halo-halo.. win!

huling araw ng Oktubre ngayon. sa maraming tao, hindi na kinatatakutan ang araw na ito sa nakagawiang antisipasyon sa "araw ng mga patay", bagkus ay ikinagagalak pa nila dahil sa pilit na ginagayang "trick or treats" na karaniwang ginagawa ng mga banyagang kabataan sa iba't-ibang panig ng mundo. dagdag pa rito, ang gabi ng Oktubre 31 ay hinahanapan na ng iba't-ibang uri ng pagdiriwang o kasiyahan para na rin sa ikagagalak ng mga tao. isa sa ninanais kong puntahan mamayang gabi ay ang imbitasyon na tinugunan ko, ang Clear Black Night Dance Event na gaganapin sa Taste Asia, sa tabi ng SM Hypermarket sa Mall of Asia. Natuwa ako dahil una, maraming sikat na bloggers ang nagpatalang dadalo sa nasabing salu-salo. pangalawa, nagulat ako nang may biglang dumating na padala ang Uniliver (taga-gawa ng Clear shampoo) sa akin sa opisina at ito ay naglalaman ng pormal na imbitasyon at maliit na shampoo ng clear. sa isip-isip ko, "wow, napakaganda naman ng pagtanggap ng mga organizers sa mga attendees." panalo! sabagay, mula nang mawala sa market ang ginagamit at nakasanayan ko nang shampoo ay ipinalit ko na dito ang CLEAR bagama't ang tema ng nasabing event ay isang pang-gabing sosyalan (sayawan at pakikisalamuha sa iba, kasabay ang pagsusuot ng tinatawag nilang "sexy black"), ang pinaka-layon ko sa pagpunta ay upang makita ang mga kaibigan kong matagal-tagal ko na ring hindi nakakasama. una na ay si ivan at ang kanyang pamilya, si jawee v. na huli kong nakita noong kasal namin ni ayah, at si master ederic na malapit nang mangibang-bayan (pero babalik naman). pangalawa, gusto kong mai-date si wifey sa nasabing mall at marahil ay doon na rin kami maghanap ng isusuot kong pantalon para sa isa pang hinihintay kong event: ang New Era Glee Club Fe_mily Reunion halo-halo na kasabikan na ang nararamdaman ko para sa huling event na nabanggit ko! saka na lang ang kwento ukol rito. :)

sana lang ay matapos kami nang maaga sa mga transaksyon mamaya. cut-off day kase kaya malamang ay patagalan na naman ang hintayan ng mga orders na isasama para sa buwan na ito. anyhoo, masaya ako dahil SABADO bukas! Nobyembre naaaaaa!!!

Where Do The Souls Of The Dead Go?

There is a widespread belief that when a person dies, his soul is bound to go to one of three destinations: heaven if he had lived a righteous life; hell if he had lived his life in sin or wickedness; and purgatory if he allegedly had not fully atoned for his "venial" sins. While in purgatory, a person's soul is allegedly cleansed of sins through the prayers offered for him by his loved ones who are living.

In the light of the Holy Scriptures, let's find out where do the souls of the dead go.

Lying in the dust
Apostle Paul calls those who have died as "those who have fallen asleep":
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope." (I Thess. 4:13, NKJV) The Today's English Version of the Bible gives the equivalent of "those who have fallen asleep" as those who have died:
"Our brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope."

Those who have died have just fallen asleep. The Bible teaches that they are lying in the dust:
"Why then do You not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, and You will seek me diligently but I will no longer be." (Job7:21, NKJV)

It was the Almighty God who decreed that, upon man's death, man will return to dust from where he came. To the first man whom He created, God said:
"In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." (Gen.3:19)

Before the first couple, Adam and Eve, were driven out of the garden of Eden because of their sin, God decreed that when they die, they shall return to the dust from where they have been taken. Since then, when man dies, he returns to the ground where he lies, decomposes, and returns to dust until the appointed time comes when he will rise from the grave.

Until when will the dead lie in the grave? When will they rise from the dust?
"But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As water disappears from the sea or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep." (Job14:10-12, NIV)

The dead will remain in the grave and will not rise until the heavens are no more. This means that until now---- while the heavens still exist---- all the dead are still in the grave and will remain there as long as the heavens exist. When will the heavens disappear? Apostle Peter declared:
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." (IIPt. 3:10-12)

On the day of the Lord, the heavens will disappear. This is the day when the dead will rise from the grave. This is also the day when all men will be judged by Gos according to how they had spent their lives on earth. This day is the day of Judgement (IIPt. 3:7)

The reward for the dead
The Scriptures teach where those who will rise from their graves are destined to go on the day of the Lord or on Judgement Day:
"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan.12:2, NIV)

The risen will either inherit everlasting life or suffer eternal contempt or punishment. Those who will be rewarded with everlasting life will live in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:1-4). On the other hand, those who will suffer shame and contempt will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death (Rev.20:14).

The Bible does not mention any middle station for those who have died. Those who believe in the existence of purgatory claim that by means of their prayers, their loved ones who have passed away and who are allegedly in purgatory receive help that they may later go to heaven. Is this belief correct? Can the living still do anything for the dead?
"Yes, the living know they are going to die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward; they are completely forgotten. Their loves, hates, their passions, all died with them. They will never again take part in anything that happens in this world." (Eccl.9:5-6, TEV)

The living can no longer do anything in favor of the dead. Even their prayers will be futile, for the Bible says that the dead have no further reward--- they will never again take part in anything that happens in this world. When a person dies, he is cut off from the world of the living; he knows nothing of what is happening around him (Job 14:21, NKJV). The dead can not even praise and pray to God:
"The Lord is not praised by the dead, by any who go down to the land of silence.
Come and save me, Lord; in your mercy rescue me from death. In the world of the dead you are not remembered; no one can praise you there." (Ps.115:17; 6:4-5, TEV)

If the dead cannot even remember God, how then can they pray to praise or thank Him?

The Scriptures clearly teach that the dead are lying in the dust and have not yet received their reward or punishment. They will remain in their graves until the appointed day comes.

working monday

(and blogging, too. LOL)

anyhoo, i was early in the office this morning and tried to finish the file that i need to report in our meeting. got done with it early too so i was able to present it smoothly. our department got out of the meeting room early (hence, this blogging time :P) while the area managers still discuss something. so basically, i'm waiting for our FREE lunch (my bosses POST bday treat - oct 26) and i'm getting hungry now... later in the afternoon, i'm scheduled to pick-up MDC's purchase order and afterwards attend to the pending return goods report. i need to get all those done by today.

weekend passed by quick and i realized it's already monday. i actually slept around past 12 midnight since i still ate dinner (or was it already midnight snack) after arriving from a wake in Montalban with wifey. We've been to two different wakes over the weekend, first was our resident workers father in Culiat, and last night was the grandmother of my choirmates in Montalban. i've had a good talk with a church minister at the wake in Culiat and i was able to introduce my wifey to him. i was inquiring about the ministers authored book, Even If It Takes A Lifetime, and he told me they were already sold out since it first came out sometime in the late 90's. but he assured me he'll inform me whenever he has decided to have copies of it reprinted. yo, i'm all for it! the book not only consists of different inspiring poems, it also includes two poems that has become popular Christian Music after our very own Glee Club mentor composed hymns for each and we ourselves recorded and performed them in numerous occasions. our choir even created version after version of each through the church tv programs Christian Music Video (CMV).

evening of Saturday saw me and wifey in a nearby car wash / coffee shop as we took dads FORD (for sale!) to have a bath. this car wash place is cozy and while FORD enjoys his bath, my wifey also enjoyed her coffee and free wi-fi access:



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

EVEN IF IT TAKES A LIFETIME
By Brother Nicanor P. Tiosen

If it takes a lifetime
to realize a dream
never would I give up
though it may cause some pain.

If it takes a lifetime
to reach the goal
I will keep on going to the end -
rising up, every time I fall

If it takes a lifetime
to find lasting happiness
then would I not be surprised at all
should a beautiful day be shrouded in mist

If it takes a lifetime
gladly would I wait
for a wonderful promise
of a love that’s so great

Sweet success does not come overnight, I know.
But I’ll watch each spring from the ground and grow.
I’ll patiently hope for its fruit midst dirt and grime,
even if it takes a lifetime.

(1997 Editor’s Choice Award
The National Library of Poetry
Owing Mills, Maryland
Included in the anthology “The Glow Within”)

(copy of poem and book image above courtesy of onredawk.wordpress.com)

random

i've been wanting to blog but can't seem to catch what to blog about. i've been blog-hopping and noticed that some (or most) of my sidebar links aren't being updated anymore. maybe people are too busy with their lives now or maybe they got tired of blogging. sad because blogging should be something beneficial for the blogger. so i wonder what happens to those (getting-to-be-inactive) blogs with loads of advertisements. will they cease to create income?

for this post, i'd just like to blog about two bloggers (one is a close pal and the other is an online friend):

1) jovee lark. a good friend of mine whom i've first met online through Pinoyexchange dot com. i've known jovee to be a very jolly person, one who speaks so much about things (and people), and having him with the group will never give you any dull moment. i've seldom talked to him about the more serious things in life primarily due to the first impression but following him online (as we seldom see each other already), he's turning to be the more serious person his friends can't imagine him to be! first and foremost, i'm happy for him to find joy in his adopted daughter, janelle, and that being responsible in raising her gives him the inner fulfillment that only dads can understand. [spoiler]oi juvay, hanggang ngayon interesado pa rin akong malaman kung bakit kumuha ka ng isang janelle at bakit hindi ka rin humanap ng nanay nyan?[/spoiler] anyway, dude, i'm happy for you. i see you as a fulfilled dad in janelle and i'm looking forward to meet you all up again soon, maybe when we take another step up in our lives. tatlo na kayo nina ivy at abby na may babies. kainggit naman, sana kami na ni ayah ang next. :P

2) Fjordan A. this young guy followed my blog, twitter (at sayang nauna sya sa akin mag plurk, additional karma sana, hahaha). he seems friendly... and emo. LOL. ok, back to being serious, i see that he's very active in twitter which reminds me of my younger years during the peak days of my PEx Wireless Journal. Fjordz does know how to take advantage of the mobile (unlimited) phtwit-ting, and makes sure that each event is documented via real time twitter updates. his twitter posts takes me back to the time when i used to rant about working in a bank (it was when the wireless journal was a pex-craze), and updating my journal each time i eat something. although i admit i can hardly relate to this young man's emo blog posts (relax bro, it ain't too bad), i still take time reading his entries since, again, i see in his blog posts the very sole purpose i considered in starting my very own personal blog--- document what's going on in my life, my personal thoughts and day-to-day experience in this world.

cheers for personal blogging!
(photos above are courtesy of their respective blogs)

year in, year out

i don't know if the post title above makes sense but right now, my mind is set to the upcoming year. thinking about my year-end tradition posts since i started blogging (2003, 2005, 2007)... ok, i just realized i haven't made any year-ender posts for the even years and today is an even year. but i guess i'm eager to recap my 2008 and i'm seeing a not so favorable flashback.

anyway, i'm looking forward to the next year. i don't know but being on the last quarter of each year somehow makes me procrastinate on things to be done and always plan to move on the first month of the next year. i know it shouldn't be like that so i guess i still need to make happen whatever is in my mind right now and get them done. i still have two full months and a few more days anyway. those days shouldn't be put to waste. right now, wifey and i have expressed to my parents that we want to move out from our place and find a new and smaller house. our house (and the lot) is for sale. also, we've got the approval from my dad to sell the luxurious Ford Escape (2003). wifey is looking for something to support our income. i'm looking for a raise, and who doesn't, anyway? my sister (still) hopes for our migration to Canada. and the baby? everyone is anticipating. huwag kaseng usugin.

my wife and i haven't lived our married life in full blast understandably because a mother-in-law still stays in the same roof. i miss our dating years. everything is just different now. someone said that adjusting to the married life will take more than a year. maybe true. there are a lot of things that we need to be adjusted to. hopefully, we'll make it slowly but surely. and the new year should be a great opportunity for us to grow together.

looking forward to 2009.

bangungot ng kahirapan

naglalakihang mga malls, iba't-ibang uri ng sasakyan na nagpapasikip sa mga kalye, mga estudyanteng tambay sa mga mamahaling coffee shops... kung titignan ko lahat yan, mapapa-isip ako kung talagang mahirap nga ang bansang kinalalagyan ko sa ngayon. pero pagbaling ng ulo ko sa isang sulok ng lansangan, kahalo ng mga taong nakasuot ng signature shirts ay makikita ko rin ang mga batang narumihan na ang damit sa kalsada nang ilang araw (o buwan pa), mga buhok nilang hindi man lang madampian ng suklay, kumakatok sa bawat sasakyan upang manghingi ng limos, pangkain man o pang sugal, at ang pinakamasaklap nito--- ang ilan ay sumisinghot ng rugby. hindi ba dapat may nangangalaga sa mga kawawang batang ito? ayaw kong magturo kung sino ang may higit na pananagutan subalit hindi ko maiwasan na ibaling ang suliranin ng "kahirapan" sa pamahalaang siyang dapat na unang kumakandili sa mga mamamayang nasasakop ng pamamahala nito. oo nga't ang mga magulang ng mga batang-lansangang ito ang siyang unang dapat na umasikaso sa kanilang mga anak pero bunga na rin marahil ng mahabang taon na pagkalugmok sa kasalatan, hindi sila nabigyan ng pagkakataong maturuan ng tamang diskarte sa buhay. sabi nga ng karamihan: "kung sino pa ang mahirap, siya pang maraming anak." totoo ito. nakakalungkot tignan na sa bawat gilid ng riles ng tren, makikita ang dikit-dikit na mga kabahayan na kung huhulugan ng isang palito ng posporo na may sindi ay maaaring magliyab ito sa isang iglap. ilang parehong tanawin rin ang matatagpuan sa mga gilid ng ilog, ilalim ng tulay, at maging sa mga hangganan ng maaayos na subdibisyon at may umuusbong na mga barung-barong. ito ang larawan ng kahirapan at hindi ito basta-basta matatakasan kahit pa takpan ng malaking telon para lamang mapaganda ang imahe nito sa mata ng mga banyaga.

mahaba-habang panahon din na ako at ang aking pamilya ay nanirahan sa isang lugar na matatawag nating squatter's area. dahil sa iyon ay panahon ng kabataan ko, wala kaming maraming problemang inaatupag. at bagama't ang bahay namin ay nakatayo sa lehitimong lupa na pag-aari ng lolo at lola ko, nasa kadikit ng mga bakod naman namin ang mga bahay na pinagtagpi-tagpi ng iba't-ibang kahoy at yero. masikip. halo-halong amoy. maingay. BUHAY ang paligid.

sa tuwing lalakad kami ng mga pinsan ko sa masikip na kalye, siguradong madadaanan namin ang isang tumpok ng mga nag-iinuman na tila yata araw-araw ay hindi nauubusan ng ilalamang alak sa sikmura. sa pagdaan sa makipot na eskinita, pagnaka'y malalanghap ang amoy ng nakaka-adik na marijuana. minsa'y gigisingin ka ng mga sigaw ng nag-aaway na kapitbahay, kasabay ng kalampag ng mga nagliliparang plato at kubyertos sa maninipis na dingding ng kanilang bahay. sanayan lang yan.

ganun lang ang buhay. sisikat ang araw, abala sa kanya-kanyang gawain. madalas makikita lamang sa maghapon ang mga tao na tila naghihintay lamang sa paglubog ng araw. at pagbaba ng araw sa kanluran, buhay pa rin ang lansangan. masusumpungan ang mahihinang ilaw ng bawat barung-barong at laksa-laksang kabataan na hindi magkamayaw sa paglalaro sa kalsada. may ilang mga nakikita ako na nakabihis ng magara, subali't sa barung-barong din nakatira. kaya minsan na ring sumagi sa isipan ko: hindi kaya ang kahirapan ay bunga lamang ng maling pagpapahalaga sa buhay? hindi kaya ang kaginhawahan ay makakamit sa pamamagitan ng tamang prayoridad? maaari namang umahon sa kahirapan kung itutuon lamang ang isip ukol rito. ito ay napatunayan na rin ng maraming matagumpay na tao sa kasalukuyan na kung uusisain ang pinagmulan ay natupad sa kanila ng literal ang kasabihan sa wikang ingles na: "from rags to riches."

may ilang tao na rin akong nalaman ang kanilang kwento sa buhay. isa rito ay ang kwento ng isang binata na namasukan bilang tagalinis sa isang tanggapan. bagama't salat sa kaalaman, hindi siya nagkasya sa ganung gawain lamang, inalam niya ang iba pang gawain sa tanggapan na pinapasukan at unti-unting pinagyaman ang kaalaman. napuna ng mga tagapanguna sa tanggapan ang angkin niyang kasipagan at nakita ang lubos na pagsisikap sa mga gawain. inilagay sya sa isang posisyon sa opisina. nag clerk. at dahil sa pagsusumikap niya, tumaas pa ang kanyang posisyon. dahil sa karanasang ito at pakikipag-usap na rin sa iba't-ibang tao, natuto siyang makipag kalakalan. sa ngayon ay marami siyang natutulungang tao, naipapasok sa tanggapan ng kaniyang mga negosyong naipundar bunga ng pagsisikap at pagtitiyaga.

ang kahirapan. hindi ito mawawala kung hindi magbabago ang pananaw natin dito. dahil sa ang tao ay may kani-kaniyang buhay, ang awa ay nakalaan lamang sa mga paralisadong nilalang. habang may buhay ay may pag-asa. kailangan lamang nating kumilos, abutin ang mga pangarap at maging maligaya sa bawat pagpapasya na ating ginagawa sa buhay natin. sa ganitong paraan, hindi man tayo sagana sa buhay at masasabi nating natakasan na natin ang bangungot ng kahirapan.

- - - - - - - - - -
ang lathalang ito ay aking alay para sa Blog Action Day

Life's Not Sweet Everytime

it's been a week since my last post and i have a pending tag to make, hehehe... my wifey's idol, Ms. A, tagged my blog to reveal "5 factoids you may not know about me..." when i learned i was tagged, i was like, "hmm... this one's tough." but having revealed "10 Truths And 5 Lies About Me" 3x already (that makes 30 truths and 15 lies all in all) here, here, and here, i guess these five facts should be not-so-tough after all. ok, here are Ms. A's rules for this blog tag game:

1) Once you are tagged, you have to give 5 factoids about yourself that other people may not know about you.

2) You have to acknowledge who tagged you by putting the name, alias or blogsite of the tagger on the subject of your blog, together with the title of the blog game. To illustrate, your title should appear like so..."tagged by aimeediego: 5 factoids you may not know about me blogtag game"

3) You have to enumerate 5 factoids about you that people may not know of. These could either be personal stuff, embarrasing moments in your life, weird habits, a funny pet name and so on and so forth.

4) You have to tag three other bloggers to do the same. To do this, you have to call them out in your blog and make sure they get the message by however means necessary. Suggest that you comment in their blogsite, or send them a text or email. Show them your blog and hope that they keep this rolling.

5) Once a blogger has been tagged, then he or she can no longer be tagged again

ok, so let's keep the ball rolling! here are 5 factoids you may not know about aajao:

1) his most evident birthmark is his curved thumbs, left & right, which some people find amusing, some find them "lucky" while he finds it something not to be proud of.

2) he honestly dislikes his skin complexion.

3) dreams of having a billboard ad in EDSA.

4) has learned to operate and drive a picker, and used it without a valid license.

5) while playing with a cousin in his childhood days, aajao has fallen into a sapa and was rescued by a drug addict who was having a drinking session in a nearby garage space. when aajao was took out of the water, he ws full of mud and smelled like a pozo negro.

there it goes. now i'm tagging these guys to share their 5 factoids about themselves:

► gilbert
► ely
► jovee lark

oopss.. Ms. A, sorry i think i haven't followed rule #2 strictly. :p

- - - - - - - - - - - -

the other day, Mama Aning was contacted by the same talent scout who brought us to appear in a daily talk show early this year. this time, the talent scout has a "bigger" news for my wife & i: the talk show host has suggested to her production staff to look for us and feature us in their december episode with a theme "wedding of the year" or some thing like that. all expense will be paid for by the sponsor, a popular bakeshop in the country and the taping will be in HK--- yes, that is in Hongkong. with a pocket money of 60K, my wife & i can bring with us 6 other persons to the trip. ok. sounds like a big, big fairy tale waiting to happen for real. so what's the catch? the december episode will need to have our wedding re-enacted in a Catholic church and part of the reception will feature the food offered by the sponsoring bakeshop... a viand that includes dinuguan.

so come december 2008, my wife & i will be waiting in front of the boob tube to see the couple who got the taping-feature offer. indeed, while we hope for the best things to come our way, some things in our life don't end up so sweet after all.

10 Truths, 5 Lies (part three answers) & movies

last holiday, ayah and i watched two movies back-to-back. we haven't done this since that day when we watched a back-to-back movie, a title i forgot and that very boring Snakes On The Plane last i-can't-remember-when. anyway, we first viewed Kulam starring Dennis Trillo & Ms. Judy Ann Santos. Judy Ann in horror make up is scary. i can compare her to the first Linda Blair in the original movie Exorcist. I've first seen Judy Ann's horror character potential in ABS CBN's Maalaala Mo Kaya where she played the role of a possessed girl just like Ms. Blair in the said Exorcist film. They both had that hanging-on-the-wall antic and they equally look scary. going back to Kulam, there's an interesting twist in the story plot. when everyone may think that the movie is ending, the twist comes in perfectly. Kulam is one of the many good horror pinoy films produced (by Regal) while the second movie we watched was completely the opposite. i've fallen asleep with some parts of the (2nd) film and i believed that only one artista gave life to the film. I'm talking about the film I.T.A.L.Y. and you might wanna guess who stands out in the production among this roster: Jolina Magdangal, Dennis Trillo, Rufa Mae Quinto, Mark Herras, Eugene Domingo. Among the upcoming movies we saw during the preview, i got interested in the film that stars Uma Thurman, Colin Firth & Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Accidental Husband. I was anticipating the trailer of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but since they moved its showing date to next year, i guess it's way too early to show its preview to the public. i chanced upon seeing its preview somewhere online but i'm not too sure if it's the official one. anyhoo, i can always wait (patiently) for any HP movies :P (above images courtesy of crystalblast of PinoyExchange dot com.)

- - - - - - - - - - - -
For those who have been following my blog since two-0-0-six, this isn't something new. I'm not giving another set of 15 statements though, and i'm just revealing the answers to this last set of 10 Truths, 5 Lies statements (posted here in April 2008):

1. i have had a one-week love affair like Imelda Papin's Isang Linggong Pag-ibig. TRUE. uh-oh... i'm not (re)telling this story to anyone anymore...

2. i enjoyed sporting a semi-kalbo hairstyle once in my adult life (meaning not when i was still a hairless infant). TRUE. i look pogi in a semi-kalbo style. :P

3. i caught hepatitis B in my high school years. FALSE. it was the UN-deadly & curable Hepatitis A but no worries now... i'm healed, healthy and huggable!

4. my worst bicycle accident was when i crashed into a slow-moving passenger jeepney in our province way back my grade school years. TRUE. amazingly, we don't have this texting habit then and i don't even have a cellphone yet but somehow i managed to bang my bike into that jeepney. i can't recall what i was doing before that bump. *shakes head*

5. i received my very first love letter when i was in grade six. TRUE. sabi sa inyo heart throb aku eh! lololol!

6. i was kicked out from class and was sent to the guidance office during my high school years due to lending my homework to my classmates who didn't make theirs. FALSE. i'm a consistent good boy d:)

7. i was sent out from the rehearsal room during our college choir practice due to a musical note i can not follow. TRUE. practice yun para sa centennial concert ng TC, SC, at NEUGC.

8. our class boarded a ship during our grade five field trip. TRUE. one of the happy memories during my grade school years in UNO-R. kung hindi ako nagtransfer nung grade six, malamang nakarating na ko sa Cebu via air trip naman.

9. i've shook hands with former president Joseph Estrada in a press conference during my assignment at the Malacañang Press Corps. FALSE. didn't remember shaking hands with him even at the nearest time i was there during media interviews with the former president.

10. i've annoyed a customer in a phone conversation after arguing about her impossible request from our company. TRUE. woah... interesting story but it will require a separate post.

11. i've attended a court hearing as a witness. TRUE. EPCI days as a new accounts clerk, this (then) new BM tasked me to attend a court hearing involving a case of a former depositor in our branch while the subpoena from the local court indicated it was supposed to be her (the BM) who must attend. i obliged but after a few weeks and a few "quarrel" with her, i resigned from the bank. yeah, it ended my banking 'career'.

12. first school i attended was University of Negros Occidental - Recoletos (UNO-R) in Bacolod City. FALSE. It was Trinity College of Quezon City. Now known as the Trinity University of Asia, still in Quezon City.

13. i bought (from my own savings) my sister her own mobile phone twice, on different times. TRUE. not only i am a consistent good boy, i'm also a consistent good brother to my one and only elder sister! and generous too. :)

14. i received an indecent proposal from a bank client when i assisted in opening that client's safety deposit box when i was still working as a new accounts clerk. TRUE. gives me goosebumps whenever i assist him in opening his safety deposit box. the SDB's were located inside our branch vault and having only the two of us inside the vault is reaaaaaly scary. he's saying/proposing things he's not supposed to say. buti na lang, professional ako. :P

15. i'm still a virgin. ...


ok, start counting the TRUE & FALSE statements. hahaha! :P

TGIH

Thank God It's Holiday! feels like a Saturday today. it's raining outside. it's a non-working holiday in observance to the end of Ramadan. what a lazy day... dark clouds, wet streets.

last weekend was great, starting it off with the much-awaited 20/20 concert of Ogie Alcasid, my mom, my wifey and i watched it LIVE at the big dome. i've made an almost perfect real time updates via twitter but somehow, my twitter timeline messed up. oh well. nothing's perfect in this world. detailed accounts during the concert was posted in my twitter and some of its highlights include Ogie paying tribute to his parents and of course, dedicating an emotional song to his daughters. Michelle was caught teary-eyed when the father of her daughters sang "I Will Be Here" for them. audience was quiet. the number was done after the duet with Ogie's declared leading lady of his life, Regine V. awkward moments i should say but yeah, life's like that. earlier before the event, i accompanied ayah in getting her last paycheck from the SM Group of Companies. and still, they suck! sorry for the language but yeah... they suck! we were waiting for the release of her check for almost four freaking hours and to top it all, i wasn't allowed to wait inside the office compound. i should wait outside its gates and since the sky was gloomy that day, i just sent ayah an SMS that i'd be waiting for her in the mall instead. due to the long wait, i was forced to spend another few bucks at Red Ribbon

the next day, ayah and i tread the road to Molino, Bacoor, Cavite for another event. i was invited as guest speaker for a church organization's meeting and it was a pleasurable experience. the brethren headed by their all-creative KADIWA President, 2008 best video blog author Ka Pepz, were very enthusiastic during the meeting. the organization launched their project "The Secret" which aims to get all KADIWA members to have positive attitude in realizing their goals in life and for the organization. i was invited to discuss the "MYTHbusters" about the KADIWA organization and i felt really good and honored standing in front of all these brethren. of course, to God be the glory! ayah and i could have stayed longer but we still have choir practice to catch after the meeting, so we left the locale early. in our locale, choir practice was good. ayah passed the audition together with 5 other aspiring choir members. they should be scheduled to take their oath as choir members by the end of this month. oh yeah, its October!