matatawa ka talaga.

Three years ago, I watched the 'Pirates of Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl' and that was the first time I watched Johnny Depp act (or maybe the first time I knew he's Johnny Depp). I thought he was really into comedy because I also saw him in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Willi Wonka and into fantasy movies like Finding Neverland as Sir James. Kaya I really won't expect him to be portraying serious or action roles or be part of an action movie. I know he's one of the voices behind the Corpse Bride but I wasn't able to watch that one. But I just knew that he also had appeared to some of the famous films like Chocolat, Nightmare in Elms Street (di ko sya namukhaan dun), Edward Scissorhands and Once upon a time in Mexico. Di ko naman napanood lahat eto except the Elm movie. Hehehe. Kaya tuloy Johnny Depp, before the first Pirates movie, was an unknown actor to me.

I really had a great time last night. Because movie gimmick na naman with my friends in SFC Singapore. Medyo di kami ganun kadami unlike the movie gimmick we had last Superman showing pero nasa 20 ata kami. Madami pa din naman. This time, sa GV Cinema kami sa Plaza Singapura. Not as big as Cathay Cineplex’s movie houses pero ok na din. At mas maaga ngayon unlike last time. Salamat sa aming movie gimmick coordinator na si Kuya Arman.

These are my comments. Medyo meron ulit kaunting spoiler:

Bakit ba nauuso ngayon ang trilogy or sequels? Hehehe.. Spoiler…
Halos lahat ng scenes, may mga nakakatawang parts.
Johnny Depp is really good in portraying Jack Sparrow. Lalo na ung mouth gesture nya. Nakakatawa.
Ang bilis naman ng track para matuto ng fighting skills si Elizabeth. Kasi sa Curse of the Black Pearl, wala naman syang fight scenes dun (AFAIKR).
The effects are awesome. It’s because it’s fully-funded (maybe). Thanks to Jerry Bruckheimer.
The places are also remarkable. Napanood ko ung the making neto sa local channel ng Singapore and most of the places, totoong lugar like ung sa place nung mga cannibals at ung white sand island beach kung saan nakita nila ung Dead Man’s Chest.
Fight scenes are quite good. Pero there is one scene there na ang galeng. Ung fight nilang 3 ni Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Norrington. The action was there, at merong combo ng kalokohan.

That’s all. Make sure you watch the movie hanggang matapos ang credits. Also, watch the movie with your family and friends so that you share the time of laughing together.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5.

On Weird Habits...

2006-07-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

Liza, and aking “kapatid” na look-a-like ni Bianca Gonzales, tagged me and this has been the first time someone tagged me thru blog. Sige, laruin natin. Hahaha.

-------

Here’s how to play: The rules are, “once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a blog post with (8) weird things/habits about yourself”. At the end you need to choose the 8 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says Tag You’re It.” in their comments and tell them to read your blog…

So here goes a list of some of my ka-weirduhans:

FOOD. I eat a lot. Normally, 2 / 3 cups of rice every meal. May merienda pa. The weird thing is, hindi ako tumataba (weird ba un?).

SLEEP. Hindi ako makatulog kapag hindi ako nakakanta bago matulog. Kapag nasa isang hotel naman, mas comfortable ako na natutulog sa sofa.

MRT. Halos kabisado ko na ang lahat ng announcements na binabanggit sa MRT ng Singapore, translations include English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. Weird daw ako sabi nila dahil dun.

PANTS. Even if I do only have 30 as my waist line, I always prefer 34-36 sizes. Pero hindi ako hiphop, gusto ko lang maluwag mga pantalon ko para kapag dumating ang araw na tumaba na ako, kasya pa din. Pero matagal pa yun, 10 more years. Asa no?

MUSIC. I prefer alternative / hard rock most of the times except when I’m at work. Usually, mga inspirational and gospel songs ang pinakikinggan ko. Sa dati kong banda, alternative din. Ang weird dun, hindi ako mukhang rakista, sa boses lang. \m/

JEWELRY. Simula pagkabata, wala akong sinusuot na abubot. Maliban lang gold necklace because my mom gave it to me as her college graduation gift and post-birthday gift. Un lang, no watches, no silver bracelets, rings, etc.

MONEY. Kuripot ako. Hindi ako maluho kung tutuusin dahil halos lahat ng pera ko, napupunta sa mga investments (bahay, insurance, etc…) at savings. At kapag may gusto akong bilhin, hindi ko binibili un kahit merong akong ipon. What I usually do is magseset ako ng amount every payday for months. Halimbawa ngayon, 100sgd per payday para mabili ko ang XBOX 360 for 6 months.

HOUSE. It’s unusual for a guy (or someone), at the age of 23, meron ng bahay. Well, with God’s help and supreme guidance, meron na akong bahay sa Dasmariñas, Cavite. Weird or unusual, it’s something na ipinagmamalaki ko.

Ayan. Kulang ata ang 8. Hahaha…

I’m tagging Gezelle, Ate Moomai, Jho, Debbie, Ara, Lee Mark, TA and Delpoy. Pwede din ung trip lang kahit hindi ko tinagged. Kunyari nag-tag ko kayo. Hahaha…

Bakit kasi no money?

2006-07-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Inis ako ngayon. Abot-kamay na ang pangarap e, bakit nung panahon na iyon, kailangan ko magtipid? Nakapanlulumo talaga. Isa pa, bakit ba ang bilis masold out ng mga concert tickets dito sa Singapore?

Iniisip ko, kung bumili sana ako kahit man lang pinamababang price. Kaso alaws talaga, hindi pwede gumastos nung mga panahon na iyon.

Bakit ako bad trip? Concert ngayon ng Coldplay dito sa Singapore, at sold out ang ticket last month pa. Kanina ko pa iniisip un e. Kanina ko pa din hinihintay sa PinoyITdotSG na may magpost na binebenta na nya ung 80sgd na lowest ticket. Kaso wala.

Hay. Ng dahil sa inis ako, pinagtripan ko na lang ang sarili ko sa kakakuha ng mga images gamit ang webcam ko. Sana naman, hindi iyon ung huli... Magkaconcert lang yan sa pinas, uuwi ako. Papabili ako ng ticket sa mga tropa ko...

Hanggang tugtog na lang muna ako ng "Yellow" at "Shiver". May "God put a smile upon my face" na lang. "Fix You"! Huh!

God's Debris...

2006-07-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Whoaah! My bosses are not here. Half of the IS Department people are on team building activity. I am supposedly included but my project manager asked me to join July 14 team-building. So I’m sitting here, with the rest of the few lonesome people checking emails or having long conversations in online messengers.

Anyway, I really don't know why I got this PDF file. Ang naalala ko lang, my cousin, ate medorri who’s working in Ernst & Young in the US placed a linked sa YM status nya and I clicked it. Dilbert.com opened and I saw their Free Ebook, God’s Debris. Kasi nakita ko FREE e. Hehehe. That’s where all started.

I started reading the PDF file last Monday. I can’t blatantly open the acrobat reader because my boss might ask kung ano ang binabasa ko. So what I did was copy 3-4 chapters as text, paste the text on my VS .NET IDE and enclose the text in comment /**/. Bright idea, isn’t? Hehehe...

God’s Debris is, according to the author (Scott Adams), is a “thought experiment”. I literally don’t understand what it means, until such time I started reading the introduction. Ooops, warning daw, if I might find the content of the book threatening with regards to my concept of God and His nature, better not continue. Well, ate shawie almost told me the content of Da Vinci’s Code and yet, I’m still here. My concept of God and how I believe Him didn’t changed. So, ok lang sa akin. I continued...

The story just revolved between 2 people, but it gently weaves into a captivating story. A delivery man meets an old man who almost have explanations about God, free will, our existence, etc. etc. The whole story is told in the form of conversation, questions and answers bounced back and fourth. And when you already drowned yourself to the story, it seems that you are also including in the story, like an innocent child listening to their conversations.

The old man’s concept of God is not conventional. His view seems to hand together. His answers to life’s mysteries – God and His nature, reality, free will, probability, science, evolution and even religion – are mostly captivating. I’m not saying that I agreed to all what the old man had said but there are some topics that really fascinated me, like about relationships, will power, affirmations, light and the story about the curious bees.

There were instances that I did not agreed to what the old man said about God and His nature. It’s because I have my own explanation about God, and it’s because I do believe. Sabi ng author, “the simplest explanation is usually right…” pero I’m not saying that I’m dead wrong. It’s my own explanation and questioning other people’s faith is out of bounds to everyone except by myself.

If you want to read the ebook, click here.

God bless everyone.

Nostalgia ni Ating...

2006-07-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

Diwata or Ating sent me this email. Nakakatuwa. She is Mark’s God’s Gift. She used to call me ‘utol’ because Mark is my “utol” (conio kasi ng bestfriend. hehehe). This is what she wrote:

"Namimiss ko yung... the sound of your voice kpg kumakanta ka... / pangungulit mo... / maangas mong itsura... / simpleng hirit re: life / simpleng ngiti... / the way you move around kpg mgkksama ang banda... / the way u listen to every talk sa clp... / the companionship lalo na kpag may prob kmi ni mark... / asaran nyo ni erome... / kulitan nyo ni popot... / tablahan nyo ni mark... / kwentuhan nyo ni mae... / believe it or not.... / yung bango ng perfume mo na ewan ko ba hanggang ngaun hindi ko pa mahanap sa dept store... / gusto ko tlaga yun... / prang powder lang kc... / pde nman cguro sa babae yun noh... / presence mo khit hindi tau madalas magkausap... / presence mo sa clp.. / presence ng banda... ni mae... / kakyutan ni mae... / softness in her voice... / cute smile... / mahinhin pro rock... / kakaibang tawanan ng banda... / mga jokes na khit narinig ko na natatawa pa din ako... / bag ni popot na prang pang ninja turtles... / chubbiness ni erome... / almost perfect na tugtog ng banda khit na pangit yung cable... / paulit-ulit na intro ni popot... / place ng practice nyo... / gateway na dinadaanan ntin lhat kpg kumakain after ng practice... / excitement lalo na nung maskipaps... / kaba habang tumutugtog kyo sa battle of the bands kna popot... / warm feeling kpg kasama ko kayong lhat... / happiness tuwing makikita ko kayong masaya... / moments natin lhat sa jollibee, mcdo, UP, bahay nila popot, bhay nila mae, bhay nila erome gateway food choices... / taxi moment ntin 2... / thanks nga pla sa paghatid sakin nung tym na yon... / uy, nabawasan ko na khit konti yung ugali na kpag masama loob ko khit san ako pumunta bahala na... / cguro dahil dun sa paghatid mo... / moment nmin ni mark sa baywalk nung hindi pa kmi at hindi pa sya ngsasabi... / excitement lalo na kpg ginagabi tau tpos mag-uusisa si bro. thox... / time na sabay sabay tau ngsimba...

haay... nakakamiss talaga..."

Prepare for battle...

2006-07-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

I received an email from Ate Moomai last night. She’s one of the active members of SFC Singapore and the person I owe for teaching me how to dance for the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Forum last May. She just arrived the other day from Manila because she attended the 25th anniversary, GK international build and the Global Leaders Forum (GLF). Nakakainggit. Next time talaga, sasama na ako. Hehehe…

Attached with her email are the new songs that were sung in GLF, the SFC Coat of Arm image and a document that explains why it was designed that way. Looks like the logo is reliving King Arthur and the knights of the roundtable era. But the coat of arm is very relevant to the current times because every day, we face enormous battles.

Recalling how Filipino heroes fought for the freedom of the Philippines, most of them, they just used bolos, no armor, and no protection. Hitting any parts of the body is fatal. It’s a frightening combat, considering your enemies are using guns and cannons. For some, they preferred to do it in a way where pen and paper were the only weapons.

One of the battles that we face as Christians is Spiritual battle. We stand firm for spiritual freedom, we fight in opposition to evil and we struggle to survive. Every one’s battle can be accounted to Guinness as the longest war for it may take eternity to win that war. Nevertheless, most of us are already waving those white flags when we are about to lose the fight.

At the very beginning of our battle, God has chosen our weapons. In 2 Cor. 10:3-4, “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds”. Are we truly equipped with the whole armor of God? Are we ready to fight for Him and denounce every evil that will face us in the biggest battle of our lives? Let’s pause for a while and look ourselves in a mirror. Am I protected with the helmet of salvation? Do I bear the sword sharpened and the shield strengthened by my Faith, Love and Hope? Do I trust God as my commander that He will definitely lead us to victory? Am I wearing the armor fortified by my values and Christian way of living?

Unlike the wars that we keep on hearing on news, our battle for spirituality depends not on the human strength but depends on the Power of God. As Christians, we are all familiar with the nature of the warfare and the great forces that are against us. Just remember that it’s a foolish act to enter the enemies’ frays without any weapons. Make ourselves be prepared by bearing God-given weapons all the time.

Lastly, let’s not forget that in our spiritual battle, winning is not an option. It’s a must. Stand and fight alongside with God for victory is always at hand. Also, spiritual battles are not a one-man combat. Rest assured our comrades with help us fight so let’s not falter. Their will be times that we will be weakened but remember that we can always draw strength from God.

God bless everyone!

Peacemaker Soul?

2006-07-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

I tried to search thru Google any blog entries that will pertain to kinds of souls. When I typed the keywords “blog”, “kind”, “of” and “soul”, the topmost query was BlogThing’s quiz. Without any hesitations, I opened the link and I got a quiz page asking me personal questions and as the result, I got this:

You Are a Peacemaker Soul

You strive to please others and compromise anyway you can. War or conflict bothers you, and you would do anything to keep the peace. You are a good mediator and a true negotiator. Sometimes you do too much, trying so hard to make people happy.

While you keep the peace, you tend to be secretly judgmental. You lose respect for people who don't like to both give and take. On the flip side, you've got a great sense of humor and wit. You're always diplomatic and able to give good advice.

Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul, Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Hmmm.. The result is nearly true as compared to my personality. But the title seems to be so inappropriate. Hehehe... Anyway, just try it out and let me know if I am compatible with what kind of soul you are.

God bless everyone!

Akhui, Kum…

2006-07-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I went to the Church of the Holy Trinity to distribute flyers for the upcoming July 16 Christian Life Program or CLP, a starting point of joining Singles For Christ (SFC). After that I attended the last mass for that morning.

There is a particular phrase that struck me on that day’s gospel (Mark 5:38-43) and it was “Talitha, kum” an Aramaic phrase which means, Little girl, arise! That was the priest’s source of sermon and became the essence of the homily. The priest enumerated several things we normally lose. We lose faith, we lose hope, we lose trust, we lose our loyalty, and we lose God. Most of the times, we lose values when we encounter difficulties and adversities in our lives, when we live in turmoil, when we become lost sheep.

That whole day, I held on to that phrase. I kept on repeating those words in my mind so that I can reflect to it and how can I evaluate my life making it as the main thought. Surprisingly, I was able to remember those words until now. “Talitha” means little girl so I set aside my work first and looked for an Aramaic word for “brother”. I stumbled to the word “akhui”.

How many times we mislaid our faith? Hope during the dark times of our lives? Trust? Love for God? Many times right? It seems that we always feel abandoned and helpless when we are bombarded by trials and started telling to ourselves, “why does it always rain on me”? It’s not always that you acknowledge problems as God’s way to strengthen us. Most of the times, we always have this first thought that we misunderstood the purpose of every trial that we encounter. We just later on realize that maybe it’s given to us to teach us something that is lacking in our lives. It’s normal for us that when we have problems, we first tell complaints. We didn’t thought at first to call God for discernment and spiritual guidance. I was able to tell these things because I myself is also guilty with these.

Inspite of having these sort of doubts and questions, complaints and grumbles, faithless and hopeless moments, God never ceases to tell us, “Son, get up!” But I asked myself, do I always respond to God’s call to stand up again when problems made me down? My answer, NO… There are a lot of moments in my life that when bumped into difficulties, I complain. I can’t even comprehend the utmost purpose of the problem and even fail to understand it fully. I normally fail to stand up and recover immediately.

Sometimes, I tend to isolate myself from other people. I tend to reduce my time for service. I tend to neglect prayer time and reading the scriptures. The thought of isolating myself from other people is my way of giving myself ample space to internalize and be alone for quite some time. As I see, it’s my way of taking a rest from a long sturdy journey, journey for holiness with full of hindrances, failures, heartaches and pains. I don’t know if it’s the best way to reevaluate one’s self but that’s the only best way I used to do, until now. And I don’t know if its God’s destined or preferred way for me to get up and move along.

I do still struggle to grow spiritually. It’s been a couple of years when I have decided to pull myself out of the bad box of this world. It’s been a couple of years when I vowed to try my best to be always on the bright and right side of everything. It’s been a couple of years when I really started growing. It’s been a couple of years when I have decided to commit myself for God’s service. I guess what I have done is not yet enough because I do still see that there are still some things that are lacking in my life. And it’s been a couple of years that I am still trying to figure these things out one by one and understand each fully and wholeheartedly. To evaluate it, I really do changed a lot. But I know for myself that there are still a lot of things to be done.

Our lives here on earth is like what mountaineers do, striving to reach the top, with a lot of struggles and hindrances. We slide downward sometimes, move slowly, lag behind and even stumble really hard. Everybody is doing their best to reach the utmost summit. But the thing is, we still struggle to move upward, rather than thinking of quitting, going down and turning our backs, and that's one of the most important things that God wants to tell us, learn to get up, then continue the journey for in every step you make, you will gain a lot of lessons. As the famous quotation goes, success is not measured on how many times you have achieved and earned, but how many times you tried to get up when you failed. If we want to be successful spiritually, then we must learn to how to get up after falling.

As for me, I do still need to widen my heart for God. Not just to let more of His blessings and goodness enter into it, but to have more room for God when trials come, to call for Him always and feel his guidance and encouragements every time I stumble and fall.

God bless everyone!

A farewell and a celebration of life...

2006-07-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

Nakakapagod etong weekend na eto. Nung sabado, naglipat ako. Late na ako nakagising nun dahil umaga na kami nakauwi nila kuya carlou, ate weng at ate joy anne dahil tumambay kami at nagjamming sa Esplanade. Tapos naglipit pa ako ng mga gamit ko nung Saturday Noon and early afternoon. Buti na lang talaga, wala pa ako gaano kadaming gamit kundi mahihirapan akong maglipat.

Yesterday was a very special day for my 2 brethrens in the community. It was Jean's despedida and also, Kuya Red's birthday. My day started yesterday ng magising ako ng 9:30am. Kinuha ko ang aking cellphone at meron akong message from Ate Starra. She needed my help to distribute the CLP invitations and flyers sa Church of the Holy Trinity by 10:00am. Late na. Kasi ang nacommit ko sa kanya, 11:00am to 1:30pm. Hindi na ako nakaabot. I arrived there just in time that the 11:00am mass ended. There were only 4 SFC members who were there, Ate Starra, Kuya Jonathan and Gerard, a recent graduate of CAEC-CLP. After that, I took the 12:30pm mass. After nun, distribution ulit. That time, sina Kuya Jojit at Kuya Jomer naman ang kasama ko. I really had a great time din nun kasi ung mga anak nung mga Couples e nakikipagkulitan sa akin.

I went to Ate Fina's place near Bedok Reservoir ng mga 3:30pm. Pagkadating ko, dumating naman si Jean. Buti na lang hindi kami nagkasabay kundi hindi na surprise ung despedida namin for her.

GODSPEED, SIS JEAN!

Jean is a graduate of Woodlands CLP. First time kong nakita sya e nung April Prayer Assembly sa CAEC. Nagshare sya nun regarding her desire to leave Singapore and take her PhD of Chemistry sa America. My most memorable moment with Jean was when I went home with her, Arlene and Kuya Edwin on our way to Ang Mo Kio MRT Station. Sa Choa Chu Kang pa ako nun. We really had a fun time that day. Ang kulit namin ni Kuya Edwin nun. My friendship with them really started very well.

Nung dedication na for Jean, I told her na sobrang saya ko nung araw na iyon dahil new found friends ko sila at sobrang galeng nung start. Sabi ko, kapag naging makulit ako sa unang pagsasama pa lang, ibig sabihin nun, comfortable na ako sa isang tao. And that's how I feel when I met them. It ended up telling and assuring her of our support and prayers kahit wala na sya sa Singapore, that the scholarship that she got from a university in Florida is really an answered prayer and a gift to her from God because of her unselfish service and commitment to the community and prayers for her well-deserved blessings.

HAPI BERFDAY, KUYA RED

Now, it's Kuya Red's turn. Galing pa si kuya sa volunteer work nya as instructor sa mga Care givers. Kuya is a physical therapist. Akala nya, simpleng despedida lang un for Jean pero we also had a suprise for him. Double celebration nga iyon.

Same with Jean's, nagkaroon din ng dedication for kuya. Naunahan pa ako ni anna na banggitin ung tungkol sa sharing ni Kuya Red nung Prayer Assembly last april.

"Para kaming Vic Sotto and Jimmy Santos, laging tamang hirit kung bumanat..." was my intro for him. I saw kuya as an ideal older brother. "Sa laki ng taong eto na sa una e nakakaintimidate, sinong mag-aakala na mas incomparable ang puso nya for service and for other people. I really look at him like an older brother, I salute him for his service to the community and for devoting your time and talents for God. If I will be given another opportunity to testify how good kuya red is, I'll definitely be one of them..."

IT'S A WRAP:

For Jean, nakakalungkot man, pero just the same, we will be praying for you and for your well-deserved blessings. Mababawasan na naman ang SFC pero God has a plan for you and definitely, he has a reason why you need to be in Florida. You'll be teaching there as well, while pursuing for the PhD. I guess, it's God's way to work to the youth in that place thru you.

For kuya red, madami pa tayong pagsasamahan. Thanks for inspiring us, for the unselfish and unwaving service to the community. For your birthday wish, hayaan mo, tutulungan ka namin maghanap. Hehehe... See you sa inuman at sa birthday celebration mo...

That's all. Misterclay is now signing off...

Peripathetic Nomad...

2006-07-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

I moved out today. From Kembangan to Clementi, 40 minutes by MRT, a difference of 17 stations (biruin mo??).

This is the view of the Kembangan MRT Station from the place I lived for almost one and a half months. I'm gonna miss this place for sure. Astoria Park's (name of the condo villa) location is really convenient... if you are working in Central Business District.

During my stay here, I met quite number of people. Dalawa na sina Kuya Rodel and Kuya Ernie. They are also residents of the villa. They are also playing tennis that's why we always play if there is a booking. Normally, every weekend or every wednesday. Some of my brethrens are also living in this place. Pinakamemorable kong moment in this place e nung hinarana namin ni Kuya Dennis si Ate Cindy at hinarana din namin nila kuya jomer at kuya carlou sina ate rachel at ung fiance ni kuya jomer (hehehe.. can't remember her name, lagot!) with the SFC Brothers.

Well, in general, I really had fun living in this place. Sad to say, I really have to move out. The main reason is because I really need to be near with my workplace. It's not so practical for me right now, given that what I am earning is, I know, barely enough to support myself here in Singapore and support my family in the Philippines.

I already had a glimpse of the place that I will be renting for a longer period a week prior my transfer. I guess Clementi is already in the southwest part of Singapore. My place is near the southern bay line of the country, far from the Changi Airport. But the thing is, my place is just a bus ride to my work place. 10-15 minutes travel I guess. I still have to figure that out on Monday. For now, I'm so happy with the place. Too windy, no need to turn on a fan kapag umaga o kahit hapon. Eventhough I'm just living in an HDB-type of housing, ok lang. Much cheaper naman. Kahit na walang amenities, ok lang din. Ang importante is comfortable with the place. May TFC din dito, at uhmmm, may wifi connection din.

Eric is my housemate. The other one, I forgot the name. I'll ask Eric. Hehehe. My other housemate went to the Philippines just yesterday. Hindi na kami nagpang-abot. Pero ok lang. Sabi ni Eric, he's also playing tennis kaya for sure makakasundo ko un. Eric is Randel's officemate. What a small yet big world. Hehehe...

Hay... Sa wakas, meron na akong place na matutuluyan ng pangmatagalan. Sana... sana...

Jamming till morning...

2006-07-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was SFC-SG Music Ministry monthly practice. Hindi sana ako pupunta dahil nung umaga, wala akong spirit to go there and have a practice. That's why when I left Astoria, hindi ko dinala ung gitara (ni ate aila na hanggang ngayon e nasa akin pa din). Until such time na nagplayback na naman sa isip ko lahat ng scenarios related sa nararamdaman ko nung araw na iyon. Aside from the that, kuya carlou is expecting me to be there. That's why after ng office, I went back to Astoria, grabbed the guitar and went to CAEC.

And so, we had a practice last night. Just 5 songs, I think it's for the upcoming Prayer Assembly for this month (tingnan mo, kahit ako hindi ko alam. nyahaha). After that, uwian na.

It's friday kaya naisip ko lang to unwind pero I don't know where. Isa pa, it will be my last night in Astoria (yup, I'm moving out to Clementi, much nearer to work). Buti na lang Kuya Carlou asked me, "Bru, jamming tayo ba...". Laking visayas si kuya kaya ganyan (well, minsan meron din akong accent na ganyan at 'ba' expression dahil may dugong bisaya din naman ako. Hehehe. So sabi ko, sige.

Kuya carlou and I are planning to form a band. Pero we're still looking for a bassist and a drummer.

We decided to have our jamming sa Esplanade. Ayos no? That time, he's asking everyone to join us and have some time to unwind. Ate Weng and Ate Joy Anne went with us. We went to Glutton's Bay first kasi di pa nagdidinner si ate joy. She bought chicken wings for us kaya kuya carlou and I bought beers. Last night was my first time to drink beer here in Singapore. Not San Mig Light, not Carlsberg. It's tiger beer. Too expensive. Waaahhh! 4 SGD! Makakabili na ako ng 2 cases of san mig light sa pinas...

After that, nagstay kami dun malapit sa bay, ala baywalk ang dating. We started singing some songs that kuya and I know. We had a great time last night. Ung mga jamming songs namin ni kuya, tinugtog namin like Plush of Stone Temple Pilots, Selling the drama of Live, Wherever you will go of The Calling. Ate weng played The One I Love of REM. May mga OPM songs din kami. Mostly Eraserheads, Bamboo, Hale, Parokya ni Edgar and Rivermaya. Basta lahat ng pumasok sa isip nun na pwedeng tugtugin, tinugtog namin. Nung mawalan na kami ng lineup, we started thinking of artists na ang first letter e letter na pagkakasunud-sunod sa alphabeth. So nagstart sya sa A. We ended up to M because it's already 3am at nagyaya na si ate joy na umuwi.

Naalala ko nun, there are times when me and my band in the Philippines do something like this though sa bahay-bahay lang, with cases of beer and pulutan. Nakakamiss pero nakakatuwa din because it's something that reminded of one of my preferred gimiks for the weekend. Tipong gitara, beer at pulutan lang e masaya na.

Thanks bro and mga sis for a very wonderful jamming moment last night. 'Til then, next time!

No techie here...

2006-06-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Shoot! This blog is for real life drama. Nyahaha. This is not intended to cater IT topics. I will not be posting any technical topics here. Yes, yes! I already have 3 blog sites and this is the third. My first one is the multiply site. It just contains some non-sense blog entries :D but most of the posts there are pictures and MP3s. For my IT blog site, visit my Devpinoy spot.

UPDATE:
--------------
(ym conversation with Jho Sta. Cruz)

Almin Manalo: meron puro discussions ng .NET at SQL
Almin Manalo: ewan..
Almin Manalo: pati blog technical
Almin Manalo: kaya nagdecide ako may personal blog..
Jho Sta. Cruz: hahaha
Jho Sta. Cruz: anak ng baka
Almin Manalo: http://community.devpinoy.org/blogs/misterclay/
Jho Sta. Cruz: dapat narerelax ka sa paggawa ng blog
Jho Sta. Cruz: di nasstress
Almin Manalo: oo nga e...
Jho Sta. Cruz: parang ayoko syang basahin
Jho Sta. Cruz: ang geek geek mo
Almin Manalo: nakita mo na ba?
Jho Sta. Cruz: oo
Jho Sta. Cruz: pambihirang blog yan
Jho Sta. Cruz: hehehhe
--------------

Binara na naman ako ni Jho. Kaya nga gumawa ako ng blog na pang-personal e kasi gagawa na nga lang ng blog site, technical pa. Trabaho na nga technical, gamit technical, utak technical.. Eto, iba.. Nyahaha...

On the first day of the next 25 years...

2006-06-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Brother Frank Padilla's message to all the members of the CFC community and all its ministries...

"Greetings of peace and joy, brethren.

We have just finished our anniversary activities and events. What a wonderful time this has been--to have so many of our brethren come from all over the world to share the joy of 25 years of God's faithfulness, and to hear the Lord speak to us in various ways through the talks, sharings and fellowship. One thing we have said often enough is that our work is just starting! The first 25 years were the preparation, and now, with the 7 pillars, the fullness of our work has been revealed, and so the next 25 years will be a time of living out our mission to the full, and going about it with an even greater sense of urgency. The Lord has blessed us in 25 years in order that He might use CFC as a blessing to others, indeed, to the whole world.

One totally astonishing manifestation of God's faithfulness and power is how He so dramatically fulfilled the goal He gave us over 10 years ago to be in 153 countries by the end of our 25th year. Ten years ago we were only in about two dozen countries. By the end of 2005, we were already in 134 countries. But then we had 19 more countries to go, with only half a year to accomplish the goal. In His often dramatic fashion, God brought us to our 153rd country on the very last day of our first 25 years. That was yesterday as we had our culminating celebration. I believe God wanted, at the end of our 25 years, to give us a solid message: that He is faithful, that He can accomplish the humanly impossible, that we can trust in Him, that He wants to use CFC, the community He Himself has raised, in a mighty way for mission in this third millennium.

We will face many more humanly impossible tasks, but God says that nothing is impossible with Him. So we can certainly accomplish GK777, and 25 million trees in 5 years, and whatever other miraculous work He will give us the privilege to do. But then, it will also depend on our response. So we need to respond in accordance with God's trust and dependence on us. We must give our all. The next 25 years is a call to sacrifice, denial of self, embracing the cross, and even giving of our very lives. If we do, we are going to see God's plan work in our life and ministry.

On a practical basis, we should faithfully attend our meetings, we should tithe (or at least give something regularly on a monthly basis), we should practice active submission to those over us, we should be open to service. We must live out our covenant in CFC. Then we can be a people God will use, to accomplish His eternal plan. Let us not be the obstacle to God's power and majesty. Let us not be selfish with our time, talent and treasure. Remember that becoming an obstacle does not just affect our relationship with God, but adversely affects the many souls that God wants to reach through our work.

I will make one particular call at this time. I believe that God wants to greatly expand our missionary force (not short term mission but those who stay to live in another country for two years or more). God has already been calling many of our young singles, and they have been responding. I believe though that God will be calling older couples. In places like Africa they look up to those who are older with respect, and younger people can only do so much. So if you are retired or retiring, and if your kids are finished with school and are on their own, and if your mortgage is already paid, and if you are thinking what to do with your still many productive years (perhaps you are thinking of another job), then please consider becoming a missionary couple. I assure you, it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. If you think God might be calling you, let me know.

Praise God for His work in our lives. Thank you all for your work in the last 25 years. Let us all look forward to seeing even more of God's power and majesty in the next 25 years, as we truly give of ourselves to the life and mission of CFC. God bless you all."

May God be praised!

Superman Returns... A Movie To Watch??

2006-06-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

"You wrote that the world doesn't need a saviour, but every day I hear people crying for one." - Clark Kent (Superman Returns 2006)

I wasn't able to watch first Superman movie series but who's not familiar with the life story of the man of steel? Briefly, anybody can tell who he is. I'm not a big fan of DC Comic nor Marvel Comic films except for some like X-Men of course because I watched the cartoon series every now and then when I was still a kid (and still watching the X-Men Evolution since last year) or Spiderman because of the cartoon series also, I watched Superman Returns for some reasons.

I was able to watch Smallville Seasons 1, 2 and 3. For the succeeding seasons, I wasn't able to complete them. That's why I'm curious what will be the difference of the series from the movie.

Yesterday was SFC Singapore brothers and sisters’ movie fellowship a.k.a gimik. It’s really fun to be with my brethrens in the community and also, pinoy gimik because it’s not everyday that you’ll gonna be with people of the same nationality. Anyway, we watched the movie at Cathay Cineplex near Dhoby Ghaut Interchance MRT station. More or less, nasa 30 kami so we were able to occupy 3 centre rows. Dami no? That’s why masaya talaga kapag may fellowship ang SFC d2 sa Singapore.

These are my comments/questions for the movie. Medyo may kaunting spoiler kaya wag nyo na basahin kung hindi nyo pa napapanood ung movie:

It's a thrilling entertainment to watch but it's not quite the come back movie you want it to be.
Nakakabato siguro kung sinimulan sa part na bata pa lang sya.
May mga parts na hindi pa din maganda ang computer animation and effects. Pero ok pa din naman.
How come na nakalipad si Superman sa space at nabuhat pa nya ung “island” na ginawa ni Lex Luthor using one of the crystals tapos nakatutok sa kanya mismo ung mga kryptonite whereas nung dumating sya dun before sa “island” at bits lang kryptonite e nawalan na sya ng lakas at hindi na sya makalipad?
Wala masyadong fight scenes di tulad ng Spiderman and X-Men, the mere fact that Superman and Lex Luthor have past encounters.
The movie has a twist of comedy, action and drama.

To sum it up, kahit na may mga napansin ako, ok pa din naman panoorin ang Spiderman Returns. I'm not a total critic person lalo na sa mga movies (si Mark lang un). Isa pa, hindi ko din naman napanood ung Superman movies ni late Reeves kaya hindi ko masabi kung ok na actor ung gumanap na Superman (kaya hindi din ako makasunod sa kwentuhan nila popot, mark at erome tungkol sa superman ng sinaunang-panahon).

Enjoy the movie and do watch it with your family and friends.

Blogging here starts now...

2006-06-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

I do have a non-techie blog site but it seems that I am not comfortable of placing blog entries there anymore. That site is too complicated to handle, although it offers a lot compared to other free blogging sites. Aside from that, even if I am trying to create a personal site for blogging, it seems that time doesn’t permit me to do it.

I am hoping that I will be able to maintain this blogspot site consistently. I envy Gezelle for having a nice blog site. I am hoping I can do the same also. But the dedication to maintain it consistently will be the problem :D. I’m still searching for a place where I can totally express what I want, share my views and my opinions and inform everybody what’s going on with my life in general.

Hope this will work out…