Because...

Barcelona, Spain - Circa 2014

Because sometimes, all you need is a photo, to remind you that you had been happy most of your life. Memory of happiness may fade away but having something to remind you of your happiness will sometimes help you go through whatever loneliness, unhappiness, soul searching-need-feeling you're into. 

That you had been happy and you can again be happy. That you have a purpose in life and you need to continually push yourself to achieve that purpose. That God has been and still is good to you. His grace is sufficient and His love everlasting.
It's hard to appreciate life when you're at the bottom, when you just want to give up just to get it over with. Then you become happy again, love your life again... and would want to stay that way for as long as you can.
So, pray.. that God would remind you of those happy memories and for His comfort, love and grace to keep you in such times when you feel that everything is about to burst. Walk down the memory lane with God and know that everything's gonna be alright.
Remember, this too shall pass
 

I'm giving my blog a Facelift...

For my friends and blog guest,
      I'm currently trying to learn how I can further improve the aesthetics and hopefully the content of my blog. I'm also giving my blog a new facelift and in the process of re-thinking about the content of this blog. With that, I would like to ask for your patience and kind considerations for the frequent changes you may experience while visiting my blog.

Thank you for continuously spending time reading my stories :)

God Bless us all! ^_^

Axel

Far Beyond the City

Being a city dweller, I sometimes find myself wondering how many people still believe that goodness still prevail. In the city where every chance seems to drive each people to bring out their inner beast, in this jungle where survival is at its sophisticated form. Where everyone seems to smile but are really cautious and dubious, swift to change and put up their defensive walls to protect themselves from others.

Being away from the place where everything else is a competition and seeing the world in the eyes of contented and satisfied people somehow brings me comfort. It makes one feel at ease and free from the burden of holding up a defensive wall, a place where I can trust people and where they too trust me back. To be taken care of and be treated as a distant relative. One of the few places where untainted and real Filipinos lives in harmony with one another, with nature and God.

This and more are the reasons why I am mesmerized by the beauty of the Mountain Province. It is here where I almost always feel at home, safe and secure. This is one of those happy places for me where my soul is at peace with nature, myself and my Creator.

Layag: Journey of the Filipino Soul in Dance

Inviting everyone to join the Kaloob Philippine Music and Dance Ministry to take you on a journey to rediscover the Filipino Soul through Music and Dance.

Layag... Sailing soon :)

**Layag - Noun : sail /sāl/

Wala lang..

Ang dami kong iniisip na kailangan kong gawin, matapos.. pero pag nakaharap na ko sa computer, lumilipad na ang utak ko.. kasi naman hindi lahat ng dapat kong gawin, magagawa ko ng kaharap ang computer ko..

Konting pag alog ng utak lang at tulak sa sarili para naman yung mga iniisip kong kailangan kong matapos eh matapos ko...

Sa dami ng iniisip ko... NAKAKATAMAD kumilos ehehe... Kung may alarm clock lang na parang bucket list ang dating.. pag idle time na, bigla syang susulpot tapos sasabihin sayo ang pwede mong gawin sa oras na yun para di sayang ang oras mo.. :D

Pero baka dumating din ang panahon, tatamarin ka na din kumilos kasi puro utos sa alarm clock na lang ang nadidinig mo eheheh

ang gulo diba? Wala lang... makakinig na nga lang sa music ^_^

What the Pak!

The bus that I was riding was packing as much passenger as it can. When we got to Ayala MSE loading station it gobbled up some more passengers and after a few minutes of being jam packed, it was still not moving forward. I was sitting beside a common looking guy in his late 30s to early 40s wearing a maong pants, short sleeves polo, carrying a small plastic :D

Suddenly, the guy sitting beside me started ranting.
Guy: (shouting to the driver) Hoy puno ka na (hey the bus is already full). Let's go!

Then started mumbling words which I tried to ignore as much as I can. A few seconds later, I was able to determine the cause of hold up. Turns out, the police officer was already talking to the driver about the bus being over loaded. As the bus started to move forward, another dialogue occurred between the driver and a passenger.

Passenger: Pakulo lang nila yan. (It's just a show)
   Probably referring to the Kotong modus of some traffic enforcers
Bus Driver: Oo nga eh, Original naman yung resibo ko (I agree, I was showing him an original receipt)
    Probably the driver was showing that he was already penalize and his license was already confiscated.
Guy (trying to make his scene): Hindi pare, puno ka na eh, Makati ito ginagawa mong Quiapo. We're late! What the Pak
(No man! Your bus is already full! We're in Makati, not in Quiapo! probably he means f*ck). 

Guy still mumbling some other english words but all i hear is BLAH BLAH BLAH

Me thinking: while bus != Paseo stop
           {ignore the guy}
       exit bus and laugh;

At that time, I was really trying to stop myself from laughing. I have nothing against the p and f syndrome (I admit I have it sometimes). But come on! If you're gonna rant, at least pronounce it right! That way, if you can't get your co-passenger's sympathy, they may take you seriously and won't end up bursting in laughter or disbelief.

Unfortunately, the bus didn't make it to the other side of Paseo and Ayala intersection and had to wait for the green traffic signal.
Guy to the bus driver: O? anu pa inaantay mo, Come on we're late! Puno na yung bus eh. (What are you waiting for? Come on your bus is already full!)

Then he started to look stresses.

Finally, we're at the bus stop. The guy stood up and tried to go down even though his path is still blocked. He was sitting on the far end of the 3 sitter chair
Guy: Excuse
Me : Saglit po, bababa din ako (One sec, I'll alight here as well)
Guy: Let's go! Lousy..
Me (disbelief): Kuya, liparin mo kaya pababa?!?! (Why don't you try flying out of the bus?!?!)

I tried to tell my story in english for a wider audience but heck I cried out of laughter when I told this story to Pau over the phone in my native tongue.

Doomsday 2012

Hello 2012. So called the year that the world will end. I'm currently listening to a documentary based on Mayan Calendar, the tribe who predicted doomsday. Experts says that the beginning date of the Mayan "long count/calendar", where the doomsday was calculation was based, equates to Aug 13, 3114 BC and ends 5,125 years later, Dec 21, 2012.

So yeah, I and we can't do anything about it as told by our wise pastor.  So what can I do?


Enjoy life while it last. Right now, I am aiming to travel more. To see all of the Philippines for the first and maybe the last time. To climb as many mountains as I can. To dance as long as I can. To learn as much as I can. To run as far as I can. To love, to be happy, to enjoy my journey to the end, and to serve my creator till my days on earth ends :)

birthday greetings!

This birthday shout out is for someone who I met 7 years and 2 months ago..

Happy happy birthday! I love you so much! and everyday added to your life is a blessing to mine

Quite unpleasant Cebu Pacific experience

        I'm not sure if it is due to the wee morning hours or if the check in teller's trying to get into Cebu Pacific's customers nerves but I just want to share our unpleasant experience while checking in on our way to Davao for other readers to learn from our experience.
       We arrived at Ninoy Aquino Terminal 3 at 2 AM, 2 hours before our flight schedule with Cebu Pacific. As soon as the counter opened, people started pouring in and everyone was eager to finish this step. The lack of visible information board for the flight check in counters resulted confusion to their passengers as to which counter should they check in. It's 2-3 isle difference from the 1st Cebu Pac check in counter to the other. We had to shift twice between these counters before we were able to line up inside. Imagine how the other passengers felt with the confusing line going in the counters, but we finally made it in.
       While waiting for the check in counter to open, decided to check in as a group so we can combine all our baggage weight.

Mistake #1: You can only combine your baggage if:
    A. Your group has only 1 flight IT
    B. You have the same surname or related to the other passengers with different flight IT

        This became a problem to us since we didn't have enough check in baggage weight. So while most of us tried to use the excess baggage from the other groups, we were left with 2 bags that weights almost 30kg.
        The crew that was responsible for checking in our stuff told us that excess per kilo cost about 150. We multiplied that by 30 and the price shocked us. I swear she could see panic in our eyes as the boarding time is almost up and there were a few more passengers lined up after us. We had to open our bags and hand carry some of our stuff to minimize the cost. I was already decided to pay the excess via credit card. We asked if they have any services we could avail for our baggage at a lower cost and she said there was no option.
         The guy behind her (the one who tags the bags after they've been weight and checked in) told us that we could buy additional baggage per kilo. "400 something for 15kg" he said.
         Imagine my dismay when she verified that we could indeed buy additional check in loads for less that 1000 pesos. My blood boiled and I wanted to file complaints to whoever her manager was and commend the other guy to take her position and pay instead but time was running out. We had to race to the terminal fee section join with the rest of our group and charge everything to experience.


So here's some things first time plane riders might need to consider.


     1. Purchase least the minimum check in baggage when you buy your online tickets if you are unsure of your luggage's weight or better yet, check your hand carry item. It should be more or less 7kg and should fit on the overhead compartment or under your designated plane chair.
      2. Know the promotions and other useful information regarding your carrier's luggage, safety, insurance, loss baggage.
      3. Pray before your flight. Not only should we ask for safety but for guidance as well as we deal with everyone we come across with.


Hope you learned from our little misadventure. At least, I can now say... Now I know what to do next time.


P.S. If you ask me, I currently prefer AirPhil. Hope they'll have more destinations and promotions to come :)

Borrowing things

While riding a bus on my way to work, I suddenly remembered the message that was delivered by our pastor some time ago. The message title was "Happiness Borrows". In a nutshell, we can be happy even if we don't own things, that being borrowers we get to enjoy borrowed things without the burden of ownership.


This too as discussed is applicable in relationship. We get to borrow a person's time to be a parent, friend, brother/sister. While we have the privilege to enjoy these, we need to remember to do our share of being good stewards for the things that we borrow. We must try our best not to cause damage to the things, the people that we borrow in our lives. We also have to learn to part with what we borrowed, and that it is our responsibility to take care of whatever we have and borrowed so that the next borrower will have the chance to experience the same enjoyment that we had while we had them in our possession.


I reflected this message on my current relationships. I found how true this could be and that we should handle things most specially people with care. That whatever we do it will affect the things and the people that surrounds us, and that if it was us that was damaged, we have to learn to forgive and try to mend us so we can give happiness to our next borrower. :)

Recycling Receipts

As a consumer, we are required if not obligated to bring home the reciepts of our purchases, so we can return defective or expired products back to our local supermarkets usually within 7 days. But what happens to these reciept after?

My sister came up with a creative idea. Why not use the back portion as a memo pad? Simple but ingenious. It started with her compilation of bank acknowledgement reciepts from her deposits and withdrawals. After a year of compiling these reciepts, she was ready to dispose them, but instead of throwing them straight to the bin, she used a durable clip ang hanged the bunch of papers near our door. My mom and I actually find it useful since we usually leave notes to each other. She also use those paper to write phoned in messages and post it in our fridge so we can read them. A few days after, I saw a bunch of reciepts in our cabinets. I cut  these receipts in half and added them in our supply of memo pads. Since then, whenever I purchase something that comes with a reciepts, instead of throwing it straight to the bin, I found another way to use these paper and again minimize our family's carbon footprint.

My next project will be to create a presentable personalized planner which I intend to use next year. Hopefully I would be able to find time to do them.. :) Till then.. Ciao!

Kalooban: The Filipino Soul in Dance

What: Kalooban: Filipino Soul in Dance featuring KALOOB Philippine Music and Dance Ministry
Where: Folk Arts Theater, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd Pasay City
When: December 4, 2009, 7pm and December 5, 2009 at 3pm and 7pm.

Tickets are at: PHP 100, 250 and 400

Quest for a greener Philippines

I was wondering how I would be able to better assist our country in recycling and saving the environment. I came across the site of papelmeroti and learned that there are several recycling centers even for styrofoams! Is it just me or are there several other millions of people who are not aware that the Philippines do have these kinds of facilities? We only need to put a small amout of effort in bringing our scrap and waste to these centers and I believe most of them will be more than willing to buy your trash.

If you are reading my post, I want to encourage you to do your part in saving our environment and make it a life long commitment to continually fight for our rights to breath a cleaner air and live in a greener Philippines.

Devastation of Typhoon Ondoy (edited)

Early Saturday, 26th of Septerber 2009, the Philippines, particularly those located in Central Luzon and Metro Manila experienced an event nobody had predicted would happen. After approximately 6 hours of countinous rain and with storm signal No. 1 raised by PAGASA, Metro Manila was drowned by typhoon Ondoy which carried an equivalent of 1 month of precipitation. This is by far the worst flooding experienced by Central Luzon in almost 4 decades.

Living in Quezon City, I was almost certain that our place is not suceptible to flood. However, I experienced first hand how other people feels when they begin to see flood water gushing in their homes. My mind was still refusing to accept the clear image of the water slowly climbing the steps of our door. As I feel the cold flood water embracing my feet, it dawned on me that I what I am seeing is real and that I need to move fast.

My mom and I began to carry as much stuff as we can upstairs. I began to rely on our cabinets to hold our appliances away from the flood. I thought the flood that invaded our house was more than enough but water kept on rising until our fridge began to sway. We had to support it with a wooden chair but as soon as we thought the fridge was stable, the washing machine began to sway together with the water as well. I felt hopeless and desperate. I can see my mom is also as helpless as I am. Amidst the chaos of our house, I began to see how our stuff turned into hopeless junks.

At times of desperation, all the material things you have becomes worthless and you'll only have your dear life to hold to. I am happy that even though almost all of our stuff was gone, we are all safe and we have peace in our hearts knowing that God had protected us from other disasters that might have happened. Inspite of all these, we are still blessed that my mom and I had each other during those desperate times and my sister and her friends are safe. Im thankful for my special someone, who inspite of the rain, flood and halted transportation on his way to our house, managed to rescue us. I believe God had sent him to aid us.

With the water continuously rising, my mom and I were convinced by my special someone and our neighbors to evacuated our house at around 7 or 8pm, which I think is more sensible than being trapped inside with no provisions. I packed up some clothes, prayed for our safety, and bid goodbye to the things that I onced treasured.

I am thankful to the good samaritans who have welcomed us to their home so we could change our drenched clothes and even fed us. It really was a humbling experience for me since I am not used to rely on other people for help. It was also through this family who "adopted" us for a few hours that we learned of what had happened to Rizal province, Marikina and the rest of Quezon City. It broke our family's heart knowing that we have friends residing in those areas but seeing that a lot of people taking the initiative to help our countrymen in distress had uplifted our spirits and I'm sure, gave other people hope.

To us who have been victimized by this typhoon, no matter how hard or how long, we will surely recover. As soon as we do, maybe it is time for us to consider what we need to do to prevent this disaster from happening again.

Note about the photos: Photos were taken early in the afternoon, before my mom and I realized how serious the typhoon was. I was not able to take photos during the later part of the day. I was worried I might damage my sister's camera who in turn might hate me forever.. :)

My Designed Chucks

I created my own Chucks design.. Estimate cost at $1= PHP 48 is PHP 2976.. Plus shipping... Quite expensive.. :(

A moment in a life, while riding a jeepney

When: 13 Sep 2009
Where: Jeepney Vito Cruz Mabini - Cubao route
What: Sa may metropolitan, habang yung jeep na sinasakyan namin ay papunta na sa tulay ng Quiapo, may sumakay na dalawang lalaki, magkahiwalay sila, yung isa sa may driver nakasakay (front seat) tapos yung isa sa likod ng jeep umupo. Ginising ako ni Clyde, sabi nya sa Quiapo na kami bumaba.. nagulat ako kasi alam ko hanggang Banawe yung binayad namin.. Saka ko narealize na may nakaambang panganib sa 6 na pasahero ng jeep, sa driver at sa "kunduktor" nito. Lahat ng pasahero biglang nakiramdam.. Thank God, nung malapit na yung jeep sa pababang part nung tulay, sabi nung lalaking nasa unahan.. "Tara lipat tayo.." habang nakatingin sa kasama nya gamit ung head mirror ng jeep. Pagkababa nung dalawa, nareact na yung mga pasahero, saka din sinabi sakin ni Clyde na holdaper yung kasakay namin.. Hindi ako makapaniwala kasi wala silang dalang kahit ano.. Ganun na pala modus nila.. Ang alam ko lang kasi dati, pag kahinahinala at may dalang bag.. dapat na kong mag-ingat at bumaba agad ng jeep. Hanep tong mga salot sa lipunan na to.. kahit sarili lang ang dala, at concealed weapon kaya nang dumale ng jeep! Pinaalalahan ako ni Clyde na mag-ingat lalo na't malapit nang mag December.. Siguradong maglilipana na naman ang mga kumag na nilalang, hindi lang sa Quiapo kundi kahit saan basta pwede silang mambiktima.

Hindi pa nakakalayo yung jeep, akalain mo, pulis naman ang humuli! Hindi ko alam kung anung violation ang naimbento ni mamang pulis (si Manong driver kasi tumambay pa sa Quiapo). Sa point of view ko, pinilit kikilan ng pulis ung driver, kinuha nya yung ang lisensya nung driver at saka lumayo.. Syempre alam na.. yung "kunduktor" nung jeep bumaba at pumunta sa pulis (sa pagkakadining ko eh may 50 pesos na dala yung "kunduktor", katumbas ng halos 2 litrong gasolina or lunch ng manong driver). May lumapit na takatak boy (yung nagtitinda ng yosi sa kalye) sa manong driver at nanghihingi ng pera sa kanya.. Sya pala yung KUBRADOR ni Manong pulis! Ahaha ibang klase din! Para nga naman hindi mahuli na nangongotong sila may taga kubra sila. Balita ko nireremit itong perang to sa "higher officials" parang suhol din ata ng lower class para hindi sila laging ilagay sa field duty. Grabe talaga!

Ang masasabi ko lang.. kawawang driver, nakaligtas nga sa holdaper pero sa buwaya hindi... May pag-asa pa kayang magbago ang mga taga-Quiapo?

Kimi Dora: Super Funny Movie

Just watched a movie entitled Kimi Dora at SM Mall of Asia with my friends. I can't remember the last time I laughed at a comedy movie which by the way, I do not find corny. I liked the main characters, the twins Kimi and Dora, both played by Eugene Domingo. Two thumbs up for Eugene for her wit and acting talent. I agree with the movie producer (Piolo Pascual). The movie's concept is quite different. It is not your average comedy film. With the right combination of casts, writers, producer and director (Ms. Joyce Bernal), I really recommend that you watch this movie.

My thanks goes to my friends for convincing me to watch this hilarious movie.

Till then.. Ciao!