Christine.

Happy 11th Birthday my dear Shobe. :)

My millennium baby is now all grown up! But I love her just the same. :)

She's the sweetest thing. ♥

Still Here.

I'm still here! :) January is almost over and I can't believe this is my first post for 2011! O.o

Anyway, life is still the same. Granny is getting worse, I just don't understand her anymore. I'm tired of it all.

Since the last time I blogged, which was last Christmas,

I've joined our conference in church. :) And it's abundant and wonderful. It's amazing just how the Lord never gets tired of me, and everyone of us.

We also had our Praise and Thanksgiving Program in Sunday School. :)

Spent the New Year in (COLD!) Tagaytay with my family. :)

Saw Candy after a few months working in China. :)

***

Just a few weeks into this year, I've heard a lot of sad news including the murder of two car dealers, a raped and beheaded 5-year old girl, a bus blast, and just today, where an accident that killed 10 construction workers. I'm particularly sad with the first one, especially because my Dad is also a car dealer, and he knows the father of one of the victim. It's a sad reality that we live in this fallen world where it's not "Your money or your life" anymore, but now it's "I'll kill you anyway". People kill like its the norm. They kill just because they feel like it. And they'd do anything just to survive no matter what it takes. This week, I've been to the hospital for four times. First is to visit a friend who gave birth, two of it is to accompany my brother to the doc because of allergy, and this morning, to visit my cousin who accidentally slipped in school. While waiting for the results of the CT scan and Xray, somebody in the opposite part of the emergency room died, who also slipped in the comfort room and suffered internal bleeding. Life is so short. Poof. Just like that, and you're gone. On my way back to the office today, I was really thinking of how I used my life. When my time comes, can I really say to the Lord that I've used it wisely? This afternoon, I've shared in our small group in church about the Lord's coming. It made me realized that we're really near the end. All these things - hardships, calamities - are written and have been told to us a long time ago. It's getting harder each day, and my prayer is that each one of us can really stand firm till the end.

It's a sad reality, but no matter how sad all these is, one thing is for sure: my (our) God is still the same. He never changes. And I rest in the knowledge that He is with us, in everything.

Goodnight. :)

Ama's 73rd.

last Sunday, we celebrated Ama's 73rd birthday at Gloria Maris. we invited her sisters and each one's family. i didn't imagined we were that plenty. the old and the young were all present. it was tiring but fun. :)

Hans and I with Ama :)

Happy Birthday to you....

with her sisters :)

Dustin :)

Aileen and Joy :)

we talked over dinner, entertained the visitors, and of course, took pictures too! :) in my previous posts, i talked about having problems with my grandmother, im happy to share that it's better now compared before. :) i think she's her normal self already, the one i missed three years ago. she's now her old, jolly self. :) sure there's still bad times, but i can say that she keeps on getting better each day. thank You Lord. :)

*there's still a lot to share, will post soon! :) goodnight :)

HANS

Happy Birthday to my Little Brother ~ HANS. :)

This (Not So Good) Week

this is what surprised me Tuesday night. my grandmother beside one of the cabinets that housed some of my things. i asked her what she was doing and she was just so furious. this then led to unpleasant conversations and yelling that left me crying all night. i didn't answered back anymore because i know it will only make things worse than they already are. she's really not herself and i just don't understand her anymore.

and here comes Basyang (the typhoon). the wind howled all night and lights were out. and it was a really sad sad night. one of the saddest i can remember and it feels like im so lost.

***

fast forward to today. Sunday. the grownups went to a party during lunch, so i, together with my brother and two cousins, went to the mall to pick up a book i pre-ordered at Powerbooks. :)

got it! :) Crazy Love by Francis Chan. :) i got many books now waiting to be read. hmmm.. it's all goood. :)

we stopped by Cerealicious to snack and rest for awhile.

About A-hoy : coco pops, chips ahoy, choco kisses

Pirates of the Cadbury-ean : koko duo, cadbury zip, oreo

Jumango : cornflakes, mango, honey crumble

it was gloomy and raining on our way home and it reminded me again of what these past few days had brought me. *sigh*

***

thanks to Joy for the pictures. :)

yup, she also took the first picture. ;)

Happy Monday

today, i got two things that made my Monday a happy one. :)

Books

my much awaited books! :) Plan B by Pete Wilson, I Will Carry You by Angie Smith (yeah i bought two!!), and The One Year Book of Hope by Nancy Guthrie. i was really looking forward to reading these books. thanks Candy! :)

Starbuck's To Go Strap

while wrapping my new books and eating Yellow Cab's pizza, my Dad came home and gave me this cute cellphone strap from Starbucks. that's sweet of him. :)

***

lately, im struggling on how to deal with my grandmother. she started to change two weeks ago. she suddenly becomes so full of energy that she wants to get involved in everything. she cleans eveything she could get her hands on, she threw away some things that meant so much to me, she emptied our pantry, she opens my cabinet, she comments on my clothes, my things, on how i do things. actually, she's not only like that to me, she's like that almost towards everybody. it seems like there's always something (bad) to say all the time. and it seems like i don't know her anymore. it just makes me sad and frustrated. :( i work with her, i live with her, and i share the same room with her. and im really sad because i can't do anything about it. i just want to have her old self back. :(

and so... im always sad, whether i go to work or come home. either way, im still with her. it's not that i don't want to be with her, it's just that i don't want what's happening between us. it makes me want to get away for awhile. to breathe. :(

anyways, i think it's time to hit the sack. early tomorrow! i hope tomorrow will be a good day. goodnight folks. :)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the best man i know...

the one who'd love me no matter what...

who was there from the beginning...

and sticked around...

my Dad. :)

i love you ♥

Sunday

poster made by my cousin Joy. :) she said it's inspired by the movie Up. haha. ;) it's cute, i love the small cars that goes up and down the hills. :)

we had a quick lunch at home after church. then i went back again for a meeting with the Sunday School teachers regarding our upcoming Vacation Bible School. here's Ama, Hans, Papa, and me. :)

round and round..

and back and forth.

that's what we did for dinner at Spiral in Sofitel. :) we had a double celebration because it was also Uncle Jimmy's birthday. :) i was feeling so sick after i came home from the meeting, but i don't want to disappoint my Dad so i joined dinner. and im glad i did. :) there's a wide selection of food.. and desserts! my favorite for the night were Escargot [an edible snail] soup (it may sound gross, but boy, it was so yummy! i finished eight bowls!), vanilla creme brulee, goose liver, and sushis. :) it was a great night with family. :)

time to hit the sack now.. im so sleepy already. my head hurts and i still have colds. but before i say goodbye, i'll leave you with a lovely picture of my love. :)

Christine Nicole. :)

so there. goodnight!! have a great week ahead. :)

graduation.

i woke up early today to attend my brother's graduation at Hope. :) we came an hour earlier and we were able to choose a good seat. it was good to see old faces of my teachers before. five years ago, i also walked in the same chapel, which is now called Hope Theater Hall. :) they renovated it and it's so different from the one we used before. it's better, more improved and equipped now. :)

we had a family picture before the program started. here's my step mom. i think this is the first time i'll be posting a picture with her in it. we're not really close, but we're civil. :) she's nice though. i think im just used to without a mom. ;)

here's Papa and Hans. :) my brother is taller than my Dad now. haha. ;)

and here i am with my little brothers. :) i love them!! and i'd do anything for them. :) the program started at 9am. the honor students entered first, then each class marched in led by their respective advisers. Hans' adviser is Mrs. Carreon, which was also my adviser when i was graduating. :) we sang the national anthem and school song. some students delivered their speech. but the part i liked most aside from when Hans went up the stage was the encouraging message delivered by a guest speaker, Ms. Belen Lim. she's a very successful woman, but all these success only made her humble. and it made me admire her for that. she shared her experiences when she was a student, the lessons she learned throughout her 30 years in the banking industry, and her turning point during a church camp. :)

speaking of camps, we're off tomorrow to Pampanga. and we'll be back on Sunday afternoon. i know that God will work in this conference. i pray for revival and restoration. just like a line in a song says, "Our heart, our desire, is to see the nations worship.." . nothing is worth more than giving your life to the Lord. :) even though i have a lot of failures, i know that i'll always be going back to the Lord. because of His unfailing love. :) we may be hard, put a wall around our heart for fear of being rejected and hurt again, but trust me, open your heart to Him, give Him all the pieces, and He'll mend it for us. :)

have a happy Holy Week everyone! :) share soon when i get a chance. :)

TGIF

hello friends! :) so sleeeeeepy today. but im happy it's Friday already. :) in less than a week, i'll be in Pampanga attending our annual summer conference. i can't imagine it's so near already. anyway.. here are some pictures of what has been going on in the past few days.. aside from work. :)

Hannah already graduated from kindergarten. :) with honors in both English and Chinese class. im proud of her. :) next year, she'll be in grade one already. :)

last Tuesday, this beautiful girl turned 10. :) im happy to see her grow into a sweet, young lady. :) we celebrated her birthday at Korean Village in Malate. yum foods! i loved their ice cream too that i bought some and brought it home. :) twas a great night with family. :)

yesterday, Joy, Grace, and i went to visit Faith and her baby boy - Zion, who's one week old today. :) he's so tiny and red. babies indeed are adorable. :)

here's my Dad and i. :) taken in Fort while strolling around the new Burgos Circle. we had a nice dinner in Cafe Juanita then capped our meal with desserts in UCC. :) sorry for the quality of the picture, it was taken only with a phone cam. ;)

and last but not the least, here's what keeps me busy lately.. Plants vs. Zombies!! haha. do you play it too? i saw my cousins play a couple of times before. even my brother plays it. and out of curiosity, i tried, and well, i got hooked. :) it's a fun game and i love it. :)

that's all for now. im running late for our visitation. :) bye! hope to update soon. :)

TEN

Happy 10th Birthday Shobe!! :)

you're all grown up now. but you'll always be my baby girl. :)

i love you with all my heart. ♥

getting my thoughts out

So here i go...

spent three days at the Sanctuarium with my cousins. visitors are few during daytime. so we spend time talking about just anything. time is fast when you're there. i wonder why. when people come, the same stories are told, same questions answered.

on Sunday afternoon at 2pm, we left Sanctuarium and headed to Manila Memorial Park in Dasmarinas, Cavite for the burial. we walked twice. family and friends walked alongside our family. and i saw just how everyone's support comforted the family. the service was quick, and was done within an hour.

these past few days, im spending time with Aileen. we are finding some important documents at their home that are necessary to transact some things like cancelling credit cards, paying bills and transferring of funds.

yesterday, my Dad was rushed to the emergency room because of hypertension. his blood pressure went up to 180!! =( i was so afraid and im not even home to go to the hospital right away. i felt so helpless and terrified. =( my brother was with him, and after 1 hour, the doctor sent him home and gave him meds and advised him to rest. can you do me a favor? please pray for him. thanks.

it's so HOT!! the dams are drying up, power running out which results to rotating brownouts, and plants are dying too. i can't imagine that it's been three months without rain! while it's still snowing on some parts of the globe. earthquakes are everywhere too. i receive news via text everyday and hear about earthquakes. you probably heard about the 8.8 magnitude quake at Chile last Saturday. it's scary. it's stronger than the one in Haiti. but both brought great damage. when that happens here, im sure buildings will collapse right away. *sigh* the end is really near. i don't think we still have 20 more years. 10 maybe? or 5? well, who can tell. nobody knows.

guess i'll stop here. i'll lie down and rest for awhile before going to church for the prayer meeting tonight. it's been awhile too.

thanks for your time, friends. :)

So Sudden.

on my way home Tuesday afternoon, i got a call that my auntie will not be able to come to our house because her husband, Uncle Wilson, is so sick and they need to bring him to the hospital. but we didn't know that it was so serious.

when we arrived the emergency room of UDMC (because it's the nearest hospital from their home), i saw many doctors and nurses surrounding his bed. IVs dripping.. giving him oxygen to help him breathe.. and many other wires that i don't know what for. he went in for a CT scan, and when the result came, the doctor said that a vein was ruptured, and the blood spread all throughout his brain. the place cannot be operated. and there's no way he can make it. =( he was transferred to the ICU and stayed there during the night.

the next morning, my cousin Aileen went to stay with him. the hospital doesn't allow anyone even relatives to stay in the ICU unless it's during the visiting hours. so she stayed at the waiting area. then the nurse came out and informed her that her dad's heartbeat is so fast and has fever at 42C!! it's the first time i heard someone with a temp so high! we later earned that the vein that was ruptured is the one in control of the body temperature. after awhile, the doctor said that the patient is unstable again. they tried to resuscitate him for 45minutes but the line in the monitor remains flat. he breathed his last, then he's gone. at 54years old. =( i wasn't there when it happened. only my cousin, her mom, my dad, and Uncle Ramon.

it's all so sudden. he didn't made it even for a day. =( he has highblood.. maybe that's why the vein ruptured. he also survived two strokes before.

we are not close personally, but i also have some good memories with him. he loves plants and animals. when you go to their house, there's dogs, birds, fishes, hamsters, rabbits, and a snake. it's like a mini zoo. ;) in their rooftop, you'll find different kind of plants and many orchids. :) im sad. but my heart really breaks for my Auntie Alice and my cousins. especially Aileen. =( we stayed at Sanctuarium last night and while she was telling me what happened in the hospital and some memories of her dad, tears were flowing and my heart broke into pieces. =( i love her so much and it's sad that i can't do anything that would lessen her pain. =(

today.. im blogging from Sanctuarium since there's free wifi and no visitors are around. i arrived this morning with my cousin Joy along with Erwin. i think we'll stay here till tonight. and they will be sleeping in our house. please pray for them. especially during this time.. when our words can't really do anything. but i believe that God is able to give them peace and comfort.

thanks.

Hans!

Happy Happy Birthday Lil' Bro! :)

Achi loves you so much. :)

it was raining again when i woke up. such a sad and gloomy day since yesterday. the whole country is so sad too because of former President Cory's passing. hay. anyways.. after church today, everyone came to our house and had lunch together to celebrate my cousin Aileen's birthday in advance. we had lots of food for lunch! and im still full upto now. hehe. she'll turn 22 on Wednesday (which is a Non-Working Holiday!). being the eldest of us all, she really is someone you'll look up to. :) she's like a sister to me. we see each other every Sunday, and our stories never seem to end. she knows my flaws but still loves me. she's never boring, and with her, it's always fun. and yes, she's one great cook too! :)

the poster up there is made by my cousin Christine. :) it's soo Aileen. ;)

* i love you, Bru! :) *

Happy Birthday to my dear cousin Patricia!! : )

. i love you .

it's been a while

i haven't blogged for a few days, sorry for the lack of posts. because i've been busy and if i have time, im not in the mood to write. yes i know, my posts are getting boring. anyway, here are some bits and pieces that i want to share with you all (if there is any):

*after the prayer meeting last Sunday afternoon, we all went to visit Twa-I (my grandma's sister) in her house at Tandangsora. we watched PBA, played badminton (which i enjoyed very much :)), and had a heavy dinner! there were three big pizzas, chickens, chinese noodles, fresh fruits, ice creams, and chocolates. : )

Badminton

Twa-I and Ama : )

Big and Small Daniel : )

*im planning to go somewhere within the country with some friends and maybe D. what's your favorite place here? i've been out of the country but never been anywhere outside Luzon, haha! i hope to find a good deal. : )

*our Vacation Bible School in church starts tomorrow. please pray for us and for the kids. : )

*i got my first ever salary today!! : ) hahaha. nothing to boast. but it feels great when i think that i really worked hard for it. : ) now i know, when you worked for it, it's not easy to spend it anymore especially on things that you don't need.

*while in work, i find myself getting hungry during early afternoons. im currently loving: fresh lumpia and dried mangoes. : )


*and another thing to be thankful for, Stellan is HOME!! : ) praise the Lord. i can only imagine how much pain they've gone through, but through their faith in God, millions around the world are inspired. including me. : )

till here! off to a small group. : )