Water & truth

Thirst was made for water; inquiry for truth. #CSLewis


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Be YOU

In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:4 NIV)

You're going to have to take a chance on not being like everyone else. You must ask yourself, am I a people pleaser or a God pleaser? It's not worth it to try and please man, because God didn't make you to live for other people's approval.

God knew what He was doing when He made you. You are a unique individual, God created you the way you are! It's time that you dare to accept yourself as different and stop being insecure about who you are.


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Strength, hope, patience & faith

The Lord has been faithful through the generations. Times like these reminds us of our fragility as human beings but also our greatness as His children. Our bodies fail but it brings us all the more closer to Him. He embraces us so.
This time is not only for Lola, but for all of us. Now is the time to stand firm in our foundations. This family has weathered through more and we will not be moved.
The wait is excruciating and it wrenches my heart to see Lola in pain. But the mere mention of our Lord brings a peace and a gentle smile to her face.
So Lord, we rest at your feet. Grant us all the strength, patiemce, peace and love only you can provide. Ease Lola's pain in any way. Thank you for the means you have provided that we can focus on her.


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Power of words

You can choose life-generating thoughts by hearing, reading, thinking and talking about God and His Truth. What's inside you will find its way outside, so when you fill your mind with good, positive, powerful, life-giving things from God, positive, powerful, life-giving words will naturally follow.
- Joyce Meyer


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A lesson about truth in life

Whoever finds me finds life & receives favor from the LORD. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; -Proverbs 8:35


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a beautiful poem for parents

I MAY NOT ALWAYS HAVE TODAY

I may not always have today,
To hold you in my arms
To hear your laughter as you play,
Or catch the smiles you pass my way.
I may not always have today,
To linger for a while,
To paint, or read a book or two,
Or pass the time to be with you.
I may not always have today,
To take your little hands,
To teach you how to fly a kite,
Or point to stars on walks at night.

I may not always have today,
But while I have you still,
I’ll thank the Lord for all you are,
Enjoy each moment and each hour.
You are God’s gift from up above,
My privilege today, to love.
My privilege TODAY, to love..

God's Time and Plan

God gives us hopes and dreams for certain things to happen in our lives, but He doesn't always allow us to see the exact timing of His plan. Although frustrating, not knowing the exact timing is often what keeps us in the program. When we accept God's timing, we can learn to live in hope and enjoy our lives while God is working on our problems.
- Joyce Meyer


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Weight a minute!!!

When I was married, I was about 120lbs max!  I had a fit lifestyle and anything I ate didn't cause much damage.

Fast forward 2 years and post baby... I am at a surprising 130 lbs!  I'm heavier than when I just gave birth which was 125 lbs!  Its depressing, frustrating and it really plays with your mind!  

Plyometrics is irritating me to the highest level but I have to suck it in soon just so that I can at least do something.  The people here like playing badminton at 7pm up.  Not the best time for me with my baby and all.  2 months doing plyo in the gym and I barely changed at all!  What gives???

Venting out, obviously, because after a month's break, I have to drag myself back to the gym.  But I'm not excited.  

So depressed...  Its obvious I love food and cooking is my dream.  What to do what to do???

Liam's 7th month

On a bright and sunny Thursday morning at Wayfarer...




... A pudgy, adorable little boy was celebrating his 7th month.




Jersey Melendres and her family came over to join us.




Happy 7th month, Liam! Wish Dani were here... :-(

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Giving back to God

Read this in my devotional for today by Rick Warren:

The Bible says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce." (Proverbs 3:9 NLT) This is the principle of tithing. It's the principle that says every time I make $100 -- the first $10 goes back to God.

Tithing is an act of worship. We're giving to God. We're saying, "All of it came from you anyway." God says, "Put me first in your life and watch what I do." You may think you can't afford to tithe, but the reality is, you can't afford not to.

Pray for the Philippines

Dear Lord, please spare us from more rain. We need you. We cant handle it on our own.
(some photos grabbed from pther sources)

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A thought from a book

Just read this. Im paraphrasing a bit:
Growing old is to be set free. It is a slow and long-simmering process that extracts from you what you are really made of. But it requires acceptance. You cannot put a flailing chicken in a boiling pot. You must accept the heat and the pain with serenity so that the full flavors of your life may be released. - Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto


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Goodbye, Cosme

America had its beginning with Charlie Chaplin, 3 stoogies, Bill Cosby... We had Dolphy. The one, the only.

He wasn't much a slapstick comedian but was the artist that could make you laugh with a twitch of an eyebrow, a one liner or a song. Such witt and depth of humor! He is one of the main pillars of Philippine entertainment. No other king of comedy than Dolphy.

My childhood is blended with his old black and white movies, John & Marsha and Home Along Da Riles.

Its one thing to make people cry in movies, but its mych harder to make them laugh --- so they say. But for Dolphy, it was a gift he lived out all the years of his life. What a gift!

At 83, he passed away at 8:40 pm. The country mourns now. Emptier with the loss.

He should have been awarded as a national artist. Pathetic how low politics has gotten in the way.

Reality bites

That's the problem of being young, you tend to think you're untouchable, invincible... Like you are going to live forever.

Then you move into your 30s. Your feet seem to be moving out if your reach. Bones cracking like the crackling you used to devour on occassion. A few rounds around the mall and you feel your feet going numb. Sensible shoes are becoming ridiculous. Naps are a luxury. Calories are the enemy and ever soeck of sugar digested seems to quickly find its way to your thighs.

Ah, the joys of growing old and trying to stay healthy. Its a reality slap and its never pretty.

Time to make hard choices. The road is beginning to thin and theres nowhere else left to turn. Its about time to think about myself with a depreciation cost. Gotta take care of myself and the people I love.

Health is such an issue with our family. So we should know better. We have children now. Its only right that we try not to lead them down the road that we ourselves took with our own parents.

Dear God, this is a mountain. Grant us the will, courage and endurance.



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Kang Byeon

You know the food is good when you have most of the people fr that culture actually eating there. Other than that, just walk away.

As always, every time we walk into Kang Byeon its like a burst if Arirang spirit. The owner greets you upon entering and tables are already occupied by Koreans. You know its authentic!

Favorites in Kang byeon, their beef soup. Melts in your mouth, boiling hot and clean flavors.

Seafood vegetable pizza/Korean Pizza which is technically in a form of a frittata. Their version, obviously. Perfect with the dipping sauce!

We love the bamboo pork! The soy beans paste and the crunch from the lettuce and cabbage, lovely!

And now our new fave is the octopus! Fresh, crunchy and the sauce... Another cup of rice please! For P500 its worth it! Good for sharing! More fun in a feeding frenzy!

Its located at Times Square Building right in front of San Agustin. The building has a parking area below so no worries.

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Japanese 101

Japanese food has definitely integrated itself in the Filipino palete. To see sushi in a fast food setting is a big step forward for the main market.

From the same owners of Crave Burgers comes Mr. Misono. From the blogs it got pretty decent reviews. From personal experience, its not that bad. Can probably make it out to be an introductory step into the more deep and complex world that Japanese food embodies.

Typically, Filipino flairs introduced. More on the sweet side for most parts. But maybe its just because of our food choices. We ordered a mixed misino bento, sukiyaki and Chicken wakadori. Everything decent and tasty. I do wish I had something sour afterwards to break the sweet spell.

Prices are reasonable and location accessible. I like this new concept. Good job to the people behind it.

365 days old!

Pitter patter if little feet indeed! Steps like a hurricane, yells like a banshee. You are feisty, adorable and the love of my life. Every morning you are my reason for getting up.

Dani girl is a big girl now. With all your antics, you are a handful.

Love you with every breathe.

Happy 1st birthday, my langga!





My prince and princess..

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Phuket for a day

Phuket was always a travel must on my list.  The chance to be there for a day just sold me on the idea (and I can be stubborn) that I am definitely going back!  Phuket has not seen the last of me.

The elephants were beautiful and majestic.  It just pained me to see them and the way they are trained.  There should be a better way to spread awareness without hurting them so.  Though I did fall into such a touristy trap, elephants are not exactly a common thing in my part of the world.  Being on them just makes you realize there are bigger and better things in the world.  Its just takes a different level to experience such.

Aside from the generic tourist traps we easily fell into, Thailand has always been known for its food.  Pad thai is probably my favorite of all as cliche as it may be.  So happy I was actually able to try the real street deal.  Authentic, cooked by the road side with no tables or chairs, surrounded by other locals and vendors with different fares.  Thats the kind of adventure I want and I am going back for more!  Redundant much?

If I go into the gritty details, this is blog is going to sound like a tour itinerary.  So will leave the pictures to talk for themselves.

 

Malaysia - Truly Asia

From Port Kelang it was an hour and a half drive to Kuala Lumpur. A feeling of familiarity but differences also push through. Glad we finally got to visit our neighbors.

Sights, sounds and smells. What a feeling to be back travelling, exploring other cultures. Even if it was just for a day. 

Too bad the weather wasn't the best and missed out on a few spots we wanted to really explore.  But thats just how it is when you live in a tropical country.  Its either really hot or really wet. We were soaked!

But glad we had a heaping pile of nachos and hotdogs when we got back on the boat.  

Singapore for a day

What do you do in a place like Singapore where there are just too many things to see and have less than 24 hours to make the most of it?  Well, thats what we did.  We TRIED to make the most of it and ended up in Jurong Bird Park, Resorts World, Universal Park and Orchard Road.  Not bad!

This trip was a big step for us.  This was our first trip ever together abroad.  We had to leave Dani for a week in the process.  Mixed feelings but one that I will always remember for a lifetime.  This was the beginning of the trip that would show another side of myself and my hubby.  Can't wait for new adventures!

Lugang Cafe experience

1st day on our first vacation week together as a couple, EVER!

Bryan was raving about Lugang Cafe since last night. Saying his friends highly recommended it. So straight to the airport to the South Wing of SM MOA. Hello, Lugang Cafe!

We had the pork xiao long bao, piping hot! The minced pork (yes we're so unhealthy) worked wonderfully with the chicken oil rice (youch!). And the wow came with the fish heads with garlic oyster sauce. Melts in your mouth! Succulent and fresh. The fish they used was an "Imelda". Even my dad was unfamiliar woth the fish. I have to find out what it is!

2 thumbs up for Lugang Cafe and can't wait to try more next time.

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Getting together

Really appreciate the girls coming over to visit. The weekend has just begun!

My brother, the happy father

Can any picture be more perfect? My brother did good. The Lord has clearly done such a miracle. Looking at these two lovebirds, I look at the child that is now a man.

Remembering how I used to clean his wounds, teach him math, fight off his bullies, going through so much family drama together. Now he has come into his own life.


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Dani's first Holy Week roadtrip adventure

For the long holiday, Bryan planned out a little road trip for the family. A first for me, a girl who went to a very traditional Baptist Church all her life. All of a sudden, our base church does it in a very different day. But I appreciate VCF's way of handling such an important time of the year. They extend the message for the month.

So that left us with lots of free time to spend with family.

We left for Anhawan on Thursday. After that day, I sincerely hope we get to do this more often. For this family's growth, first and foremost.

2nd day led us to Garin Farm and Racso's Animal Farm.

Couldn't help staring at Dabi's face the whole time. Everything so new and so full of promise. God was right to teach us to see things through the eyes of a child. Full of hope, trust and fearlessness.

Praying for more encounters with the Lord as I continue to raise Dani to see His face. Praying for hearts as stubborn as mountains to be moved. Nothing is impossible with the Lord.


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My heart overflows

Looking back at these times just brings my heart flowing full to the brim. Hard to believe where I was about 5 years before. God has worked His miracle in my life. Everyday a joy and God outdoes Himself each time.

Great is our God! Happy Resurrection Day! Our God is alive and reigns forevermore.

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The Liam Experience

And I thought Danielle was my unforgettable experience! Liam's entry topped that list a month ago!

Giving birth was definitely the height of my courage level, so-to-speak. As someone who is such a wimp when it comes to hospitals, needles, doctors. Danielle definitely brought out the "best" in me. I couldn't wait to get her out! Not just with excitement but after 9 months, my body was ready to let her out :)

To give a bit of a side but significant story, we had really strong earthquakes and aftershocks on Feb. 5, 2012. Iloilo was shaking so much that I was sincerely freaking out. With Dani's room on the 3rd floor, you bet I was scared. Magnitude 5.2 is no joke.

As I was calling Joey to ask about the earthquake and if they felt it in Roxas, apparently my brother's world was indeed shaking and it wasn't because of the earthquake. It was time!

So amidst all the tremors and after shocks, we hurried back to Roxas just in time to be there for Vicky's big moment.

But seeing Vicky and what she went through for Liam (Jose Lucas Cristiano if you want the long version) was a wow moment for me. I delivered via c-section while Vicky was able to deliver the old fashioned way with a little help from our best friend, epidural. That girl was such an inspiration! I was there for majority of the time, seeing her push and contract. Vicky has strength beyond her meek physique. What a fighter! I was exhausted for her!

But as they say, it takes a village. Yup! The village was there. All we lacked was a powow! (I look like a mess!)



Just like that... There he was...

Just like that... My baby brother is now a father. What an angel! Dani is now a proud manang/achi!

If you don't think God exists

If You Don't Think God Exists

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty.

He asks one of his new students to stand and .....

Prof: So you believe in God?
Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?
Student: Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?
Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fellow. Is God good?
Student: Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?
Student: No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?
Student: From...God...

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student: Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?
Student: Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?
Student does not answer.

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?
Student has no answer.

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?
Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?
Student: No, sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student: Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Prof: Yes.

Student: And is there such a thing as cold?
Prof: Yes.

Student: No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a
word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?
Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.

To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.)

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH. That is all that keeps things moving & alive.

That student, by the way, is Albert Einstein.

Ask God to help you get there

By Rick Warren Once you have found your promise in God's Word, pray and ask God for success, just as Eliezer did in today's verse. Is it really okay to pray for success? Yes! If you aren't praying for success, what's the alternative? Are you going to pray for God to make you a failure? Eliezer clearly shows us that it is okay to ask God for success in accomplishing a goal as long as the motive is right. When your success helps people and honors God, praying for success does not become a selfish act. So my question to you today is this: Are you praying about your goals? Are you praying about your future? Are you praying about your dreams or are you just kind of keeping them to yourself? Your prayers reveal a couple of things. First, they reveal how serious you are about your goals. If you don't pray about them, you really don't care about them that much. If you only pray about them once, they are not a desire, they are just a whim. The other thing your prayers reveal is how much you are depending on God to reach your goals. If you never pray about your goals, never pray about your job, never pray about your finances, you are not depending on God in any of those areas. The more you depend on God, the more you'll pray. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

God's promises

The Bible has over 7,000 promises from God to you - promises of success, confidence, health, prosperity, strength, wisdom and more. Why does God make these promises?
Because he wants you to learn to trust him.
The size of your God determines the size of your goal. And godly goal-setting always starts with a promise of God. Don't look at your limitations; look at the promises of God.
Good morning!

A thought for the day

An important principle here is that it is never too late for you to make a change in your life, even though making the change may take longer than you think. This is why you can't procrastinate. You can either drift through the next ten years or you can have direction over the next ten years. God wants you to have direction. - Rick Warren

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