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.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Surviving the 28th year
Yesterday, June 25, 2012, my parents celebrated their 28th Wedding Anniversary. I know it is a special day but I don't recall any form of celebration to commemorate that extraordinary day. Ever since I was a kid, it seemed like a very ordinary day for me and my brother. I guess the overflowing beer and the 'til dawn' karaoke would speak of the 'special celebration' because it is also on the same day that my grandmother (papa's mama) was born.
I would often remember my mom saying to my papa 'Oh, ma anniversary na naman kita, mairinuman na naman kamo' (We're going to have our anniversary soon, you're going to get drunk again). Perhaps it was my papa's family's definition of celebration, getting drunk until the wee hours of morning and the guests would just start to leave as soon as my grandmother would start acting 'differently'. Yes, I am never proud of this circumstance. I feel like hiding myself in the house, pretending that I can't hear what our neighbors are saying the following morning.
28 years of marriage. I have been a witness of how sweet and how painful these 28 years are. My family is not perfect, just as everybody thought that I lived in a stress-free home. I grew up in a verbally violent house. There was even a time when I would hear my parents arguing in the morning and it's as if there was a pause button when I was at school, just in time when I get home, the play button will suddenly turn on. Eventually, these heated arguments came to the point in which my mom decided for us to leave my papa. We stayed with my mom's mother for a year or two. Honestly, it was a relief for both me and my brother to be kept away from an environment where you can't even recognize your own father. I thought it was the end of their marriage. The arguments were worst than our financial concerns, I felt like it was really the end.
Yet, God made a way. I personally think that if these bad experiences did not happen, I would not be as close to God as I am now. I don't want to sound too religious but yes, the Christian community helped us 'build' our 'house' again. Since then, our family has been attending Christian service every Sunday because if it was not for God, my family might not be complete today.
My father started to get involved in the praise and worship team. Mama became a regular volunteer for the flower arrangement group. I, myself, would also volunteer to sing during the offertory whenever my schedule permits me to.
Personally, I think that keeping a marriage for 28 years is not easy. Some would give up as early as the first year. I still believe that in a relationship, as long as one person decides to hold on, the relationship will survive. In our case, it was my mom who decided not to let go despite of everything bad that has happened. I really admire my mom for being so tough, despite her petite size, she can instantly transform into a tiger. My brother and I are even afraid of her more than our father.
For the blissful 28 years, I thank the Lord for keeping my family together. I thank the Lord for making my mama strong. I thank the Lord for never giving up on my father. I thank the Lord for the renewed souls, for the understanding heart and for another blissful wedding anniversary for my parents :)
I would often remember my mom saying to my papa 'Oh, ma anniversary na naman kita, mairinuman na naman kamo' (We're going to have our anniversary soon, you're going to get drunk again). Perhaps it was my papa's family's definition of celebration, getting drunk until the wee hours of morning and the guests would just start to leave as soon as my grandmother would start acting 'differently'. Yes, I am never proud of this circumstance. I feel like hiding myself in the house, pretending that I can't hear what our neighbors are saying the following morning.
28 years of marriage. I have been a witness of how sweet and how painful these 28 years are. My family is not perfect, just as everybody thought that I lived in a stress-free home. I grew up in a verbally violent house. There was even a time when I would hear my parents arguing in the morning and it's as if there was a pause button when I was at school, just in time when I get home, the play button will suddenly turn on. Eventually, these heated arguments came to the point in which my mom decided for us to leave my papa. We stayed with my mom's mother for a year or two. Honestly, it was a relief for both me and my brother to be kept away from an environment where you can't even recognize your own father. I thought it was the end of their marriage. The arguments were worst than our financial concerns, I felt like it was really the end.
Yet, God made a way. I personally think that if these bad experiences did not happen, I would not be as close to God as I am now. I don't want to sound too religious but yes, the Christian community helped us 'build' our 'house' again. Since then, our family has been attending Christian service every Sunday because if it was not for God, my family might not be complete today.
My father started to get involved in the praise and worship team. Mama became a regular volunteer for the flower arrangement group. I, myself, would also volunteer to sing during the offertory whenever my schedule permits me to.
Personally, I think that keeping a marriage for 28 years is not easy. Some would give up as early as the first year. I still believe that in a relationship, as long as one person decides to hold on, the relationship will survive. In our case, it was my mom who decided not to let go despite of everything bad that has happened. I really admire my mom for being so tough, despite her petite size, she can instantly transform into a tiger. My brother and I are even afraid of her more than our father.
For the blissful 28 years, I thank the Lord for keeping my family together. I thank the Lord for making my mama strong. I thank the Lord for never giving up on my father. I thank the Lord for the renewed souls, for the understanding heart and for another blissful wedding anniversary for my parents :)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
... and there was HOPE
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.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Bucket List
Earlier today, I was trying to recall where I wrote my original bucket list. I am not sure if I was brave enough to share it to my pseudo-readers (if I have any at all) or I just tried to keep it to myself then will just blog about the experience once I crossed out the particular item in my bucket list. Hmm.. I think I would prefer the former :)
To give you a short background, the so called bucket list started with the movie with the same title. It was shown in 2007 which starred Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Freeman was a mechanic while Nicholson was a billionaire who also owned the hospital where they are both confined at. They both had lung cancer and eventually they became friends while they were undergoing the treatment. It was Freeman who started writing the 'things that he wanted to do before he dies' while Carter, while learning about Freeman's plans, offered to finance his 'trips'.
I came across the story because of Kuya Egz. Kuya Egz, whom I fondly call 'Gier', is one of the best people in the university whom you can consult about music and movies. When I say consult, it's like if you're looking for a music for a particular formation session, music that has meaning, then he is the 'guy'. As for movies, he may have seen almost all the tear-jerker movies of every decade and he can easily recommend what is best, let's say for a particular session or if you are simply looking for a quality movie that you can watch over the weekend. Yes, he is the king of soundtrack and films.
Back to my bucket list. I tried to remember the things that I originally wrote and perhaps I will be adding more in the near future. What's important is that I was able to document my bucket list this time. So, here goes.
Tintin's Bucket List
1. Learn how to swim (I partly know how to swim now, am just trying to practice the intervals in breathing and the hand stroke during for a freestyle)
2. Travel to one foreign place every year (I did this for the last two years and this year was my first international trip)
3. Be employed in a foreign country (*fingers crossed*)
4. Get married at the age of 26 (Maybe I could make it 27, in case)
5. Learn how to play the guitar (Still thinking when I could do this)
6. Learn how to drive (When? Soon?)
7. Name my daughter Sophia Danielle
8. Have at least 3 dogs in my OWN house
9. Talk to a random stranger and offer him/her a ride home
10. Learn how to cook
11. Have my own website
12. Sing infront of 1,000 people
13. Give my mom her dream shop - her own flower shop
14. Admit to one person that I was crushing on him
15. Learn one foreign language
16. Learn how to surf
To give you a short background, the so called bucket list started with the movie with the same title. It was shown in 2007 which starred Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Freeman was a mechanic while Nicholson was a billionaire who also owned the hospital where they are both confined at. They both had lung cancer and eventually they became friends while they were undergoing the treatment. It was Freeman who started writing the 'things that he wanted to do before he dies' while Carter, while learning about Freeman's plans, offered to finance his 'trips'.
I came across the story because of Kuya Egz. Kuya Egz, whom I fondly call 'Gier', is one of the best people in the university whom you can consult about music and movies. When I say consult, it's like if you're looking for a music for a particular formation session, music that has meaning, then he is the 'guy'. As for movies, he may have seen almost all the tear-jerker movies of every decade and he can easily recommend what is best, let's say for a particular session or if you are simply looking for a quality movie that you can watch over the weekend. Yes, he is the king of soundtrack and films.
Back to my bucket list. I tried to remember the things that I originally wrote and perhaps I will be adding more in the near future. What's important is that I was able to document my bucket list this time. So, here goes.
Tintin's Bucket List
1. Learn how to swim (I partly know how to swim now, am just trying to practice the intervals in breathing and the hand stroke during for a freestyle)
2. Travel to one foreign place every year (I did this for the last two years and this year was my first international trip)
3. Be employed in a foreign country (*fingers crossed*)
4. Get married at the age of 26 (Maybe I could make it 27, in case)
5. Learn how to play the guitar (Still thinking when I could do this)
6. Learn how to drive (When? Soon?)
7. Name my daughter Sophia Danielle
8. Have at least 3 dogs in my OWN house
9. Talk to a random stranger and offer him/her a ride home
10. Learn how to cook
11. Have my own website
12. Sing infront of 1,000 people
13. Give my mom her dream shop - her own flower shop
14. Admit to one person that I was crushing on him
15. Learn one foreign language
16. Learn how to surf
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Singapura
Sharing with you my favorite pictures that I personally took here in Singapore :)
Universal Studios
Merlion @ Marina Bay
Marina Bay
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)