reflections for today 05-19-2006

Vacuum Cleaner

I had a little wrestling match with my vacuum cleaner this week. It was doing the wimpy-clean thing; you know, where you have to get down on your hands and knees and hand-feed it every little fuzz ball and potato chip crumb? If I'm going to do that, I might as well not have a vacuum cleaner. I could just pick up the fuzz and chips and throw them in the trash myself, couldn't I? Cut out the middle man.

Anyway, the thing had lost all its "suck-ocity." So I got it in a headlock and looked underneath to find out why. I found a little piece of sock, a length of yarn that could've been an entire sweater in another life, a hunk of rug from the kids' bathroom and a bunch of those little plastic price tag things. No wonder it didn't want to work! If all that stuff doesn't affect a vacuum's suck-ocity, I don't know what will.

At least it gave me a little reminder. When we let our minds suck up the wrong things, we can't expect them to work the way they're supposed to. There's so much garbage on TV, in magazineseverywhere. If we let our minds suck up trashy stuff, we shouldn't be surprised when we have a hard time dwelling on the things we're supposed to. We're told in Philippians 4:8 what kind of things we're supposed to think about: "Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise." (CEV)

There's lots less wrestling with our minds when we remember to fill them with the right things.
And personally, I'm also going to try to remember not to let my kids use the vacuum any more.

~*~*~*~

reminders are truly important, especially for a person like me who
easily forget a lot of things... excluding my gf of course =)

benjo and thet's prenup pics

one of my close friend and former officemate, benjo, is getting married on june 10 (this year) and i'm part of the entourage hehehe =)


this one's my fav (click on the pic for more...)

also engaged are my churchmates mark & rose, and jeremy & tess.

waiting

4 months to go... ooopss... make that 4 months and 1 year to go *sigh*

ang tagaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal... ayoko na talaga magbilang =(

if i'm a southpark character...

i would look like this =)



this one i got from toni's blog

outlet of my depression

"magkasama"

ang daming problema
kapos pa sa pera
at idagdag mo pa
kasi umalis ka

eh bakit ba kasi
ganito ang buhay
parang walang silbi
walang kulay

nung andito ka
ok pa, kaya pa
kahit maraming problema
hindi ko iniinda

hindi sa nakasandal ako sa'yo
pag wala ka hindi kumpleto
nalulungkot lang ako
sanay kasing magkasama tayo

~*~*~*~

wala lang, trip ko lang mag vent.
baka kasi magawa kong kanta.. malay mo?

bored

holy week na... walang pasok... pero wala ring plano...

sentipede

Everything
by Lifehouse

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

You calm the storms, and you give me rest.
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall.
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away.
Would you take me in? Take me deeper now?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Cause you're all I want, You're all I need
You're everything,everything
You're all I want your all I need
You're everything, everything.
You're all I want you're all I need.
You're everything, everything
You're all I want you're all I need, you're everything, everything.

And How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

*sigh*

club morocco march 2006 - company outing

view from our bus

entrance to club morocco resort, subic zambales

view from our room

inside our room with lester, me, and joey

lobby roof art

lobby area... just chillin out with joey =)

strike a pose for mah girlfriend (wish u were here!!!)

lunch time =)

saraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!!!

dramatic view outside the hotel

a carribean getaway???

and another one?

2nd day, island hopping =)

in a boat, island hopping

survivor island?

love month activities

>went to our church in angeles to perform for their valentine's day party, played the guitar with marlon as the vocalist. had a great time jamming with the pampanguenio's =) in fairness, they all sing well!
>celebrated valentines day alone *huhuhu*
>went to jubilation, binan laguna with my brother. we checked out his "small place" in this planet =)
>busy as usual with work, mostly preparations for the BIG project.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

"basta lang..."

pilit nililibang ang sarili
upang panahon ay mapadali
ganunpaman sadyang mabagal
ewan ko ba, basta miss kita

bakit kahit saan pumunta
di lubusang maging masaya
kahit saang sulok mapadpad
ewan ko ba, basta kailangan kita

sa isang taon na pagsasama
ikaw ay mas nakilala
magkasama sa lungkot at saya
ewan ko ba, basta mahal kita

di man matugon mga sagot
sa mga katanungan ko
dito lang talaga ako sigurado
basta miss kita, kailangan kita, at mahal kita

birthday summary

it's my birthday today and here are some of the day's events:

- had lunch with my family, cake - courtesy of jona, ice cream - courtesy of my sis, rest of the food - courtesy of dadi di do du =)

- went to glorietta to have donna's digital pics developed, so i can bring them to her parent's house in cavite so they can get a glimpse of her winter experience in the netherlands

- talked to my bhe, exchanged sweet nothings over the phone

- prayed at oakwood park and thanked God for giving me another year to enjoy life



~*~*~*~

"...go in the strength you have..."
- Judges 6:14

morning scripture

got this one from ness...

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish..- PSALM 1:6...have a blessed day!!! merry christmas!!!!

"But God . . ."

[Joseph] left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. —Genesis 39:12

What if Joseph had succumbed to the advances of Potiphar's wife? (Genesis 39). Imagine how he could have justified his sin. "But God, You don't want me to be unhappy, and you know how lonely it is here. Besides, I think I really love her."

What if Abram had disobeyed when God told him to leave Ur and head for parts unknown? (Genesis 12). What if he had said, "But God, I'm established here. I can't afford to risk everything on an uncertain future. I've got to watch out for Sarai. I'm staying."

Praise God that Joseph and Abram did the right thing. Joseph fled temptation; he ran from sin. Abram left Ur; he journeyed in obedience.

In life, we face both of these kinds of choices. Sometimes temptation rises up in front of us. When it does, we can either run and reap God's rewards—or we can give in, reap the sad consequences, and then make sorry excuses. Sometimes we sense that God is leading us in a particular direction. We can choose either to follow Him and trust His omniscience—or we can offer flimsy excuses and live a life of disobedience.

The abundant life of godliness is far better than a life of excuses and despair. Let's live so that we won't give in to the desire to say, "But God . . ." —Dave Branon

God does not demand success—just obedience.

jeepney driver incident

i won't forget this one...
(on my way to the office)

driver: o yung mga wala pang bayad, magbayad na...
(mga tatlong beses nya inulit)

di kaagad ako nakapagbayad dahil masikip
sa loob ng jeep.
(magbabayad talaga ako at wala akong plano mag 123)

pagdating sa town center, nagbayad ako, pero...
(yung lesson na natutunan ko, akin na lang muna)

month end activities for november

went to carl's birthday celebration at robinsons
imus, cavite last saturday. dropped by at the 'fourth'
to meet some of bhe's folks. it was the first
time carl called me 'tito' =)

had a sport fest service last sunday.
joined in the sack race contest and our team won.
went to quezon city and helped my brother
setup thin client linux network using LTSP.

had a family group leader's retreat at antipolo last
monday(holiday). had a lesson titled: "can you drink
the cup". we went for a swim afterwards, ate, and
then ate again hehehe. had a deep talk with tyrone,
asked advices regarding relationships.

after the retreat, we went to a nearby carnival.
had fun target shooting and riding the horror train.
a hilarious train rather =) we laughed our hearts
out instead of getting spooked.

called up my bhe before the day ended. exchanged
sweet nothings over the phone. i miss her soooo
much and there's only 24 days left before
christmas, buti na lang di ko pa naririnig
yung 'pasko na sinta ko' pag nagkataon, patay!
*sigh*

on making decisions (the family man revisited)

my long time friend jess (back in campus days) sent
an instant message asking me how i'm doing...

jay: bro may last question ako... musta na kayo ni GF mo?
E: eto, medyo kelangan talaga namin mag trust kay God... nasa ibang bansa sya ngayon.. isang taon pa sya dun
E: eh medyo nakaka struggle na
E: ang hirap pala ng long distance relationship
E: nakaka pagod
jay: actually mahirap talaga yan
jay: pero thats the way for you both para ma test ang inyong relationship
jay: iba iba din kasi love story natin
E: eh bakit ba kasi kelangan pa dumaan sa test palaga? nakakapagod rin kasi
E: *palagi
jay: each relationships is unique
jay: oo nga, i understand exactly what you feel
jay: you decide both, baka naman pwede umuwi na sya for the sake of your relationship.
jay: parang katulad nung sa movie ni Family Man
jay: yung kay Nicolas Cage
jay: ganda nun, its all about faith and making decision
E: yeah, i've seen that movie
E: isa sa favorite ko actually yan
E: ako may decision, pero kulang sa faith
E: si gf may faith pero wala pang decision
E: gets mo?
jay: oo nga eh

~*~*~*~

i would just like to quote a line by Kate in the
movie "the family man" when jack wanted to
move his family from the only home they've
shared together to the city.

"When you got on that plane, I was sure it was over. I left the airport afraid I'd never see you again. And then you showed up the very next day. That was a good surprise. You know, I think about the decision you made... maybe I was being naive, but I believed that we would grow old together in this house. That we'd spend holidays here and have our grandchildren come visit us here. I had this image of us, all grey and wrinkly, and me working in the garden and you re-painting the deck. But things change. If you need this, Jack, if you really need this, I will take these kids from a life they love and I'll take myself from the only home we've ever shared together and I'll move wherever you need to go. I'll do that because I love you. I love you, and that's more important to me than our address. I choose us."

Difficult Days

my quiet time for today:

"Surely goodness and love will follow me
ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever."
-psalm 23:6

We buried my wife's father 2 days before Thanksgiving, and every year the holiday is tinged with the sorrow of losing him. No doubt your calendar contains some of these difficult days that roll around once a year, bringing fresh reminders of losses that still hurt and people you still miss. A Wall Street Journal article calls these dates "emotional land mines" and says they may be even more difficult to face when they coincide with national holidays or anniversaries of significant events.

Grief counselors point out that taking a positive step can help us deal with grief. One year we planted a tree to mark the anniversary of a parent's death and the birth of a grandson on the same day. A scholarship fund or a memorial gift can benefit others while honoring the memory of a loved one. But a deep healing of spirit is a gift from God.

You may know Psalm 23 by heart, but try reading it with new eyes today. This familiar passage of comfort proclaims: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" (v.6). Not just some of the days—all the days.

When we traverse the emotional minefield of painful memories, the Good Shepherd is with us on every difficult day. —David McCasland

"The sweetest experience of God's love
can be found in times of sorrow."

distance is taking it's toll

i didn't have a good night sleep today...
i wish i could sleep and wake up on the day
where everything's back to normal.

why do i always have to go through this kind of
agony?

a lot of questions popped in my mind, my body
wanted to rest already, but it's the opposite
with my mind.

~*~*~*~

which is harder? not having a girlfriend and no
one to worry about, or have one but is in a distant
country???

detoxify your mind

break time muna... mapapalaban na naman ako sa overtime
tonight. it's 7:45pm right now, and i just thought of writing
a post in my blog for the following reasons:

1. it's my blog's birthday! (november 12)
2. i need a short break and detoxify my mind
3. curiosity about amsterdam's weather

wow! my blog reached a milestone... it's been a year since
i started posting here. i'm amused as i browsed through my
old posts. i'm glad that i had my memories immortalized here.
i just wouldn't remember all of them because of my
forgetfulness 8-) i'm looking forward to another year of
wonderful memories yey! happy birthday dear blog! =)

it's a good thing to have a blog, this is like one of my stress
relievers. i get to free my mind of worries for a while and
detoxify my brains of all the Java-related-technical-so-and
so-work-related-stuffs at work. here, i can express if not all,
most of the things that really matters to me. i'm just glad
i found a sanctuary for my mind, heart, and soul (ang drama!)

though it's a fast-paced world and constant change every
now and then, a positive note about being in the information
technology industry is that you get access to tons and tons of
information. be it about the ant's internal organs, keeping in
touch with the latest trends, and up to date live images of
places around the world. with this, i've found a site where
i can see live images of what's it like in Amsterdam. to see the
busy city life, trams, the people, and weather. below is a sample
screen shot i got from one website. as you can see it's winter
already, 6 degree celcius(sun's up though) and the people are
wearing their coats to protect themselves from the cold weather.



it's 8:15pm, i'm done with my break, back to work! whew! =)

november rain

If I could have just one wish,

I would wish to wake up everyday

to the sound of your breath on my neck,

the warmth of your lips on my cheek,

the touch of your fingers on my skin,

and the feel of your heart beating with mine...

Knowing that I could never find that feeling

with anyone other than you.

- Courtney Kuchta -

~*~*~*~

tag-ulan na naman *sigh*