1st Bible Study at the office

My PM (Project Manager) and our Accountant at the office are hosting the first ever Bible Study this  Wednesday after office hours.  And I will be one of the attendee on this  cell group meeting.  This is a refreshing take on the challenge for us Christians to spread the Word of God for other people to get to know Christ in a much deeper level.  We are going to discuss the book that made a great impact to the lives of so many people, and this is the Purpose Driven Life.  We are praying for more number of attendees and hope that this will be a weekly meeting that is open for every office personnel at the office.  With all the going ons around the world, the global crisis we are all experiencing, the instability of every country's economy, during times like these... all we could do is to cling on to God... the Creator of all things.  I hope and pray for God's leading on this one.

another stressful week at the office... argh!!!

With our Production release being delayed by 2 days, we were scheduled to GO LIVE last January 28, and now was pushed back to February 2, I feel like I'm falling from the demands of my work.  
I need a sabbatical leave...

goodbye my havs :(

After almost 2 years of everyday usage, my havaianas have finally said goodbye to me... uhuhu.  
Yesterday, when I was going downstairs, I was knocked down literally because of my slipper's disfunctionality.  Ouch!!! sakit non!!!  I was not aware that the thong of my slipper was already torned apart.
Hhhmmm... I had never given much thought to how my havaianas would end up... hahaha!! Mag-ala Bella Swan ba sa dialogue?  (lol)
E kasi naman ginawang pambahay na tsinelas instead na pang alis lng dapat!  Ayan tuloy bumigay na sha! Ampf!
Niweys... I would eventually have to buy a new one.  I am torn in buying Crocs, Ipanema or Birkenstock sandals.  Hhhmmmm.... Watcha tink guys???!!!  

OBAMA RULES!

With the Time magazine choosing him as Person of the Year for 2008 as he was the most talked about personality last year and still are today, he affected the news and our lives, and embodied what was important about the year... and winning last year's Presidential Election with unprecedented return of votes, it is just fitting for Barack Obama to be the Person of the Year for 2008.  And just last Tuesday, (January 20) we were able to witness his inauguration/oath taking as being the 44th President of the United States of America and the first African American to hold the office, truly Barack Obama is the man of the hour.  He was able to make a good transition from a Senator to being the President of the most powerful country in the world. 

During his Inaugural Address, what struck me was when he talked about other countries that needs the help of a strong country like America.  And I quote him "To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.  And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.  For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

Let's wait and see if he can really make the CHANGE HAPPEN on his term, as what was on his slogan during his campaign.  With the recession still going on in the United States, more and more people are losing their jobs.  Here in the Philippines, we can already feel the global crisis happening with some of the giant corporations either shutting down their operations in the Philippines or laying off their staffs.  Hayssss!!!  What have happened to the world???  But I do believe that we can get pass through this by God's grace and mercy.  Let's just hope for the best!!! :)

i'm loving the weather... lamiiiiiggggg!!! :)

These days, it's getting colder and colder outside. It's like you're in Tagaytay or in Baguio even if you're in the Metro. In the morning, I would get up at around 6AM to jog within our village and it's freezing cold outside.  Well, maybe I am not just used to having this kind of weather here in the Philippines because we are in the Tropics.  But it's nice to feel this gentle breeze of the wind caressing your skin and making you feel like you're in a different country... hehehe! Oh well, I hope that this kind of weather would stay much longer for me to enjoy!

I've checked the temperature today here in Ortigas and it's 19 degrees celsius.  cool!!

grief and sorrow

Have you ever experienced losing someone important and close to your heart?  May it be a family member, a relative, a friend or a colleague? I have lost my mom 21 years ago and accepting the fact that my mom is gone forever was the hardest thing for me to bear.  No comforting words can compensate the pain that I've gone through as a kid during those time.  And now, that feeling repeats itself as I've lost my aunt this time last Dec. 21, a few days before Christmas. She is my mom's youngest sibling.  She stood as a second mother to all of us her nephews and nieces.  We knew that it was coming... and it's just a matter of time.

And with that experience, I've come to know that there are phases of grief.  According to an article I've read from the Internet, there are 5 phases of grief and they are the following:

1. Numbness: This reaction often follows the death of a loved one and may last up to 10 days. People who experience emotional numbness say they have a sense of being paralyzed, distant, and removed from one's feelings of grief. Some say such numbing is the body's mechanism for protecting itself from being overwhelmed by the shock of the loss.
2. Denial and Isolation: In this stage, the person experiencing grief and bereavement has significant difficulty accepting the reality of their loss. It may be expressed in more severe forms as a complete denial of the death or in less severe forms in lapses of thinking and behaving as if the person hadn't really died. While complete acceptance is part of the work of the entire grief process, the initial more acute difficulties with acceptance are included in this phase.
3. Anger: In this phase, the grieving person feels anger with the world, fate, God, or people in their lives. He or she may ask, "Why me?" and/or "Why not someone else?" give a flavor of this phase. Bargaining with God for the return of the dead person may be part of this phase.
4. Depression: As time passes, grieving individuals experience acknowledgement and acceptance of the loss. The reality of life after the loss grows; sadness and depression become more present.
5. Acceptance: The bereaved person comes to terms with the loss, and is able to move on to re-invest in the new life that lies ahead. They experience fewer extremes of emotion.

As of this date, I can say that I'm now at the acceptance phase.  I've accepted that it is her time to go. I know that wherever my aunt is right now, she's in a better place and she's much happier now.

I do not want to welcome the new year with a sad story, but there are things that are inevitable you just don't have control over with. All you could ever do is to just leave it all to the BIG GUY up there. AMEN!

i almost forgot...

How time really flies, last December 6 was the 1st year anniversary of my blog.  I almost forgot about it because of the busyness at the office, then at home - I was so engrossed in reading the ebooks of the twilight saga... hahaha! and with all other stuff going around.  Wow! I can't believe it... 1 year had passed and as I look through all my posts for the past year, it brought a smile on my face .  To be able to express myself through writing and sharing pictures of the happennings in my life is quite an enjoyable hobby or past time.  I just wish that this coming year, I can have a lot more time to post new entries on this blog and interesting stories to tell and share with.  Happy anniversary to me!  Yey!!! Cheers!

my weekend in HK...

Traveling is something that I enjoyed doing even when I was a kid. Even if it's just going to the zoo or to the groceries, I am thrilled to leave the house and see the sites outside of it. I always look forward to every occasion that has something to do with travel. And so now that I am grown up and has the ability to splurge my hard-earned money (naks!), there... i went to the fabulous city of Hongkong! Yipeee...

My first foot at Hongkong International Airport was a bit nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. First, I almost lost 300HKD while walking on the airport holding a map and deciding on what to ride going to our hotel. Thankfully, a chinese guy returned the money. (whew!) Second, I rode off an incorrect bus number leaving me circling around mongkok finding my way to the hotel. I was almost lost in translation... (sigh) but then , I was able to find my way to the hotel by asking direction to a receptionist of another hotel that speaks and understands english... YES!


DAY1: Evening
DESTINATION: Mongkok
WEATHER: A bit cold 17 degree celcius

We had dinner at McDonald's... We were so afraid of trying Chinese foods that's why we have to play it safe by ordering our food at McDonalds.
During evening, Mongkok has a lively vibe. A lot of people went out either to shop or to unwind after a days work. Since I don't have a lot of money in hand to splurge, all I could do is to window shop and eat my hearts out with all the wonderful goodies and gadgets that I would love to buy.


DAY2: Mid-morning till evening
DESTINATION: Ocean Park, Canton Road, Harbor View

This was so much fun as we were able to ride cable car and see Kung-fu Panda... hehehe
We also got to ride the Mine Train (it's like a roller coaster which overlook the South China Sea) During night time, we went to Canton Road. It's like our Greenbelt here. You can find there high-end stores like LV, Prada, D&G, etc. lined up on the road.
And at the end of the road is the Harbor view where you can see the skyline of Hongkong displaying different arrays of lights.


DAY3: Mid-morning till 6PM
DESTINATION: Hongkong Disneyland

This was the climax of our trip. When we got to enter Disneyland, my friend was almost teary-eyed, according to her this was her childhood dream to visit this theme park. Hehehe
We got to tour the 3 lands that Disney has to offer: Adventureland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. And of course, our visit will not be complete without a picture taken with any Disney character and that was Minnie Mouse for us. Cute! hehehe... What I enjoyed most was the 3D animation presentation. I forgot what ride was that. But it was such a fun experience... It's like going back to my childhood days :) The only thing was we haven't got to watch the parade as there were none that day. There reason was that they are preparing for the Christmas season. Oh well... it's still fun after all. We left Disney having a big smile on our faces and headed straight to the airport.

All in all, it was such an enjoyable trip... I hope that I could get back there and experience a new level of fun and excitement. AYUS!

23 days and counting... yey!

I'm so excited... it's just 23 days and counting 'til my trip to Hongkong.
The anticipation is killing me as I countdown this planned vacation of mine.  This is my first time to travel abroad, so you can feel the giddiness in me
This vacation will only contain touring of the places... that means no shopping for me
Oh well... that's life, there are things that I cannot do at the same time even if I want to. I'm just happy and thrilled that I could get to experince Hongkong in all it's grandeur.  Naks!

My Papa dearest's 70th birthday

                                                                                 
As you all know for now, reading on my previous posts, I am a true blue Papa's girl.  And I am proud of it... I really love my dad so, so, so much...  So when he celebrated his 70th birthday,  I am happy and thrilled to share with you this milestone in my dad's life.

August 21 was the exact day of my father's birthday, but it was August 19 that we were able to celebrate it and throw him a party for his 70th birthday... His guest were his friends from our church and some of my titos and titas were there.  Woaahhh... I couldn't believe that my father is already 70 years old and still in good health.  I thank God that He has given him enough strength to get to his age right now.  It is so nice to see him aging gracefully and enjoying his life as a lolo to his unica iha apo Rica... hehehe.  My wish for my dad is for the Lord to give him more strength, good health and protection for his everyday activity.  So from all of us your children, Brian and Loy, Hazel, Glena and your apo Rica... Happy Birthday Pa!!! Labs you so much...