Highlights of 2012

My Highlights for 2012.

Biggest Loser.
I didn't win. But I learned a lot about myself and my limitations- which only exist in my mind.

Coron Trip.
It was my first time to travel with my sister and my friends. Coron is one of the most beautiful places I've been to so far. And I won't hesitate to go back to that beautiful and mystical island.

Gaviene's Wedding in Cebu. Finally. :)
The most glorious wedding I've attended so far. It was a testimony of God's perfection in writing a love story.

Cebu-Bohol Trip with my ladies!
Our first trip out of town. I almost kissed a Tarsier.

Vegetarian Cooking with Grak.
Learned to love vegetables and fruits this year. Thanks to my good friend Grak for the experience! Almost decided to become a vegetarian.

Hot Air Balloon Experience. 
Roadtrip to Pampanga. It was one of the best bonding I've had with the ladies. One day, I'll ride the hot air balloon. I didn't get the chance to ride during our visit because it was too expensive.

a love that was

the day you spoke about your love,
kept me wondering how it happened,
how did i deserve to have,
a love that i thought won't end,
a love that no wind can bend.

the smallest things they tell a lot,
how simple and yet unexplained,
that even words and actions put together
are not enough.

clueless, i was entirely
of the things that happened so fast.
and yet, i kept a quiet and still spirit,
for i know that this too will come to past.

Melodies of my 2012: Knees To The Earth by Watermark

Wonderful Savior

My heart belongs to Thee

I will remember always

The blood You shed for me

Wonderful Savior

My heart will know Your worth

So I will embrace You always

As I walk this earth

(chorus)

Be blessed, be loved, be lifted high

Be treasured here, be glorified

I owe my life to You oh Lord

Here I am

Beautiful Jesus

How may I bless Your heart?

Knees to the earth

I bow down to everything You are

Beautiful Jesus

You are my only worth

So I will embrace You always
As I walk this earth

This is one of the songs during my dear friend's wedding. I can't help but worship God as I witnessed a glorious, God-ordained wedding. 
Indeed, marriage is God's idea. And it only becomes beautiful when He is the one Who makes it happen. 

Melodies of my 2012: Reverie

                                                                          "Reverie"

I'm having trouble remembering where the lines cross your face
Your smile is fading from memory
Won't you hurry back and fill that space again?

I'm waiting, watching the water, quietly willing the phone to ring
I suspect this healthy silence
Will continue a few days yet, a few days yet

I miss you, I miss you
I'm over now, I'm through
I miss you

I'm hanging here just reminiscing
About all the things you said to me
Hoping you plan on returning to interrupt my reverie


You're sweet, sweeter than honey tea
You're precious and worth more than gold to me
I know I acted selfishly
Come on home

I'll beg and plead if you need me to
I'm head over heels over feet for you
Gonna have you wed by the end of this tune
Well, I hope...

I miss you, I miss you
Don't say we're done
We ain't through

"Hey."

I turned around and there he was standing. His deep seated eyes looking straight at me.

"Hey." I tried to conceal the emotions battling inside of me.

"How are you?"

"I was good till now." I thought to myself. "I'm great." I then looked away from his eyes.

"Can we talk?"

"Aren't we?" I sounded kind of pissed.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Mad about what?" I was trying to sound oblivious. My heart started to pound. Oh no, not the tears. I was begging myself to stop my tears from falling.

"You know what, I have to go. I have to meet someone." I then walked away. Without turning back.

I had to make an excuse. I almost did not finish the sentence wiithout my voice starting to crack. Then, I just let tears pour like there's no tomorrow.

"Some people you left behind in the past will always find their way to chase you." I thought to myself.

To be continued...

A collection of quotes from tv series

"If the prize is a whole that can never be filled, why do it?" - Dad's witch, Once Upon A Time

"If you love them and they love you, they will always find you..." - Mary Margaret Blanchard a.k.a. Snow White, Once Upon A Time

"There are dreamers and there are realists in this world. You see the dreamers need the realists to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists-without the dreamers, they may never get off the ground." - Cam Tucker, Modern Family

"If it's from God, there is no need to defend it." - A friend once told me.

A Fairy Tale Poem

Every girl dreams to be a princess,
a damsel who may not be always in distress
but is of need of a prince to be with,
to love and to care.

Every girl wants to love without fear,
a love that need not to be explained,
one that is not created out of burden,
but is birthed through time and prayer.

Every girl needs to be loved,
a love that is unabashed and true,
the one that puts her into glow,
the one she can't deny to be true.

Every girl wishes her own ever after,
a story that surpasses even her own favorite fairytales,
the one she used to dream about,
that now becomes real to her.

What's on your mind?

"WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?", Facebook asks.

Everyday, we are bombarded with a lot of thoughts.

You go inside a bookstore to buy a pen, then you stumble on a nice book about houses, then you start to image your own house, then you realize how your current job can't get you to save up, then you start to think of quitting and finding a new job, then you get frustrated when after all, you just needed to buy a pen.

Our thoughts can jump from one thing to another. According to studies, our brains can process 400 billions of information per second and yet we are only aware of the 2000 of them. Our brains will be in state of chaos if we allow them to just wander and if we don't feed them the right way.

John Ortberg said in his book (God Is Closer Than You Think),
"Whatever repeatedly enters the mind occupies the mind, eventually shapes the mind, and will ultimately express itself in what you do and who you become. The events we attend, the materials we read (or don't), the music we listen to, the images we watch, the conversations we hold, the daydreams we entertain - these are shaping our minds. And ultimately they make our minds receptive or deaf toward the still small voice of God."

The good news is that God is able to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and take captive of every thought that is not from Him (2 Corinthians 10:5). All we need is to invite Him in our daily lives and allow Him to do His work in us.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 
2 Timothy 1:7

Make an everyday choice to think of whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8). 

Waiting for what?

Have you been asking God the question "why?" and all you hear from Him is a single uncertain word, "WAIT"? Wait for what? 


I'm sharing this poem, which I think best describes how we feel when God asks us to wait and yet we don't stop bugging Him and ask Him why. 

Wait 

by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.

I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .

And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?

By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate

Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?

I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,

Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,

We need but to ask, and we shall receive.

And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:

I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,

As my Master replied again, "Wait."

So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,

And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .

and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.

I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.

You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.

You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;

You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me

When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love

When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.

You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,

But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,

The faith that I give when you walk without sight.

The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask

From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,

What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,

But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see

That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.

And though oft My answers seem terribly late,

My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

In the course of waiting, I've learned to stop asking God the question "why?". Not that I've grown weary of waiting for the answers nor have I doubted God's ability to answer my questions. The only truth that keeps me still and at peace is that God holds everything in His mighty hands (Colossians 1:17). He is sovereign above all things. There's nothing I should worry about when He tells me to wait. Because He surely knows what He wants to happen. 

The best thing about the season of waiting is getting know more of God and His overwhelming ability to love us. And when we learn to embrace the season, we start to feel more content of having Him alone, forgetting about our questions. Then we realize that peace comes not from getting the answers to our questions but finding God and realizing that He alone is more than enough. :)

Melodies of my 2012: Steady My Heart by Kari Jobe

Wish it could be easy

Why is life so messy

Why is pain a part of us

There are days I feel like

Nothing ever goes right

Sometimes it just hurts so much

But You're here

You're real

I know I can trust You

[ Lyrics from: htt/www.lyricsty.com/kari-jobe-steady-my-heart-lyrics.html ]

Even when it hurts

Even when it's hard

Even when it all just falls apart

I will run to You

Cause I know that You are

Lover of my soul

Healer of my scars

You steady my heart (x2)

I'm not gonna worry

I know that You got me

Right inside the palm of your hand

Each and every moment

What's good and what gets broken

Happens just the way that You plan

And I will run to You

You're my refuge in Your arms

And I will sing to You

Cause of everything You are

Melodies of my 2012: Beautiful Things by Gungor

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

The Floating Book Fair Experience

Spontaneity runs in my blood.

Yesterday, my friends (Nitu and Fiona) and I suddenly decided to visit the Logos Hope ship, the floating bookshop at Pier 15. I've been wanting to go and to see the variety of books that they offer.

Since it was Sunday, I was expecting a large aggressive crowd. We arrived at around 7pm. My friends and I were wondering why most people were going out of the ship empty handed. The line was quite short, so we got in fast. The registration is only 20php.

When it's our turn to go inside, we were asked to seat and watch a short introduction about the ship. They have adorable crews. Our host looks and acts like Ryan Bang and he was so entertaining. Before he let us to the book fair area, he kept on reminding us not to "halo halo" the books.

Upon entering the book fair area, we were greeted by a lot of books and a crowd of book lovers. It was a little challenging to pick for books since the area is quite small. They have a wide variety of books- christian fiction and non-fiction, health books, cook books, travel books, children's books, hobbies books, Thesaurus and the like, etc. I got stuck at the health and cook books.

At 200php, I got to buy a hardbound medicinal book. I also grabbed a 100 buck vitamin C booklet. I'm currently into learning about preventing sickness and diseases. I also bought a vegetarian cookbook for 400php only. The book has a step by step procedure with pictures which I really prefer when learning. I also bought a hardbound NLT Bible worth 200php. I am a happy girl with all these books.

We passed by story telling boards catered for the kids. Also, they have small rooms for people who are interested to listen to stories of HIV victims. The ship also has a mini international cafe. My friends ordered ice cream and a cookie. The nut lover I am, I bought the pistachio nuts.

Due to the spontaneous decision that we had, my feet were hurting after an hour of roaming around and bending to check out the books. I'm planning to visit again to check out some more books. I got a little "bitin" due to the crowd and my hurting feet. But nevertheless, it was a worthwhile experience.

Books always bring me comfort and joy in ways I can't explain. I know that any booklovers out there can relate with me in this.

While lining up for  registration. Photo taken by my good friend, Fiona. 

Don't miss the floating book fair! Visit the Logos ship at Pier 15 until March 13, 2012. 

Tired of doing the same old tasks everyday?

I get that feeling once in awhile. I get tired of washing my clothes, creating my weekly budget, reading my bible, fixing my room, getting up early to prepare my food, going to work, reading emails...the list goes on. I sometimes forget how essential they are because I lose the point of why I'm doing them. But I know these are the things that make up my life. And my choice of doing or not doing these small repetitive tasks I face everyday will create an impact in the long run. That's why I'm starting with myself today. I want to embrace every small hard things that will come my way. I will take each task and learn how to be faithful to them. And by God's grace, I will gain more discipline and wisdom in the process.

I'd like to share some excerpts I got from reading, DO HARD THINGS by Harris brothers.

          "If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, 

          sweep streets like Beethoven composed music... Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. 

          Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: 

          Here lived a great sweeper who swept his job well."

          "Like the street sweeper, your actions at home, at school, at church, and elsewhere in
           your community can bring honor and glory to God if you are willing to throw yourself
           into them 100 percent just because they're things He has given you to do."

I am putting into heart what Paul wrote,

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31


Make today count. Take every small hard thing as a challenge to gain discipline and wisdom. Nothing that we do is trivial if we are faithful in doing them. And God who sees every act, will honor our faithfulness.

How Do I Love Thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. I love with a passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints, -- I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life! -- and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death. Sharing with you one of my favorite poems. Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Thoughts on love

Emotions can be ephemeral. 

That's why love isn't merely emotions. 

It's a decision. 

start of something new

Hello there 2012!

On the first day of the year, all the planning begins. I will be writing my faith goals for 2012. I'll also start filling up my bucket list again. I will ask God to give me a vision of what He has for me this year. I'm very very excited!

One of the things I decided to do is take part in a Bible reading plan. I learned the system from a friend. And I can't wait to start Here's the link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12349985/Professor-Grant-Horners-Bible-Reading-System.

I just finished reading for today. It's a bit challenging but I am hopeful that I'll get to finish it. I plan to buy post-its and a new notebook for tracking and for my notes. I will invite some friends to join me so I can have someone to be accountable with.

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Just sharing.
Last night, after my Lolo prayed (in Hiligaynon) for all of us. I thought of getting a bible that's in Hiligaynon. There are a lot of Hiligaynon words which I am not familiar with because it's too deep. So I asked my Lolo if he has an extra Hiligaynon bible. He immediately took one from his collections and gave it to me. I just read a paragraph and got back to eating with my family. Nevertheless, I hope to learn more about my native language and use it for God's glory.
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It's best to start the year by reading His word. After all, we don't live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)