Habagat - August 2013

Today is the 2nd day of continuous rain. Classes in all levels and work were suspended yesterday and today, and today the flood has risen. i saw my neighbor's photo of our flooded street in facebook so i decided to check it out myself. yaiks! it's almost an Ondoy repeat! but water subsided faster this time and i hope more are safer today than Ondoy time.

[caption id="attachment_3092" align="alignnone" width="300"] flood watch with neighbors[/caption]

fortunately it's an official non-working holiday tomorrow. people affected by the flood still have an extra day to attend to their homes and belongings before reporting to work again. the holiday has been extended too much due to bad weather. since we will be having the first worship service in our locale extension tomorrow morning, we offered our home to church officers who were affected by the flood and will perform their duties tomorrow. we're accommodating a total of 8 persons tonight, so wifey quickly prepared the food for the guests:

[caption id="attachment_3096" align="alignnone" width="300"] food for the guests[/caption]

earlier, the KADIWAs did rounds to the brethren affected by the monsoon rains. braving the rain and not withstanding the flood, they happily rode the boat and saw how the brothers and sisters were doing.

[caption id="attachment_3095" align="alignnone" width="300"] kapisanang KADIWA doing visitation amidst heavy rain and flood[/caption]

yes, the Filipino spirit is waterproof, and brotherhood in the church is really something to be proud of!

Going Back to Iloilo

AUGUST 14 - 16... I went back to the Heart of the Philippines---Iloilo with two of my team mates, Akina & Miko. Our mission: handle two events with media invitees.

August 14: weather was cooperative as the sun smiled after taking cover behind dark clouds a few days back. it will be my team mates' first time in Iloilo. as usual, i was early at the Terminal 3 eluding the rush hour traffic from the east. upon arrival at the departure area, i immediately noticed some push carts with our brand on it. cool! i usually take my morning meal at Kopi Roti but this time i let my companions choose where they want to eat. As soon as they both arrived, we just decided to dine in Kenny Rogers. i had their corned beef breakfast and partnered it with pineapple juice. upon going to the boarding gate after our hearty meal, we met the (company) officers that are boarding the same flight with us to Iloilo. Our chairman was also present and greeted us with all smiles! When we arrived in the province, we checked-in our hotel first and refreshed ourselves, then off we went to do media rounds. visited the offices of Bombo Radyo, The Daily Guardian, ABS CBN, and Panay News. We personally invited them to attend the two events we're holding for the next couple of days. it was already evening when i got the 2nd advertorial approved and it was just then that i have called it a day. King, Miko & I decided to spend dinner time inside Smallville and Miko & I tried this "Medical Spa" within the area. I wasn't really impressed with their 'relaxing massage' which i availed.. feels like my little daughter stroking my back--- yeah, THAT SOFT. Interestingly though, they got our BP first before going to the massage routine. i guess it's the difference being labeled as a 'medical' spa. i was offered to take a shower but i turned down the offer since i just took my shower in the hotel prior to getting there. anyway, it was our first day.

[caption id="attachment_3079" align="alignnone" width="150"] one of the hundreds of pushcarts in Terminal 3 featuring Lancaster New City & Bellefort Estates[/caption][caption id="attachment_3078" align="alignnone" width="150"] the sign tells you what NOT to do[/caption]

August 15: woke Miko up and we headed to the breakfast buffet area. i didn't eat a lot compared to the previous times i was in the hotel. just had a cup of fresh brewed coffee blended with milk, that green juice which i forgot the name, and just had adobo with garlic fried rice. after fixing ourselves, we, together with Akina, headed to the venue of the ground breaking ceremony. we waited for our invited media guests and stayed with them throughout the event.

[caption id="attachment_3085" align="alignnone" width="300"] Corp. Comm. team with friends from the Iloilo press[/caption]

after the event, we needed to prepare for yet another event the following day. but yeah, i didn't forget my most important obligation of the day: attend worship service! there are numerous road and bridge repairs in Iloilo right now so traffic's a nightmare. i took a cab telling the driver to take me to the locale of Jaro. Coming from Hotel del Rio, the cab driver suggested we go to Iloilo City locale instead. i agreed and just told him to take me where traffic's lighter. so it was my first time to attend the worship service in the locale of Iloilo City, which the driver says, it's the biggest in the province. after the service, went to see Akina & Miko, then we had dinner in Smallville (again).

[caption id="attachment_3086" align="alignnone" width="274"] BG: the beautiful house of worship of Iloilo City Locale[/caption]

August 16: a bit excited for this day. we are about to complete the "Gift of Knowledge" turnover to the 3rd school-recipient which is Bolilao Elementary School in the town of Dumangas. First two school-recipients were Alapan 1 Elementary School in Imus, Cavite, and Nueva Victoria Elementary School in Mexico, Pampanga. Miko & I joined Shawn for breakfast. When Akina was ready, she and Miko went ahead to meet the press, while i rode with Ms. Tani and Sir Gus at a later time. it was an hour drive to Dumangas from the city and we were greeted by a welcome banner just before the school entrance:



everyone was very hospitable. the students were greeting us from left to right. the teachers welcomed us warmly. the ceremony started with some students performing the opening prayer and they also led the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. then a series of talks followed and finally the turnover of the e-learning facilities. everyone in the room was happy. and the kids were excited to try the facilities after the turnover. the package includes the following: Netbook preloaded with K Channel educational videos, optical mouse, external speakers, Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), and a 32" LCD TV. the gift of knowledge is really priceless. the travel all the way from the city is very much worth it. on our way home, we visited the so-called 'oldest' (Catholic) church in the province located in Dumangas. after the event, off we went to the airport to go back home--- Manila. :)

'throwbacks' make you happy... and senti.

my little girl is in the hospital again. wifey & i hope that she's going to be discharged already today and get back to our normal routines again. if the doctor can not detect any sickness other than dehydration, then i'm not expecting myself to know the real reason why she's checked-in there. anyway, i left the hospital early to get home and prepare myself to work. i took my car with me on a number coding day so i needed the extra early time to drive off the road. while alone at home waiting for the water to heat up, i chanced upon some photo albums which contained a handful of memories.... most of them happy memories. on facebook, old photos spread all over your friends' respective timelines on a day dubbed as 'throwback thursday.' those who weren't able to post on that day still find a way to share their good old photos the day after which they dub as 'flashback friday.' it then flashed in my mind, don't you just love going back to the good old times? then you ask, "where have the people gone?" like what this thought that was sent to me on SMS years back says, "It's funny that everyday, nothing changes but when you look back, it's all different."

my core family has been apart for years now. all i can do now is just smile at the old photographs that captured the times when my niece and nephew were still with us, when mom and dad were together in numerous occasions, when i was with former colleagues, when friends now far away were just beside you laughing. life then seems lesser complicated. why haven't we cherished even more the times when they were still here?

trip to the golden gate bridge in SFO, year 2002 with mom & dad

dad being so supportive of my kindergarten school performance

posing with mom during my sister's grade school graduation day

The Joys of July

in a few minutes, it's gonna be the 8th month of the year already. July seemed to be a long month but i am too busy to even notice how it flew so fast. July marks the start of the 'working' fiscal year. i thought we're not going to be busy at work this passing month since budget per department is still being approved. but no, i was definitely wrong. a series of opportunities opened up for me this month. first, i confirmed my promotion from an officer to an assistant manager. this month also gave me the opportunity to spearhead three events, two of which have media invitees. according to the execs' feedback, 'job well done' on the major events. well, thanks to my colleagues who made each event a success! speaking of promotion, it wasn't only i who have been promoted. Arn, our web & digital senior in the department also got a promotion. so we gave our team mates a dinner treat at Conti's one July evening.

Family Time Is Quality Time

in a week, i spend 9 hours at work for 6 days, plus a couple of extra hours daily for travel to and from the office. that leaves me more or less an even 12 hours a day to spend with my family or a total of 72 hours for 6 days. i try my best to squeeze in quality time with my two girls whenever i'm off from work. this month, i'm just a happy dad to treat my little girl (and the big girl as well) into the big screen twice. following the movie Monsters University which we watched last month, i took two nights this month to take my two girls in the movie house and see Despicable Me 2 & Turbo. Even if i'm already tired after work and just slept it out the whole duration of the movie, who cares? simply seeing your little girl giggling in joy everytime i am awakened by the moviegoers' laughs is simply PRICELESS. i can always catch those on DVD anyway. but your kid experiencing 3D (kid) movies with both her mom and dad is something that can not be replaced by anything.

Iglesia Ni Cristo: Countdown to the Centennial

July is always a special month for me, for my family, for all our brethren in the church. July 27, 2013 marks the 99th year anniversary of the Church of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo) all over the world. The church, as a yearly devotion, has celebrated it through thanksgiving worship services and thru the missionary work dubbed as "Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko." The missionary work resulted to hundreds of thousand people newly enlisted to undergo indoctrination through Bible studies. All brethren are excited and we're all looking forward to the church's centennial celebration. God's love for His church never fails. He's continuously keeping His promise to His nation. If one just sees how big the Iglesia Ni Cristo is today, he/she can not imagine how humble its beginning was. The Iglesia Ni Cristo story should be seen next year to its centennial movie offering, "Ang Sugo." The film, as i understand, will relate three generations of the church from its humble beginnings in 1914 up to where it is today through God's guidance and blessings. The movie is to star Albert Martinez as Ka Felix Manalo, Richard Gomez as Ka Erdy, and Bong Revilla as the church current Executive Minister, Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo.



Thanking God for all His blessings!