Valentine Pledge

Today, I will commit to love and serve my God unconditionally in every way.

I pledge myself to choose and love the right, the good, the fair and the true.

I will be the light that will ignite a person’s hope to help them cope.

I will be the strength to those who lose their way to keep them back on track.

I will comfort and soothe those who are in pain to restore their smiles.

I will treat everyone with respect, the way I respect my loved ones.

I will learn how to apologize even if it would mean swallowing my own pride.

I will intently evaluate every consequence before I decide to make an action.

I will become a person who takes responsibility over his actions.

I will also learn how to respect the property of others.

I will value it the way I value my things.

I will listen and hear others

And I will never judge them because it is the right thing to do.

I will love others and treat them with kindness

Because after all, they are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Parable of the Pencil

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the
box. “There are 5 things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “Before I
send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and 
you will become the best pencil you can be.”

“One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow 
yourself to be held in Someone's hand.”

“Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but 
you'll need it to become a better pencil.”

“Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.”

“Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.”

“And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No
matter what the condition, you must continue to write.”

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with
purpose in its heart.


Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and 
never forget, and you will become the best person you can be. 

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow 
yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access
you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going
through various problems, but you'll need it to become a stronger person. 

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. 

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No
matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Something to Ponder On

Maybe God wanted us to meet the wrong people before meeting the right

one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to
be grateful for that gift.

Maybe when the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often
times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one
which has been opened for us.

Maybe the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and
swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was
the best conversation you've ever had.

Maybe it is true that we don't know what we have got until we lose it,
but it is also true that we don't know what we have been missing until
it arrives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love
you back. Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in
their heart; but if it does not, be content it grew in yours.

It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like
someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget
someone.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that
fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a
smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your
heart smile.

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just
want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real.

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you
want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all
the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make
you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you
happy.

Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you,
it probably hurts the other person, too.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have
searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the
importance of people who have touched their lives.

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you
can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and
heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was
smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is
smiling and everyone around you is crying.

-- Author Unknown

ADNU Welcomes San Pedro Calungsod

Christian Freedom Bible Church

Yesterday, Tim (the boyfriend) asked me if I could help his boss modify the final logo for a particular Church where his boss is the pastor. I was quite hesitant at first since I have never accepted any professional project relative to logo design. I mean, I know that I am not really an expert on that field, I know basic photoshop but the rest, it's all a mystery to me. A proof would be the consistent look of awe whenever I see collections of digital illustration that's really brought to life. Let's just say I'm still trying to master that craft.

But then again, because of LOVE, I said yes. 

I was quite nervous while doing the logo because I know that I am making it for a Church. Imagine the pressure and the feeling of excitement, anticipating the outcome of the logo. I immediately submitted the first design to Tim but he made some suggestions which I gladly took note of :) (see, I'm obedient).

And now, may I present to you the final logo and stationery design of Christian Freedom Bible Church :)

What made it really overwhelming was the simple letter that I received from Mr. Cabrera, the pastor of the Church and also, Tim's boss, the one I was referring to earlier. It was a note that made me feel really appreciated. And although I have not given up my being Roman Catholic to Christianity, he was very comfortable addressing me as if I was a regular in their Church.

Note: I have been attending a Christian worship service since high school. There were a lot of times when I wanted to 'change my religion' but I cannot sacrifice my devotion for INA. I am spiritually happy attending the Christian service but there are practices in Roman Catholicism that I just cannot give up because I, myself, know and understand what these practices are for and I have personally experienced God through these practices.

Para Kay INA

It was Traslascion last year that H, E and I decided to document the procession. We didn't know that we had to seek permission from the Archdiocese of Caceres so we could situate ourselves in the nicest spot. We ended up doing ninja moves just to take those photos. But this year, we became part of the official photographers for the entire duration of the Peñafrancia Festival. What made it worth it? We had access to the tower at Metropolitan Cathedral and the view up there was really enthralling!

Rejected

Perhaps God has a greater plan for me :) I pray that you grant me the wisdom and an ever patient heart to understand and embrace your will.

... and there was HOPE

Today was my first time to worship in Hope Church Singapore (thanks to Achi Deejay and Kuya Marlon for bringing me to Hope). The Church is quite far from our place. I have to ride the LRT line going to Choa Chu Kang, then I have to transfer to the green line as soon I get off from Jurong East then I have to get off at Lavender station.

From Lavender station, we had to walk 600 meters to reach the building, Textile Center. The Church is situated at the fourth floor, where the Axis Auditorium is located. When we got there, a number of people where crowding at the elevator. We decided to take the escalator instead. We were attending the 3:00pm service.

Hope Church has two schedules of worship service for Filipinos, the first is at 3pm and the other is at 6pm. They also have a simultaneous Filipino Youth (Ignite) service at 3:00pm which is located at Connect 802. They also have the usual Sunday School for Kids at 10am and 3:00pm.

Attending a worship service in Hope Church is really one of a kind. The moment that you entered the Axis Auditorium, you'd feel different. Perhaps the grandiosity of the place could contribute to such feeling but the moment that the praise and worship team starts singing, tears will just start rolling from your eyes.

This is what I love with the Christian Church. The songs feel like it was personally written for you, it feels like these are the words of God. When the singing started, the place felt very holy. It gave me goosebumps too, but in a good way.

Then Pastor Christie Ong started with her preaching. She was very natural, she was very comfortable speaking to the people. Her sermon was very inspiring and moving. She talked about being a REAL MAN. How a real man fights to keep his family and how a real man draws out the inner beauty of a woman.

What was overwhelming was that Pastor Christie prayed over those who were new to the church, the jobless and those who were experiencing difficulties with their family. I felt that God was subtly whispering with a smile 'Tin, I am glad you came'. Yes Lord, I was even overwhelmed.

I am definitely going back there. It's like my soul has been filled and I need to refilled every week. The experience made me feel like there is nothing that I should worry about because God is with me. I just need to trust Him.

Lord, thank you for the people who brought me to Hope. Thank you for allowing me to experience your great love, to listen to your words and to be moved by it. I am forever grateful for all the blessings that you have given me. Indeed, I cannot love you more than you have loved me. I ask for favor that you will continue to be with me in all of my endeavours. Amen.

Courage

Funny how I suddenly remembered ‘Courage, the Cowardly Dog’, a cartoon series on Cartoon Network, while I was trying to look for a good title for my blog. I am not good with taglines nor coming up with creative names or titles for any event. Maybe creativity is not part of my system, maybe not yet or perhaps I am creative, it’s just that I can express it in a different outlet.

Courage. My personal definition of courage is simple; it is an intrinsic drive that can surmount any fear. I think all of us are afraid of something. It could be fear of insects, events or circumstances or simply fear towards another person. In my case, I have always been afraid of spiders and the water.

Fear of water. Don’t get me wrong here, I meant that I am afraid to drown that is why whenever our family would go out for a swim, I would usually enjoy the part where we would savor the flavorful scent of the food and let our taste buds complete the craving. I love being in the water but since all I do is to submerge myself in the pool eventually, I would end up shivering because I am literally doing nothing. I even remembered when my brother and I were still young, I dared him for a water race. I pretended that I was swimming but the truth was, my feet were guiding me in the sands while I was trying to move my arms as if I was doing the usual arm movement of a swimmer. He eventually realized that I was cheating.

I honestly cannot recall where my fear of water came about. What I know is that it was a struggle for me to trust my life to the water. I enjoyed going to the beach or the pool but it would have been more meaningful if I knew how to swim. Then alas! Another pool gathering was on the way. It was the annual Ateneo Personnel Club’s rest and recreation. It was an event that everyone was looking forward to. This year, the officers agreed to extend the invitation to the family members, I decided to invite Tim.

May 12, 2012. A day that I can never forget. It was the day when I gathered all my courage to try again to learn how to swim. Tim has been teaching me for a while now but I seem too hard-headed to listen to him. ‘I will drown’ was always my mindset whenever I tried to do the most basic in swimming, to float. I did not know what came across my mind that night but I said to myself ‘it’s either I learn now or I will never enjoy the water’. Drowning was no longer an option.

I tried to relax, inhaled all the air that my lungs can accommodate and suddenly I found myself floating, with my eyes open and appreciating the luminescence of the stars. I did it! I conquered my fear! I never knew it felt this good. I never imagined that I could stay in the pool until 2:00 in the morning without getting bored. I never knew that I could also do the breathing techniques. I never knew all these things if I did not try. Finally, I can partly cross out ‘Learn how to swim’ in my bucket list. Yes, partly because I intend to practice more. Hopefully, I could do the same with my fear of spiders but it will be a process, a long process.

Trying and risking. These are one of the few things that I learned in life. One will never know if they will not try, if they will not risk. I did these a number of times, particularly in my career. Just like now, I risked my job to try my luck in a foreign land. I am bound for Singapore on May 19, 2012, it will be a new chapter that will be unfolded with God’s grace. I remembered one of my aunt asking while we were having the usual family breakfast after the church service if I was nervous. I said no, I knew in my heart that this is what I wanted. I knew in my heart that it is what God also desired for me. I knew these because I prayed for it and God gave me the signs that I needed. I am not afraid because I know HE will be with me. What would you fear if you have God beside you right?

Perhaps this is the reason why I am never afraid to risk. I am never afraid to let go, because I know that HE has greater plans for me. I don’t know but everything will REALLY fall into place if you pray for it. To be honest, leaving the country was already my plan 3 years ago and it took a while before God gave me the sign that I am ready to go. I think He prepared me for it, He prepared my family for it and most importantly, He prepared me spiritually. It really took a lot of patience on my part to wait. I am not fond of ‘patience’ but He taught me the true meaning of patience, it is leaving all your worries to Him and just let Him work. After all, there are a lot of circumstances which are out of our control.

Maybe, just maybe, I have found a new definition of courage. It is trusting God to work in your life because He knows what is best for you.     

Debosyon

The image of the Divino Rostro (a picture of Jesus' face) is usually processed before the Holy image of INA is transferred from the Penafrancia Shrine to the Cathedral. The image was believed to be miraculous and  that early devotees even witnessed the image sweating blood. I was very privilege to have an opportunity to witness how the Bicolanos revere the holy image. It was the first time for me to stay for the entire duration of the procession. I felt it in my heart that I had to wait for INA to pass by and I did not regret it. Every rainfall, every struggle trying to protect the newly bought camera of my brother and every tiring muscle that's driving me to just stay home and watch the procession was really worth it. Never in my life have I witnessed such beauty, such devotion and the love of the Bicolanos to the Divino Rostro and our Lady of Penafrancia.