Sesenta y uno

Today is THE BEST MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY. :D My mum is a year older today making her sesenta y uno.

I sincerely thank God for showering mum with so much blessings the past year. :D He undeniably LOVES mum. I couldn't ask for more. Well perhaps nine more years for mama. Though mum says she wants to see the world until she's 75. So that's my only prayer, Lord. That you grant my mum's wish. I know You will. :D

I am very lucky to be mum's little princess. She and pap are really awesome. Happy, happy birthday ma! :D

You will be retiring soon.A chapter in your life will end but there will be a new chapter to be written.

Let's tour the world together. :) Let's check out the pyramids in Egypt, ride a gondola in Venice, party hard in Ibiza, surf in Hawaii... There are still a gazillion things to explore. :D

To THE BEST MUM in the world, Happy, Happy Birthday from your oh so gorgeous daughter. ;P I love you ma!

Big Shoes To Fill In

A beautiful creation of God. A gift to mama and papa. An awesome friend to all. A passionate teacher to her students. Most importantly, THE BEST Ate in the world! She is my favorite sisterrific, Ate Ging. :D

As you turn a year older today, I thank God for continuously showering you with blessings. You are a blessing to others and I hope you stay just the way you are. Because I love you like that. Change for the better if you must.

My sister and I used to fight a lot when I was a kid because she was white and I was black. We never agreed on things. She likes to be prim and proper and I like to be ragged and different from the norm. She likes to be on the bleachers and I like to be on the hardcourt.

Growing up, I looked up to her because she was the responsible one. She is very reliable. My exact opposite. haha!

Though we're very much different, we're also the same in soooo many ways. We can watch dvd all day, eat a lot and shop. :D

We are thousand miles apart, but I know that where you are right now is the best place you should be in. Who would resist Tokyo fashion eh?? Screams out individuality. :))

We partied for you here and I can not thank God enough for giving you your Japanese family. Parang andyan na rin kami dahil sa kanila. Arigato gozaimasu! :)

It's been a few months since you packed your bags and left to live up your dream. I tell you it's no easy task filling in your shoes. It's a big,big shoes! I could never be you but I hope to be like a quarter of you. I have to be the ate who is in-charge of grocery items to buy. I have to be mum's constant side kick during family gatherings. I have to be very friendly to all.

I miss you everyday lalo na wala akong maasar at makulit. hahaha! I miss our bonding times. I miss swimming with you on hot days. I miss everything about you ate. :D

I know you really had fun today. Wow! First birthday away from us and abroad too. Did you celebrate your birthday in Korea before??I'm not sure if you did.

Dear ate, sobrang init dito pero pag umulan parang lahat ng tubig sa mundo eh nandito. lalalala... galingan mong mag-ingles. Nasan ka man ngayon, ano mang oras na ikaw'y may kailangan, tawag ka lang sa amin at parang nandito ka na rin... I love sugarfree! this is sooo you! YM every night. haha! Thank God for technology. :)

Gingersha invades the land of the rising sun

fishda catcher. cat-lover convert. arte. japanice. pimpin' her new stone. lovin' the fireworks. padlock galore. sa may batisan. off to japan (ay economy!!!). japan-yuki. starbucks addict.emowwww. beach bum. springtime. biker.

I love you ate! Enjoy Japan everyday. Always take care. Pray. God bless! :D

Bayanihan ROCKS!!!

Ondoy and Pepeng definitely wreaked havoc in our country and our fellow countrymen who were greatly affected need help. NOW.

I was lucky not to have been affected by both typhoons and I felt that it was my responsibility to help out. So when I got a ym message from my bestfriend if I wanted to help out, I was all out for it. I felt that it was the least that I can do for them.

Day 1 — September 28, 2009

National Red Cross Headquarters. We repacked relief goods and carried them to the truck The boys had more work to do with the intense carrying of sacks and sacks of rice. haha! It wasn’t really a tough job but it was a nice feeling knowing that in my own little way, I have helped out and enjoyed doing it.

Day 2 — September 29, 2009

National Red Cross Rizal Chapter. There was sooooo much to do yet so little space to move in. Well, we just had to deal with what was given to us. Intense ang pasa-pasa system at buhatan galore. Boys were well-utilized. ;P

We were deployed by night time and it was one helluva experience. Kadiri talaga yung baha. Hindi talaga ako maarte pero grabe yung baha! But the flood was the least of our worries. We were there to help out and we did exactly that. It was soooooo rewarding to see the victims still happy despite their situation. J Iba talaga ang pinoy!

Dead tired, sweaty as hell but our hearts were beating gladly with our accomplishment.

Day 3 — October 01, 2009

We were all tired from the previous operation so we decided to skip Wednesday and got back on Thursday. This time in National Red Cross Alabang. But it was complete pandemonium there! We decided to transfer to St. James the Great Parish inside AAV.

So many things to do, so much space, it was the perfect place. Drawback: nosebleed galore! =))

It was nice to see rich people extending their lending hands to those greatly in need of help. Cheers to you!

Pinoys have responded to the need of those greatly affected. All those abroad, pooled their resources together and sent it here. Celebrities, musicians, tycoons and “normal” citizens all unite for one cause: Bayanihan.

What Bayanihan is all about

Iba ang pinoy. Walang mayaman, walang mahirap. Walang sikat, walang hindi sikat. Lahat para sa bayanihan. Mabuhay tayong lahat! ’til then…

p.s photos from ondoyrelief.multiply.com thanks!

Double Whammy

Sept. 26, 2009 was when all the water in the world poured down in Manila. Torrential rain was experienced in the NCR and it poured down on us real hard. :(

When it rains, it floods!! Flood it is! The Metro experienced a month’s worth of rain in nine hours! It will definitely flood!

Marikina, Pasig, Laguna and Rizal were greatly affected by typhoon Ondoy. Houses were submerged or even totally washed out by the flood. Mud also became a problem as it penetrated the houses.

Just three of the gazillion photos of Ondoy’s madness

The Metro has still not recovered from the calamity brought by Ondoy, when another typhoon was spotted inside the country. Pepeng was bound to wreak havoc on a Friday, Oct. 02. Everyone was scared with what Ondoy did. People were panic-buying all the basic necessities and took extra precautionary measures.

Pepeng was much stronger than Ondoy. It hit hard, harder than Ondoy. But it spared the NCR and caused trouble in Northern Luzon instead.

Pangasinan, La Union, Cagayan, Benguet were just some of the many provinces “destroyed” by Pepeng. Pepeng even enjoyed the Philippines and stayed for over a week. Akala ko nga bibigyan na ng passport yung bagyo sa sobrang tagal dito eh!

Pepeng’s destruction up north

Ondoy at Pepeng, grabe kayo ha! Madaming nasalanta dahil sa inyo. Madami ang nasa evacuation dahil sa inyo. Madami ang nasawi dahil sa inyo. Sabihan niyo naman ang mga tropang bagyo niyo na ‘wag na kaming guluhin pa. Maawa naman kayo. Salamat! ‘til then…

Boxing Arena We call LIFE

As if the boy issue I had to deal with wasn’t enough, I had a few more things to face…

Life is like a boxing arena where we get to face and fight the biggest, meanest, toughest boxers out there. They come in the form of problems, people, issues and all that negative vibe that will surely knock you out!

Just a week after knowing the boy I liked had a gf, a strong left hook hit me in the face. It hit me hard. :S I never thought I would ever get that especially from you. It hit me soooo hard I had to recover for more than a week.

Shortly after the left hook I received, I got another blow, this time a right uppercut. I thought we were tight. Despite the “whirlwind” friendship, I really thought we established a strong friendship. Or so I thought. Just one thing and we were back to square one. Sayang talaga pero ganun.

Boy issue, friendships tested, you’d think it will end there. But no, I had more punches hurled my way. :(

I decided to take a big step and I didn’t get that enthusiasm I was expecting from people that matter to me most. My dad and sister found it all too soon and out of the blue. I cried and cried for days. Have I told you I cried for weeks over all these things??

So you see, life is like a boxing arena. It’s either you hit back or just let the opponent beat you up. Conceding was never an option for me. Iiyak at iiyak lang ako pero hindi ako susuko.

During those weeks, I tried to hit back at my opponent but all my punches were weak. I turned to my coach and listened hard. I know I may not have succeeded in defeating my opponent, but He (coach) made a better game plan for me and I’m sticking to it. Maybe I was meant to lose that match for me to toughen up my defense and work on my offense.

In a boxing match, it’s three minutes of hell but you get thirty seconds (??) of time-out. In life, there will be lots of problems that will come our way but we also have solutions to it. There is so much room to move in a boxing arena. When the toughing get going, just move around and you can get a breather. Life gives us choices and strategies that we can work out with.

Remember each time you’re in a boxing arena fighting, that there is always the bell to save you when it’s too much to handle. He will save you. So let’s all face the boxing arena with so much intensity and heart because at the end of the day, we will learn a thing or two from it. ‘til then..