From the monthly archives: October 2007
The month of October reminds me of three things: lots of horror stories and Halloween specials on TV, my dad’s birthday and the month of the Holy Rosary. I remember back in high school, everytime it was October, we’d be asked to decorate our bulletin board for October and put up a small altar at one corner of the classroom and pray all five mysteries for the day of the rosary. I end up leading the rosary on most days, which I don’t really mind, and which is also why I memorized all the prayers and the mysteries.
But…I’d have to admit. I’m not the biggest fan of the Holy Rosary. :-s I liked that I can do it, but I don’t really like doing it. I’m not proud of this, and I’m trying my best to learn to love this form of prayer. I don’t doubt how powerful praying the rosary can be (and it really helped me calm down and be still in God during the time I was waiting for my exam results in my current employer); it’s just that sometimes it can get so repetitive that I get too antsy and I feel like my prayers aren’t getting through.
But I’m trying harder now. I’m trying harder to appreciate the rosary for all it is worth, because I know that it’s a beautiful prayer as a whole. Plus there are also these things, which Mr. Matt Smith from Lifeteen.com pointed out:
- The rosary isn’t all about me. (True!)
- A lot can happen when I pray for 20 minutes (approximately how long praying the entire rosary will take)
- It’s an interactive Biblical experience (gives me time to reflect at the important parts of Jesus’ life — yes, the rosary is still about Jesus, despite the number of Hail Mary’s prayed)
- It can make ordinary situations extraordinary (because I spent it in prayer)
.
Like I said, I’m trying harder. Which is why I’d like to thank Jun and Fr. Stephen for starting the Filipino Holy Rosary (or Santo Rosaryo) podcast. For everyone who wants to pray the rosary but is not quite familiar with it, here’s a guide for you. You may download these podcasts, put them in your mp3 player and just pray with it while you walk, commute, drive or work or while going through your favorite hobby shop. You can use this to teach kids or students how to pray the rosary in Filipino, or have a group of friends say the prayer together. You can send these to your Filipino friends abroad too. :)
If you’d prefer the English version, you may download podcasts at RosaryArmy.com. I will be putting these up for download by tomorrow at my Multiply too, so you can also download it from there in case you can’t access the two sites. :)
Rating: 
Click here to buy Love, Stargirl from Amazon.com
Dear Leo,
I love beginnings. What better way to elaborate than to begin writing a letter to my once (and future?) boyfriend.
Stargirl has moved and left everything behind: Arizona, Mica High, enchanted desert places – and Leo.
He’s all she can think abbout, and her life begins to feel like a parade of unhappy anniversaries. Then Stargirl meets her wonderfully bizarre new neighbors: Dootsie, the curly-headed five-year-old “human bean”; Betty Lou, who hasn’t stepped outside her house for nine years; Charlie, who sits among the tombsones; hot-tempered Alvina with that one glittery nail; and Perry Dellophane, the blue-eyed thief who soon lays his own claim to Stargirl’s heart.
In letters to Leo in a course of a year, Stargirl comes to find hope in new places: mockingbirds, donut angels, moon flowers and the Winter Solstice — that turning-point day when dark tips to light. But what’s life without Leo? Will he — can he — answer that one crucial question she asks every morning to the rising sun? - Book blurb
It was around three years ago when I first bought Stargirl
In this sequel, Mr. Spinelli brings us into Stargirl’s world, making us see through her eyes, and making us realize that amidst all the “magic” she held in the previous book, she is still a human being, and more importantly, a girl who fell in love, was “dumped” and is trying to move on with her life without her love.
This book kind of reminds me of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written in the same way, only in a girl’s point of view and with less “serious” topics. Stargirl was introduced as a very unique individual in the first book, and Mr. Spinelli wrote it in a way that we can never know what makes her tick. We just know that she does what she does, and that’s it, like if she was explained, all magic would be lost. I admit that as I read the book, I also looked at Stargirl in wonder, also wondering how she could act that way in an environment that calls for conformity. The ending of the prequel left me wanting answers to who she really is.
Love, Stargirl
Stargirl is to someone to be loved. She’s a sweet person who “sheds light when she cries”. :) She’s one of the characters that will stay with you for a long time after reading the book.
I definitely recommend that one must read the prequel first before reading this one, just so you really get to feel and know Stargirl. :)
The holiday weekend is almost ending, and let me just say: this is probably the weekend I really went out a lot. Interesting. I’m really more of a homebody even if I’m trying hard to be a social butterfly. But I figured that it’s payday weekend and after this, I’d be saving up for the new laptop which I plan to buy at the end of the year (or sooner, God-willing), I’d better make the most out of this weekend.
The first order of the weekend started Thursday night, where my teammates and I trooped over to Marikina to eat dinner at this Dampa-like place at Riverbanks. None of us took pictures of the amount of food we all took in, but trust me, we were stuffed. The dinner consisted of sisig, liempo, stuffed grilled tilapia, stuffed squid, sinigang na maya maya, ensaladang mangga, talong and bagoong, baked clams with cheese, sizzling tuna and lots of rice. Yes siree, I broke whatever diet I’m trying to follow that night. :P But that doesn’t really matter, because the food was so good. And as a treat to our team leader who has been treating us countless times whenever we all eat out at Eastwood (we’re spoiled that way), we all chipped in so he won’t have to pay for his food. After all that stuffing, we headed to Figaro to hang out for a while over cold drinks and hot chocolate and spent the next hour laughing and talking about our first three months together. :) As Grace told me the next day, we spent more than three hours eating and laughing. Good times. Thank You Lord for these people. :)
I haven’t done this for the longest time, but since today is a Holiday Friday and a good one at that, it’s just right to do some “feasting”. So here we go, my seventh Friday’s Feast. :)
Appetizer
When was the last time you were surprised?
Um, this is tricky. I honestly can’t remember. Watching Resident Evil: Extinction was more of shocking than surprising, and I’m pretty sure the surprise here does not mean the “Boo!” kind. As for the birthday kind of surprise…um, two years ago, on my 19th birthday at the YFC tambayan. Simple surprise only. I was supposed to have a thesis defense but it didn’t push through, so I went to the tambayan and was about to go home but my friends kept on asking me to stay…then they started singing Happy Birthday. Sweet. :)
I am still waiting for the I-can’t-believe-you-went-through-all-this-surprise. *hint*
Soup
Fill in the blanks: My eyes are ________, but I wish they were __________.
My eyes are near-sighted, but I wish they were not. I used to think wearing glasses is really cool when I got them, but now I don’t. I wish I took care of my eyesight way back. I didn’t destroy my eyesight because of the computer; I destroyed it because of all the reading I did in poor lighting. Yep, I’d read beside a candle, read lying down, even read in the car in the dark. Ooops. Lesson learned: have proper lighting (seagull lighting looks nice…but is it bright enough?) when reading.
Oh well. I have really nice frames though. ;)
Salad
If you were a Beanie Baby, what would you look like and what would your name be?
I have only one Beanie Baby at home given to me during my 18th birthday. It’s a duck named Quackers. Why? Um…let’s not talk about it. Anyway, interestingly, I only found out about that it’s a Beanie Baby now. Hehe. So if I were a Beanie Baby…can I be a tiger? Or a cat? But I’d rather be a tiger. :) And I’d name myself Rawr. :P
Main Course
Name two things you consistently do that you consider to be healthy habits.
Ahh, the times I try to be healthy. Haha. First off, I drink water immediately after I wake up. I hear it’s healthy, and it’s supposed to reset my metabolism for the day so I get hungry and digest food properly. Another thing I’m trying my best to adopt is not to eat pork. My dad has swown off pork and beef already, but sometimes I still end up eating some (sisig! liempo!), but I try as much not to eat them anymore.
Dessert
What brand of toothpaste are you using these days? Do you like it? Why or why not?
Right now we’re using that Colgate Apple Mint flavor. It’s okay, but it’s too Close Up like for me. I used to like Close Up, but I started liking Colgate more because my mouth feels cleaner afterwards. What I really like is the classic Colgate and the three-stripes one. Gotta love that plain minty-fresh breath! :)
Grace and I met up with Happy earlier during lunch and as we were gabbing about MacBooks and whatnot, I suddenly realized…
It’s been one month since the Switchfoot concert in Manila.
Awww! This time last month, I was still screaming my heart out during the concert. I can’t believe it’s been a month but there’s still remnants of the entire experience. :) I still miss them all, and I never fail to smile whenever I hear their songs, and I just love reading news about their tour (thanks to LOBH and Switchfeed!) and Jon’s blog. Although I’ve stopped listening to their songs everyday (haha, still on Matt Wertz mode!), their songs still have a special place in my iPod and my heart.
And I absolutely can’t wait for the next episode of the podcast (as Gharri would say, binibitin tayo!). I’ve been constantly checking my RSS reader and my mailboxes in case Mr. Andy Barron finally posts the new podcast with Manila in it. Andy! When are you going to post it?
[Right, as if they're actually reading my blog. Hmmm.]
So to everyone who are involved in the Switchfoot concert last month — theStreet Team, the fans: HAPPY SWITCHMONTH TO ALL OF US! :)
And if ever one of the guys (Andy, Chris, Ryan, Jon, Tim, Jerome, Chad and Drew) ever drop by here even accidentally — Manila misses you! :)
Last work day of the week tomorrow! I’ve been so busy the past few days that it makes me wonder if I have enough time to finish everything. But it’s okay, I love my job anyway. :) Tomorrow I finish two pending requests (and more?) and then we have a team dinner at Marikina at night ‘coz it’s payday. Wohoo. And more stuff coming in this weekend, so I’ve got to keep my energies up. :)
Good night everyone. :D
I know I’m so late with this, but I only really got to listen to this song and to this artist now. Some friends already mentioned his songs on old Livejournal posts, but I think that was back when I was still on dial-up, so listening to MySpace music is not really that fun. Today I found some of his songs in a random Multiply and decided to try them. And I just have to say: I’m in love with Matt Wertz. ♥ Matt Wertz reminds me a bit of Tyrone Wells, Ryan Cabrera and Rockwell Ryan. His songs are mostly acoustic with a pop feel and his lyrics are very honest, speaking of love, love lost, breaking up and of a love that is greater than us. He makes me want to learn how to play the guitar. Hee. I’m still digesting his songs, but I’m loving it so far. Here’s the first song I got, which I really, really love at first listen (You keep distracting me with your beauty…what a first line!). :D Listen to it and fall in love too. ;)
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Red Meets Blue
Matt WertzYou keep distracting me with that beauty
Leaving me wanting more
Reminding me of my duty
To lock these eyes to yoursI’ve never known a love so true
I want to see all of you
When green meets red and red meets blue
I want to see all of youSunlight dances with the distance
In her squinty eyed shoes
And I’m chasing down horizon
In hopes of being danced with tooI’ve never known a love so true
I want to see all of you
When green meets red and red meets blue
I want to see all of youDaylight sings all that morning air brings
And I’m lost
I’m lost inside youAnd I’ve never known a love so true
And I want to see all of you, all of you, all of you
When green meets red and red meets blue
I want to see all of you, all of you, all of you
Other personal favorites: I’m Sorry Mary, Counting to 100, 5:19, The Day Forever Died, Somedays, Sweetness in Starlight, That for You, Lonely Tonight. :) Please make his albums available locally? Please? It shouldn’t be as hard as looking for coogi, right?
Two of his albums are available off Amazon. Argh, why must CDs be so expensive there? Pfft. Anyway, to those who can afford, get his album! You won’t regret it! :)
- Buy Today & Tomorrow
at Amazon
- Buy Twenty Three Places
at Amazon
- Buy Everything in Between
at Amazon [Review at Christian Music Today]
Hello good morning, how you do?
What makes your rising sun so new?
I could use a fresh beginning too
All of my regrets are nothing new…
- Learning to Breathe, Switchfoot
Ah yes, another Switchfoot reference. But don’t blame me for it, I really love this song even before I got to meet them in person, and besides that isn’t the point of this entry.
A couple of months ago, I posted something about me struggling with my prayer time. It’s been almost two months since I posted that, and I feel like a “status report” is just right this time…right? I know none of you are asking, but let me write about it for a while. :)
To be really honest, I thought after writing that entry, I would be on my way to perfect prayer-dom, as in back to how I used to pray in college and before I got my new job. Of course it wasn’t like that, at all. I continued to struggle, and I continued to miss my prayertime. Sometimes I didn’t even get to pray at all. Sometimes because I was busy, sometimes because I chose to be busy instead of setting aside time. I’m not proud of it, but that’s what’s happening. And sometimes I feel like I could never go back to where I was.
I figured that one reason why I don’t pray as much was because I didn’t wake up early…but waking up early is such a chore for me now because I am not really pressured to go to work early. I only go to work early because of my brother, and when I get there, I get occupied by work that I don’t have time to pray anymore. Then I figured, maybe I need a Bible at work. I’ve been meaning to get one and that should really motivate me to pray, right? So I got one. And I admit, this new Bible improved my dismal prayertime, and I actually found time to pray when I got to work. That’s good, right?
First off…
ANIMO LA SALLE!
I knew there was a reason why I wore a green shirt today! :) I feel bad for missing it though, I was at the grocery when I realized it was game time, and my friends just texted me the result. But still! Wohoo! I thought there would be game 3! I was happy about us being at the finals, but this is amazing. :D
Next up on my to-do list: watch a UAAP game where we actually become champions. Haha. I’ve never watched a championship game live. Well, okay I did, back when I was a frosh, when ADMU beat DLSU. :P The memories of those years. Hahaha. Let me watch a finals game where we win, please?
Congratulations, Green Archers! :) When’s the victory party?
And speaking of comebacks, it’s baaaack! What’s it? National Novel Writing Month! Yes, it’s the time to write your 50,000 word novel in 30 days from midnight of November 1 to 11:59pm of November 30. Sign ups have been open since last week, so if you haven’t signed up yet, go do it now! There’s a very warm and welcoming Filipino NaNoWriMo group, and we have our own forum here. Pretty soon we’ll be starting up a blog (or resurrecting the old blog that we have) where we will be sharing encouragements, tips, and plans for the Pinoywrimos meet up. If you’re up for the challenge, then sign up here!
As for my novel ideas…I’m blank. Okay, not exactly, I have some ideas like I mentioned before, but I need to formalize them and all. I think I will not do the Ibong Adarna remix because I don’t feel like it. I actually want to write something with minimal planning, just me writing and letting my characters lead me to where they want to go. I want to be more outrageous this time, more adventurous. I don’t want my main character to be like me for a change. And I want something like I did last year, where the basic idea is from Jacob’s story in the Bible. Hmmm. :-?
Some semi-mindless meme fun! :D Woooh! Ate Toni tagged me to share how my desktop looks like in this meme. I really liked hers, and I find it funny that she called me highly creative when my desktop is hardly creative at all. Just…fangirly. ;)
Anyway, here’s my desktop:
Yes, it’s almost been a month since that night, but the hype about them is not really that over. Or, I’m just too lazy to make my own wallpaper again (but that’s mostly because I can’t run Photoshop here without closing other applications so it won’t make me cry because of it’s slowness ^^; ). Anyway, I found this wallpaper from their Nothing is Sound download page (it’s hidden from their website; I’ll put up the link when I find it again :D). I love how this one looks, because it looks so candid, so relaxed. I love how Jon smiles as he strums his guitar, how Tim looks up to Chad and Drew, as if they just came out to jam with them and how Jerome…wait, Jerome is the only one who looks like he’s posing for a photo. Interestingly, if you look at Drew’s hand, it looks kind of blurred, so maybe it is candid? Sort of.
As for the icon placement…I’m very OC about my desktop and I hate icons cluttering it…this one is still kind of messy for my taste, with the RAR and torrent files on it. I’m just too lazy to organize them just yet. ^^;
Okay after all that blabbing…I must now tag five people. Hmmm. I tag JM, Riz, Fruityoaty, Jun and Joni. :D Instructions (and lots of links) under the cut. :D
Rating:
Click here to buy Blue Like Jazz from Amazon.com
For anyone wondering if the Christian faith is still relevant in a post-modern culture,
For anyone thirsting for a genuine encounter with a God who is real,
For anyone yearning for a renewed sense of passion in life…
Blue Like Jazz
“I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself…I used to not like God because God didn’t resolve. But that was before any of this happened.
I’ve heard of Blue Like Jazz
One of the things I really love about Donald Miller is how his books doesn’t feel like books; it feels like you’re listening to a story of a friend. Blue Like Jazz
The book obviously makes one think, but not in a guilty way but in a way that he makes you realize that the things we think are so difficult to understand are actually quite easy. Did I make sense there? Ultimately, the book also made me feel like Jesus not only loved me, but He genuinely liked me too. :)
It’s a good book. It’s not too heavy, but not too light and fluffy to be dismissed. :) If you’re not much into church or Christianity but want to discover a bit more, then I’d recommend this book for you. :)
Some of my favorite lines in the book:
