four days, three nights.

usually, long weekends allow us to go on a "4D/3N" vacation... that is, four days and three nights. this week, that term just took on a different meaning for me. i'm currently on my consecutive third night here at our office, pulling all-nighters to hit a deadline next week!

wala lang, just a thought. :-P

p.s. - thanks to maddie, ian & miranda for lending me a bathroom on each of these 4D's :-)

creative fun.

this past weekend, my family went for an overnight trip to anvaya cove. it was a very relaxing break for everyone. out of town trips always meant quality time with the folks, my brother and his family.

before dinner saturday night, we discovered a nice cozy spot in the resort to hang out in -- the library! (would you believe?) :-) so after supper, we went back there, not wanting to retire into our respective rooms so soon. also, we discovered that they served free brewed coffee there, so everyone thought it was a good idea. since there were no other guests in the library at that hour, we were free to disregard the "please maintain silence" sign. :-)

i found a book entitled "Top 10 of Everything 2008." in it was a listing of top 10 things under hundreds of categories! naturally, i was drawn to the entertainment section as it was the most interesting to me. i began asking my brother, his wife and kids to guess the items under various top 10 categories (i.e. "Ben Stiller's Top 10 Movies"). When they couldn't guess some of it, an instant game of charades ensued.

i would have to say that this turned out to be one of the funnest ever moments my family have had together! with me, my kuya and niece alternately acting out movie titles, and my dad, mom, sister-in-law and nephew guessing them... it was a total laugh trip! we played and played til the library closed at 10:00 pm and even continued the game back in the room until 1:00 in the morning!

who says you need a lot of money to have fun? it actually doesn't take much... you just have to be creative! :-)

* the best charades moment we had was when my bro and i had to act out the movie "Iris" -- funny how we both thought at the same time that the best way to go about it was to act out the movie "City of Angels" instead! my nephew got it right!

super sulit shoes.

i bought this pair of shoes at cartimar for only P400.00!!! (so affordable, i also bought another green pair)

they're old school tretorns (in case you were born in the 90's or later and are not familiar with them)... and they're just soooooper comfy! its pretty cool when people see me wear it and a spark of recognition lights up their eyes! even cooler when i reveal how much i got them for :-)

i love it when i find great buys like these. goes to show that if you look around enough, you don't need to spend a kaboodle of money for good style and comfort.

pressure vs. stress.

when people ask me if i'm stressed at work, or with any major endeavor that i'm undertaking -- i almost always answer, "no, i'm just pressured."

i believe that there's a big difference between the two.

i think pressure is something that comes from external 'forces' (usually people) around you... stuff you have no control over. for instance, there's pressure from your parents about what course to take in college... or pressure because of an upcoming deadline at work... or pressure from your boyfriend to lose weight (or else)... or pressure from peers to get drunk.

on the other hand, stress is something that comes from within... it's something you should have full control over. to get stressed (or be stressed) is a decision one actually makes. for instance, you can get stressed about the uber kulit parents who are nagging you take up a particular course in college... or get stressed with all the uber rush deadlines at work... or get stressed because your boyfriend wants you to lose weight (or else)... or get stressed because your friends are teasing you when you don't want to drink with them.

you think you don't have a choice about getting stressed. but actually, you do.

i refuse to get stressed out over anything. i try to always keep cool when trials come my way and remind myself that "this too shall pass". i also try to remind myself constantly that God is in charge and He always finds a way. i tell myself that i need to "let go and let God."

definitely, there are a lot of potentially stressful situations that surround me every day. and sometimes, i'll get frustrated, upset, annoyed or harassed. but thank goodness i can still say with a smile, "no, i'm not stressed... i'm just pressured." :-)

sa kambas ng lipunan.

the first reading for this sunday's mass (august 10) --

1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

* * *

" ..there was a tiny whispering sound... "

truly, God's presence isn't always in the gigantic, majestic things that we encounter like big miracles of healing or religious retreats, recollections or seminars that catapult us into a 'spiritual high'. sometimes, He is just there, with no words -- but He speaks right to your heart.

this verse in the reading reminds me of a painting rendered by Joey Velasco, known as "Hapag ng Pag-asa" (Table of Hope). it shows Jesus at the table with not the 12 apostles but rather with 12 poor/street children. just one look at this painting and you can literally feel God reaching out to you, speaking to you, urging you to do something... to take action.














everytime i would see this painting, it never failed to move me. more so after watching the documentary that featured the artist who painted it... and the touching story behind it! i couldn't help but weep at each and every story Mr. Velasco shared. it was a very humbling, touching experience and the painting really came to life the next time i saw it!

if you have around twenty minutes to spare today, please take the time to check out the video (click on link below). i hope it will somehow touch your heart the way it did mine. God bless!

Link: Sa Kambas ng Lipunan

return to young adulthood.

earlier this evening, i took my niece and the daughter of my best friend to powerbooks greenbelt, to attend the pre-launch party of "breaking dawn" -- the 4th book in the "twilight" series, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. (or as we observed, has gathered a cult following among young adults)

along with the 13 to 17 year olds who were present, i was excited about the event, as i too, was a fan of this YOUNG ADULT book! i too, was a fan of the book's hero, edward cullen (to be played by robert pattinson [left] in the movie adaptation). and i too, wanted to take something home that was twlight-related, not just for me of course, but for the girls.

since i knew the powers behind the event (connections, connections) -- namely, my friend Van, the marketing/purchasing manager of powerbooks -- i stuck around after the over eager teen-agers left the venue to twist her arm for twilight goodies! :-) she got me stickers, bookmarks, posters, pins and a twilight bag. of course, when it was time for me to distribute it to my young companions, their jaws dropped and were just sooooo happy! :-)

* * * * * *

"twilight" hasn't been my only young adult interest in the past few years. there are the harry potter books; the sisterhood of the traveling pants books (and movie, one of my favorites!); high school musical movies; among others.

what can i say... i honestly still enjoy reading/watching this stuff! i realize though that aside from the light (no-brainer) entertainment they provide, its pretty cool to be able to talk about these things with my young adult niece! :-)

not to mention, they probably keep me young! hehe :-) you should give it a try, if you think you're too old for this stuff.