Lookback: 07 April

The battle is joined.
Humabol kami ni Mark Ayaay (the mathematician from YoFire Ateneo) sa Warweek 2005. I had an exam on the 6th tapos sya din may OJT interview. It was a very nice experience. Nagcommute kami (grabeng adventure 'to!). Buti hindi kami naligaw haha;D. Pagdating namin sa drop-off point ng vehicles, nakasalubong agad namin ang guys ng YoFire. Nakapang-hiking outfit na sila. Niyaya na nila kami ni Mark. Syempre sumunod naman kami.. kasi obviously, wala kaming gagawin sa hotel. Teka, nakaputi pala ako.. Haha! buti na lang nakapagpalit kami ng gear ni Mark sa sinakyan naming bus papunta sa trail. (Grabe di pa namin nakikita kwarto namin, bakbakan kaagad!;D)

The trek.
Ang hirap ng trail. We had to walk and jog for around 20 minutes of grasslands bago yung mountain trail. Pagdating namin sa mountain trail, medyo mahirap sya kasi pababa (a 60-70 degree slope of compacted mud makes it real messy). And yes, mas mahirap sya paakyat. Pero go pa din. We were like that for 10 minutes or so. Pagdating namin sa destination namin, we were awestruck.. Ang ganda ng waterfalls! Grabe wild talaga. Di pa sya nadaanan ng sibilisasyon ng dumi. Wala ng peropero, naligo kami! Ang sarap ng tubig! Malamig! I already forgot then that I barely slept for 3 days! Astig! After around 30 minutes of swimming and taking the beauty of nature all in, it's time to go back to our quarters. Sinuot ko lang yung T-shirt ko tapos yung medyas ko tapos yung sapatos ko. My shorts were dripping wet. And I was kinda concerned kasi sigurado babaho yung paa ko kasi basa pa sya nung nagmedyas ako (wala kaming towel.) pero oks lang;D

Going up.
Heto ang challenge talaga. After taking all the dirt form our body, we hike up, knowing that it will be messier. Yung iba naghanap ng tungkod kasi talagang mahirap sya. "One step at a time." I told to myself. C'mon! Kaya ko 'to!;D One step at a time.. nakarating din kami sa bus.. only to know that we have 10 minutes left bago isara ang buffet sa hotel.. Hala sige ratrat ang bus! Nagvideoke pa sina B1 at B2: Nono at Armand. Pagdating namin sa drop off, 5 minutes remaining, sumakay na agad kami ng bangka papunta sa isla ng hotel namin. Sani nina kuya Chris, diretso na daw agad kami sa dining area. At dumiretso nga kami! We looked like rags inside the hotel. Yung mga tao nagtitinginan sa amin. We don't care haha!;D Ang sarap ng foooooooood! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Pero disappointed ako sa spaghetti. Maasim. Ngyorks.

The eye of the storm.
Nagbihis at naligo ako sa kwarto namin. Ahhhhhhh! Sarap maligo! Grabe! Nagpalit ako ng fresh clothes. Tapos I rested myself kasi alam ko umpisa pa lang ng araw. Mas matindi yung mamaya. The Survivor. Rest.....

God makes all things beautiful in His time.

God gave me lots of reasons to be happy today. And each one of them is more than enough. It is funny to think of how weird God works in people's lives. "God works in ways we cannot see." One time you're here, one time you're there. And I'm lovin' it each time. If you are indeed right smack in the center of God's will, nothing could ever go wrong. He'll take you to places that you've never been before. He'll show you things that you've never encountered before. He'll give you blessings that you've never imagined before. All you can do is stand still...and be amazed.

You cannot stop fire from consuming your heart.

I am excited about what's gonna happen to me in the next couple of years. the pieces are slowly falling in their right place. Things are revealed. Things are getting clear. I won't assume things but I know that God has prepared nothing but great things for me. Slowly but surely my life is turning into a box of purpose and beauty. Astig talaga si God. When He made me, when He made you, di sya nagkamali. We are created according to His purpose, not creating conflict with our free will. He loves us so much that He won't give us what we think we wanted. He'll give us what He thinks is the best for us. It's up to us if we're gonna accept it or not. He knows better.

If you think that you are an accident, I tell you you're not. If he made me a big bundle of joy, I'm sure He's gonna turn you into one too. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He'll give you the desires of your heart. Believe.

My life is in His hands. What more can I ask for?

The time has come for me to collide with my destiny. Prepare. You're next.

Ah grabe. Hours after taking two bottles of Red Bull Supreme, my body feels like crazy. Lakas ng tama pare. I feel like I've been kicked by a horse! Hehe;D I wanna sleep real bad..

I had my first of my finals marathon earlier. I feel good about the exam. Hopefully, my remaining exams will feel good too. I feel a new drive for studying nowadays. Nice timing. Really. When I needed to do a lot of catching up, here comes the push I desperately needed. Ibang klase talaga si God. Pambihira.

Just a few more days. Konti na lang magpapakasarap na ako! I can sleep a lot. I can eat a lot of spaghetti. I can watch a lot of movies. And the best part is, I can travel a lot! Ang daming nakalinyang lugar ang pupuntahan ko ngayong summer. I won't stay in one place for more than two weeks. "Tara na! Byahe tayo! " Just a few more days..

For now, all I can do is rest 'til my taurine and caffeine aftershock is over.

Due to insistent public prodding, I am back, clearing away the cobwebs from my blog.;D

Uy Jak! Musta?

Heto cute pa din!

How are you dude?

I'm fine. I'm thank you.

Ano na pinaggagagawa mo nitong mga nakaraang araw?

Ako? Hmmm tignan natin.. Kelan ba yung huling post ko? Ahh matagal tagal na din pala no? Nagsimula na kaming magfinals. As usual, nagpenitensya kami nung mahal na araw. Mental torture nga lang. Pero heto oks lang. Kakayanin pa naman. Medyo kailangan ko lang maghabol sa tatlong subjects ko. Tingin ko kakayanin naman kahit papano. I'm not the type who would back down that easy. Ano ako tange? Living by faith and not by sight sure ain't easy but it's exciting. Sobra. Never say die pare.

Malapit na ang Camp. Excited na ako. I need to get back on my workout soon to prepare myself. Pumayat nga daw ako e. Sabi nila David ok daw katawan ko ngayon. (Grabe lumalaki ulo ko!;D) What do you expect? I'm sleepless! I go early to bed.. errr early morning to bed. And wake up early. Most of the time. These days, I'm kinda into a green tea, mango nectar and tuna diet. Though It wasn't really my plan. Nasarapan lang ako so go! Hehe;D Kakatuwa.

I love talking nowadays. Grabe nagagamit ko na din yung call feature ng phone ko hehe. Pero I am glad that I am able to encourage and build up people by speaking. Counsel dito counsel dun. Grabe. Paminsan di pa ako makarelate. Pero okey lang kasi if it's God will, It's God's way.;D

Grabe ang init! It's so very hot today you know. I make paypay but it's mainit parin--blech! I'm not called for coño talk. Pero seryoso sobra ang init ngayon. Ang nipis pa ng oxygen. Pambihira. Ang sarap matulog!

Isa na lang, buo na ang kopunan.

Night and day I seek Your face
Long for You in the secret place
All I want in this life
Is to truly know You more...

As the waters cover the sea,
So Your love covers me
Guiding me on,
Roads unknown
I trust in You alone

My saving grace
My endless love
Deeper and deeper I'm falling in love with You
My one desire
My only truth
Deeper and deeper I'm falling in love with You

with You..
fallin' in love with You...

And I will rise on wings of eagles
Soaring high above all my fears
I rest in Your open arms of love

As the waters cover the sea
So your love covers me....
covers me...

I have a bad history of handling sheer pressure. Jak B.C. Before Christ. Before, I kinda tend to blow all things up. And in return, mess my life with depression. Now, I am indeed very thankful that God surrounded me with passionate people who are more than willing to share their precious time just to encourage me. I can't and won't dare to imagine what my life would be without God. I seem to have everything, but without God, I'm just a mere human being trying to find out what it's like to be rich, to be loved, and to be happy.

I am in a state of war. Pressure is just waiting around the corner. Waiting for me to drop my guard. The moment I drop it, poof! I'm gone. Problems may make a man fall. But a child will never back down. Through this fire, I will come forth as gold. God has a purpose, and He will make all things beautiful in His time.

When life seems tough, carry on. If things go wrong, move on. Bear in mind that with a proper perspective, stumbling blocks will turn to stepping stones. We may find life too complex for us to bear. Too hard for our mortal minds to fathom. Yet through heaven's eyes, we see the simplicity of it all.. the faith of a child's heart.

I live by faith and not by sight.

We had our last leadership group meeting for the sem yesterday. Kuya Henry spoke about competence and excellence. I love this point:

It is better to start things right than to make things right.

I opened up my plan to get a passport this summer. Kuya Henry encouraged me to do so because he'll be leading a team to Thailand this October and it would be nice if I'll be able to join the team. Man, that's totally not the purpose of my plan! But it perfectly fits. So the ever adventurous kid inside me grabbed the idea of the Thailand trip wholeheartedly. I'm excited for it.;D According to Warren, there may be a local missions trip this summer. I hope I can make that trip too. Preparation din for Thailand hehe;D

Last Friday, I received the call that I was waiting for ever since this year began. Yes, I was waiting for it. It is a discernment thing. Kuya Christian talked to me privately about it when he made a rare tambay at the hangout. Glenn, Mok, Warren and Jerson were grinning at me after that talk. Now we share that hidden understanding..

When I was driving with my cell this afternoon at Balara, somebody almost got me, my cell and himself killed with his crazy driving. Or maybe I should blame the tricycle driver who stepped hard on his breaks right in front of me.

What on earth was that guy doing?! Driving a hundred kilometers an hour on a narrow two lane street, trying to overtake me with a 60 kph opposing traffic on the left side and roughly 2 meters of opening? (Well he won't overtake me, I think, had that tricycle in front of me didn't go to a full stop in 2 seconds) Thank God I didn't panic, the opposite traffic stepped on his breaks like his life depended on it (and it did..) and that guy turned his wheel real fast! Got some tire marks on the road. One very slight mistake and everyone inside my van went to heaven that moment! My bros were itching to step down and gang him up that time. (Forgive them for being too emotional;D) Man...

After driving them back to Kalayaan (3 hours had passed), I drove by that same spot again.

There were two cars in that part of the street. One of 'em got his windshield shattered...