a note from Kuya Caloy

The weekend before my birthday [the 19th], I went home to Pampanga and spent time with my family. I went over some old pictures and found a card from KC (Kuya Caloy), dated October 27, 2001, after the last UP-DCF Missions Exposure I was able to join, held in a barangay named Bagong Buhay, in Mindoro. I want to share it with you... I don't think KC will mind. :) Here it goes...

 

Dearest Gladys,

 

   It was nice to have a week of fellowship with you. It's good to know that you'll be working for a few months in UP. At least makikita ka pa rin namin.

 

   Your shedding tears for the people you met who are blinded by the god of this world touched my heart. How I wish that all christians will share the same kind of compassion for those who are lost. It's my prayer that you'll continue to have that kind of attitude towards those who still don't know Christ,

 

   It was nice working with you in the mission field.

 

With love in Christ,

Kuya Caloy

 

P.S. Pag may gusto ka ng sagutin na lumiligaw sayo, pa-interview mo muna sa akin para makilatisan ko.

 

Naiyak ako. I cried not because i'm afraid na walang papasa sa pangingilatis ni Kuya Caloy, but because I miss that aspect of the me that was. It has been DORMANT for quite some time already...='(...  I seem to have forgotten the URGENCY of The MESSAGE the people need to hear. I have neglected my First Love. And it's really, really sad.

traveling alone

One of my greatest dreams since I was a kid is to travel around the world. See all the wonderful things a country has to offer-their rich history, people, art, culture and way of life, architecture-and "experience" them. To experience a place is the best way for me not to forget it. Yes, pictures will help, and of course a video, but nothing beats "the experience".

BUT aside from financial constraints, I have one small problem: Fear. I'm afraid of traveling alone. I don't want to travel alone.

I was never the adventurous, never the excited one in trying something new. I feared the possibility of doing something wrong, of being lost, of being unsure. I don't want to do the traveling alone.

I have observed that for me to be confident in going somewhere (read not to be PRANING along the way):
1. I must have gone to that place at least twice.

2. I must have a very reliable map (detailed with landmarks and instructions about the right transportation plus fare) and have asked a minimum of three people re the correctness of the map and my understanding of the instructions.

3. I must not be alone.
Please note that the constraints above are not mutually exclusive (independent), more often than not, they intersect in the Venn Diagram. :)

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I realize I can't avoid traveling alone. There will always be errands that I must accomplish, responsibilities I must face, choices I need to make, opportunities I must take, and journeys I have to undertake, alone. I might not be able to encounter them the same way twice… most probably, there won't be accurate maps to help me, and only a few dependable gurus to show me the way. But what's comforting is the fact that DEFINITELY, I WON'T BE ALONE IN THE JOURNEY.

missing galore

it's funny how i miss lots of people these days. kakaiba!

i usually take the mrt every morning and i always see those laser stickers along the bangketa. barbie, walt disney princesses, pooh, etc. lagi kong gustong bumili. bumili para kay shang shang. :) miss ko na ang batang ito. :)
two days ago, her dad asked me to write something for her, to encourage and inspire her. so i decorated a card with stickers of pooh, piglet and eeyore, and wrote her a relatively short message. kayang kaya na nyang magbasa. abah! first honor ata sya! :) naalala ko tuloy nung ako yung grade one. abah! first honor din ata 'to! hehe :) natuwa nga ako nung magkwento si kuya romel ng reaksyon ni shang shang, kung ano sinabi nya... at syempre, natuwa naman ako. :) nagustuhan din nya yung laser stickers ng mga disney princesses na binigay ko. :)

kahapon din, habang naka-earphones at tumutugtog ang "liman-dipang tao" ng san miguel master chorale and philharmonic orchestra, nabasa ko ang isang email galing kay pamm nung january pa. di ko alam kung bakit, napa-iyak talaga ako. yung tipong "ang sakit sa damdamin" na iyak?! tuloy tuloy at mahirap pigilan. mabuti na lang walang halong paghikbi, dahil malamang, mapapansin yun ni bijoi! at medyo dyahe. hehe ;) so i sent her an sms, telling her na i miss her and love her, and wish that she's fine... after a few minutes, nag-reply sya. her letter daw last january was supposed to be funny! miss nya na din daw ako and she's worried with the news na naririnig nya about the philippines... hay, palot! bumisita ka na sa pilipinas! antagal mo na sa indonesia! kami naman ang i-bless mo with your presence. :)

last week naman, habang nagkwe-kwentuhan kami sa bahay ni nez, bigla kong naisip kung ano na nangyayari kay te liezl. kami kasi ni nez, maraming pinagdaanan at na-experience these past months. malamang, marami na ding nangyayari kay te liz! at ayun, nung nag-email ako sa kanya ng konting kwento at plans (weeeehh, secret kung ano.hehe), nagkwento sya ng mga pangyayari sa buhay nya. waaaah! stressful ang buhay! pero atleast, makulot man ang buhok nya sa stress, nasa US naman sya! tayo naman dito sa pilipinas, dahil nasa pilipinas, ay nas-stress din dahil sa mga nangyayari sa government! hay, buhay nga naman. ate! kung sa december ka pa babalik, di kaya may bago nang presidente nun? or bagong pilipinas? or bagong taon? hehe :D

bakit kaya ganon? pag malayo na yung mga taong malapit sa puso mo dun mo lang sila namimiss? pwede bang mamiss ang mga taong andyan lang? hmmmm... sabi nga ni te shawi: "sa globe, posible." hehe :) pumapasok tuloy sa utak ko na minsan naman, mawala at di magpakita. para mamiss nyo naman ako! haha! :D hmmm... ;)


P.S. sabi ni bijoi di ko na kailangang lumayo or mawala para ma-miss ako ng tao. MANAHIMIK lang daw ako, ok na! haha! :D

randomly sensible [i hope!]

i want to write something about an interesting journey i've been to lately. i want to let the whole world know of what's going on but i can't seem to gather my thoughts just yet. still sifting through what's bloggable or not, can't let myself give in to telling ALL the details. there must be something left for me... and me alone. can't share them all... this has to wait.

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so what do i do? what do i write and share with you?

well... i 've been sad. sad because i saw myself going back to my “stat days”. days when i was apathetic to events around me. days when i didn’t care about anything the world thinks is “important”. days when I was Apathetic and selfish.

days after the news about the GloriaGate cds, I found myself alone and crying. I cried to the Lord for my country. why are all these things happening? Love for country must not be the “in thing” right now. selfish motives and political agendas have been prevalent to many of our leaders in the government. I saw hopelessness, the devaluation of the peso, the distrust of the mass, the difficulty of living in this world, our temporary dwelling place. and I saw no one, absolutely no one, can make the situation better. surely only the divine hands of my God can heal the cancer of the Philippines.

Lord, heal our land. Father, heal our land. Hear our cry and turn our nation back to You.
Lord, heal our land. Father, heal our land. Forgive our sins and heal our broken land.

Every time this song comes to my mind, it Kindles in me a Sense of patriotism, and hopefulness. Somehow, it comforts me. Because I know that my Father is in control and He knows exactly what He is doing.

We must all come together and pray.

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hay. sad ba ang mood? :) happy naman!

I’ll be another year older on the 19th. I’m sure happy kayo! Not just because you know me, but also because it’s another proof of God’s faithfulness and goodness. :)

Wishes, wishes, wishes… Hmm… the list will be long. [ehehe] Twill be another post. But for now, I sincerely wish and pray for PEACE.

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si karl

si karl.

housemate ko.

si karl,

musikerong talentado.

si karl.

makapal ang mukha.

si karl,

at si ricky reyes, iisa.

a-hahaha! :)

si karl nga. tama. :p

family picture

seated: ningning, eson, bijoi, me! standing: k.jojo, te amy, k.romel

twas an attempt to be an artista ;)

taken at PowerBooks, Greenbelt 4; launch of Dr. Harold Sala's books

a bit late to post, but who cares? :) i like this pic. :)