baywalk moments...

okay, i know that i said i won't make my posts long, so i'll try to keep this short... i hope :)

this was supposed to be a class requirement (care of ate junette, luther, and jason). it then evolved to become dcbc sunset music ministry bonding activity. but, the real turn-out of events - it became an unofficial org bonding activity!

what followed were spontaneity... it was one of the most tiring nights, but also one of the most unexpecting.

the departure

there were like 20 of us that went there, so naturally, we went there by batches and just planned to meet at the MRT Taft station. being one of the seniors *ahem*, i went with the last batch. while riding the jeepney a *blooper* happened, there was one YCFer (i think that was paul, not the balite ;p) that on the spur of the moment wanted to come, he was inside the jeep already when he said "mama, para po" the moment the jeep began to move... we figured out that he was not allowed to come by his mom, wow! in fairness, masunuring bata :)

moving on, the MRT ride was one sort of a fun experience because that was my first time to ride with them guys... it was cool to have paul (balite) and luther cracking jokes and just being yourselves even in public places from *surfing* inside the train, to pretending seeing visible wavelengths. of course, we know when to become civil (in other words, we temporarily shut up) when it is not appropriate. from the MRT Taft station, we took four cabs to baywalk. there, we were excited because only a few of us know how to exactly go there :) hence, jokes with the likes of "oh well, we have the whole night to search ourselves if we get lost", circulated over the air.

the arrival

congratulate us, we were not lost... we arrived at baywalk, by God's grace... safely :) but pardon our angst, we were apalled by the quantity of people. before we even alighted from the cab, some have already commented about the *jologs* and the harm we could potentially face. not for anything, but we were afraid that a stampede another could happen. there was practically a *barangay* of trying to be - cool hard rock people, like the ones who always wear black (both shirts and pants, others denim jeans). i do not wish to speak more about them for i fear i will sin :) but one instance was like an oxymoron, because the *barangay* was stationing on a venue wherein the musical performance was jazz... talking about consistency ;p

the climax

i really did not expect what would happen... i did not know who would perform. there were like 7 venues, we first stopped at the venue wherein jordan and i still consider our mission fields :) after criticizing the fountain, we went to the baywalk proper... there, we see the *barangay*
people. after spending some time near them, we transferred to another venue. there, we caught joey ayala performing. one word: impressed! :D
this was what i told jordan: i belong to the elitist, sophisticated, *having my own world*, *don't care who they are* clubs, but i must confess that i completely forgot who i was that moment after he went down from the platform... the group rushed and took pictures with him. one of my orgmate even had his email and autograph ;p for my part, i am not that autograph person, but i just got contented having *the feel of his shirt, twice* (though it was icky because of sweat ;p). due to that starstuck moment, the group decided to stay for part 2 of his performance - this was like 4am! amazingly, noel cabangon played later that night. hehe... my dormmate, the flutist, also had a solo performance! raymond, ka-level mo na sila joey ayala :)

DCF with Noel Cabangon (singer of pana-panahon)


DCF with Joey Ayala (just Google to find more info about him ;p)


experiences

thanks to saganang ani, i sort of appreciate filipino songs now. before, it was really no to filipino songs... though their songs portray that of activism (and i still do hate tibaks), but i must say they are no rubbish.
all i can say right now is that there are indeed filipino artists who write songs that have social relevance, in other words... they have meaning! :)

with DCF, i can truly say that i did not regret reducing my 8 organization commitments, to just 2 now in my senior year (the other one is UP Debate Society). i do not regret in any way or the other that i have served in this organization. with DCF people, you can really feel comfort and friendships that are really honest and true. you can rest assured that these people are really worth the time and effort. after all, we have the same reason why relationships in DCF are strong... all of us are sinners, but have received grace and are saved by faith in Christ.

hence, the next time you can see smiles worn by DCF people (add to that the bonding activities!), you can be absolutely sure that what we feel are genuine joy that overflows from His love :)

thank you very much DCF and may we continue to live and grow in Christ!

it can't be helped

yup, yup...

i am happy to announce that i have made up my mind...

without any bitterness -> good bye to you, friend.

nice knowing you and thank you for the moments...

very short post, but with a VERY heavy meaning (believe me)

for the past days, it is not working unlike the past months...

just continue doing that, and i'll give up on you. for good.

i do not want to end things this way, because i have already come to care for you.

though it's not easy, but i'm sorry - i must if i must.

ps. this is ABSOLUTELY not love life

just some test

i got this link from a batchmate and one of my Y!M friends...

juts click here , and click the characteristics that you feel may reflect me...

wala lang, wala kasi ako iba ma-post eh :)

well meron naman, but i do not want to post it now; not just yet...

so there, please click the link.

thanx!

and my expected results of this week's exams are...

not good

i have just finished taking my last exam for this most demanding week of my academic life.

though it is not yet late to recover, i feel sad and already disappointed...

for that, i am going to take this acad mode to the next level. that means negative social life until april 3...

so there, acad mode muna...

blessing or curse?

i am appalled.

sad, excited, discouraged, challenged... mixed emotions, i cannot tell.

how am i supposed to do the popular starcraft game for just only 1 month???

i mean, though it is just a simplified version, yet, hello? 1 month??? add to that the fact that it is *make it or break it*... like *all or nothing*.

i am trying to look at it in a positive manner, that it is good for my learning.

this is not my only subject, i still have other cs units (i have 15units in all this semester) to consider. and those also have demanding projects.

hence, i really am very pressured, i did not expect that it is very difficult to graduate, like i thought before that graduating was just a breeze here... but no.

i humbly ask for forgiveness for even bothering to think about that thought.

if you wanna be depressed, just click this link for the *simplified* starcraft specifications, and read it yourself.

mike chua (groupmate), please agree with me saying that He can do miracles. with Him, nothing is impossible and that we can finish this machine problem, on time...

what just happened?

it was a day before our dorm open house.

i was supposed to make crema de fruta (ref cake). given that my first attempt was a disaster (i did one during the christmas break), i wanted to have someone who already knew how to do it.


-- during dinner

kuya A : there's a probability that i cannot accompany you. i still have to help fix the room.
me : it's ok kuya, i texted ate M to help me.


-- text from ate M

ate M : i have an exam tomorrow
me : oh no!


-- asking help from an orgmate

me : hi. ate M has an exam tomorrow & kuya A is busy preparing the room for our open house, is there by chance you could help me?
orgmate M : i love to, but i'm now leaving for our province.
me : i believe we can do it within 30mins, we'll just hurry it up. i'll just accompany you to the bus station afterwards.
me : (follow-up text) on second thought, pls go home. i feel selfish still asking help from you knowing that you have other plans, but it's getting late. you sure you don't want somebody to accompany you?
orgmate M : i'm already here inside a bus... [texted recipe]... you can do it!


[my comment]

the day after, i was informed that her bus was held-up...

fine, take away all possessions that have monetary value. you may even sell them for purposes that i do not know, maybe feed your family or what. but please, the problem with you guys is that you are taking away even important things that are of no value to you. what do you do with lab reports and records???

couldn't you be more discriminating of the things you are robbing?

come on now guys! i understand that you are not in a very stable / secured status, but please, do not pull people with you. don't you realize what long term effects you effected? add to that the fact that you pointed a gun directly to this orgmate twice after begging for her notes??? my orgmate is not yet done with this thing called thesis! this person still is far from over, and in barely two months, the graduating people grades should be submitted! you are very much discouraging. now this orgmate goes back from the start. i am not into condemning and cursing people, i am just not happy for what you guys did.

the reason i can relate with this traumatic experience is because i was also a victim of snatching when i was still a freshman. at the same time, i am also doing my thesis, i cannot imagine doing again my thesis that is supposed to be done for two semesters. that is why, i really feel sad for what just happened.

Lord, i believe you are sovereign and you have reasons for allowing this. also by faith, we shall be able to cope up and survive this...

my Master still can make miracles

with human knowledge, i say that i am (academically) a dead meat this week...

monday -> probset
tuesday -> networking exam
wednesday -> numerical methods exam
thursday -> electronics exam

and here is the worst -> formal demo and presentation of our THESIS this wednesday!!!

honestly speaking, with myself only, i cannot do this. these subjects are all MAJOR and are VERY LONG in terms of coverage. but with HIM, nothing is impossible.

His grace abounds and he still can make miracles.

Lord, please help me this time.

long posts and other random thoughts

hehe...

thought 1

sorry if i am a frustrated writer, hence the long posts here :) i'll try to shorten up my posts though. though it's a good thing since i made my blog public (on the onset, once you make a blog, it is already implicitly public ;p), many have commented that they read my blog. cool! i did make my blog public, BUT i did not publicize my blog... cool online world. you have instant publicity :D

but sorry guys, my blog is under moderated comments ;p

thought 2

i would like to echo what i posted last year (october if i am not mistaken), i need to redesign my blog!

but since time is REALLY a luxury for me right now and for the next days, i might be able to do this after graduation.

thought 3

i wanna try being introvert again, the thing wherein you devote a single day (at least a week, nah... make it at least a month) not minding the world and just be alone meditating, of course with His presence. being an introvert also implies that you do not wander often to places wherein it is not necessary. if it can be helped, i wanna stay within campus premises and just enjoy my precious few remaining student days :) yikes, i fear that this will lead me to stay in my dorm room since it is almost march21, the last day of classes. this idea always pops into my head since manong willie preached during the 12th anniversary of dcbc sunset.

i'm really a natural introvert. in fact, i was raised in a non-extrovert manner.

i do not know if it easy to go to that state again, but either way, i still am joyful :)

thought 4

nah... forget it, i still have many random thoughts but i guess these thoughts already suffice for this post :D

He is one step ahead of us

i have learned something from my orgmate this morning.

WE were planning some post-graduation stuff last november and seems out that it won't materialize.

right now, he is still confused on what path to take. he still has no idea of what his life will be after graduation. he has no long term goals yet. he plans to go on solitary living...

oh well, continue praying for His plans. i also learned my lesson from this. we both planned it together and if it is not His will, we cannot do anything about it.

always remember that our Master is still sovereign. He controls everything and all we are to do is to follow His will.

this is a sad turn of event, but if this is His plan (not ours)... i humbly submit.

we sang during one of my orgmate's 19th birthday

I Promise
by: JACI VELASQUEZ

Lord, You know my heart
And all my desires
And the secret things I'll never tell.
Lord, You know them well.
Though I may be young,
I see and understand
That at times, like sheep, we go astray
And things get out of hand.

So I promise to be true to You,
To live my life in purity
As unto You, waiting for the day
When I hear You say,
"Here is the one I have created
Just for you."

Until then, O Lord
I will be content
Knowing that true love will come someday.
It will only come from You.
'Cause I have seen the suffering
That loneliness can cause
When we choose to give our love away
Without a righteous cause.

So I promise to be true to You,
To live my life in purity
As unto You, waiting for the day
When I hear You say,
"Here is the one I have created
Just for you."

dcbc sunset anniversary

it's been a while since i last visited dcbc. the last time i did was december of 2005. though for some, two months is not that long, i still consider it long enough. you see, if you have been reading my previous posts (especially the private blog days ;p), you can easily observe that dcbc has really played a great significance in my life.

for one, it has helped me through my challenging days, especially the time wherein i badly needed company. the times wherein i was low spritually, afraid that i might fall again into a cult or something... poof! dcbc was there.

dcbc (diliman campus bible church) is a Bible-based Christian church located within UP Diliman. it has two services (morning & sunset) when i became a member, and added one more (tagalog) recently.

i came to know dcbc when i was still a freshman. i was on *church-hopping* mode, so when i attended once, it was sort of just one of the churches that i attended. this was partly because a very eager group managed to invite and made me gullible to the tricks of their sleeves. people in the fellowship know this already :)

i joined them for quite some time and it took me long enough to realize that there was something wrong with their principles . for that, i became a nominal christian for some time, fearing that i would be devoured again by cultists. hey, at least praise God for making me experience this earlier :D

sophomore days came and i decided to break my being nominal and be on fire for Christ again. i came to know molave christian movement (molave chapter of dormitories christian fellowship - DCF), and did not wait for an invitation. i formally joined the group when i was sure that its teachings are in line with the Scriptures. there, i was introduced back to dcbc!

i really praise God for calling me back again to His arms. i felt that i should extend His grace to other people. so i decided to be active in this church. attended trainings and outreach programs, participated in official activities, i even had the opportunity to become a member of the music ministry (for a *very short* time). all these, really supplemented my growth as a Christian.

but, for reasons that i already came to know Christ before i entered college, the urging and *homesickness* of my local church have been taken into consideration. i made a *very hard* decision of transferring to victory christian fellowship (vcf). i am just happy that i did not leave dcbc because of bitternes. fact of the matter is, everything (relationships, faith, etc.) was almost 100% OK. i do not regret that action. but i really miss the dcbc fellowship. vcf is a big church (just a disclaimer: this is not the reason why i transferred), but even though dcbc sunset is relatively small, you can really feel the warmth of being in a family. i'm not saying that vcf does not provide a family warmth, what i'm saying is that you can feel the warmth *more* in dcbc sunset.

i have talked with some of the dcbc people such that i have been mulling to go back to dcbc services. but, this is not my decision to make. it is HIS! while waiting for His confirmation, let us just say that status quo remains.

back to the anniversary... i am very thankful to Him for sustaining dcbc sunset throughout these years. it is a church that can serve as a training ground for future leaders (especially in the church ministry).

during the celebration, they also had this *cantata reprise* wherein it was a blessing to see the new (and also old) blood sharing their gifts to glorify Him.

and of course, there were lots of food! :D

from the bottom of my heart, i praise God for letting dcbc become a part of my life. thank you very much dcbc!

God bless you.