Category Archives: Greetings

Birthdays, honorings and whatnot.

Dear Diary, Greetings

Bords!

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Happy Anniversary!

So…it’s been another year. :) Today, I celebrate my first year in my current company. That’s us, around September, during our photo shoot for the newsletter of our account. And no, that’s not what was shown in the newsletter, but it’s one of our wacky poses, which just goes to show how wacky we really are in real life.

Our team has gone through a lot for the past year. From the orientation, to trainings, to successful transition, to having difficult and hard to understand clients. There’s also when we were tapped for projects outside of our process that we can work on — video editing, posters, full color printing, etc. There were the awards that the team got that shocked everyone, that put us in a new status within the company, sort of. There was our almost monthly dinner every after payday, the videoke nights, the free dinners care of our team lead. There were also the sad times, where we shared in the loss of a teammate’s family, where we prayed for a teammate’s health when she was hospitalized. And there was also the struggles within the team — the misunderstandings, the unmet expectations and lack of professionalism. And then there’s the goodbyes of two teammates, and changes happening inside and outside the team that we all try to adjust to as much as we can.

That’s our team. We’re not perfect, and there were times I really want to strangle all of them because of me being the only girl left…but it’s also like family. We are friends as well as teammates, and it’s always a pleasure to be working with these guys (and hopefully another girl whoever the new hire is).

So…here’s to a year with these crazy guys. :D Happy anniversary! Best team na ‘to!

And as for me? How was my past year in the company been so far? :) It’s been one heck of a ride, and it’s far from over. :) Even if things aren’t as good as it seems to be with all the changes happening, I think I’m going to be in here for the long run. :D Great adventure!

Thank You Lord. :)

Greetings, Say Cheese!

I'm proud to say you're mine ♥

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Happy Mother's Day!

I remember it so well: it was the day of m first thesis proposal defense. I haven’t been home for a few days and I was so scared and nervous. Then you text me, wishing me luck for the defense. I texted back, telling you to pray because I was scared…and you called me and talked me out of my fears. We failed that afternoon, but when I called you, you gave nothing but loving and assuring words, telling me everything’s going to be alright.

There was a time when I came home from school, and I sensed tension in the air. Turns out you accidentally chanced upon my journal, and saw some of the things I’ve been hiding. I told you everything, and I was afraid you’d get angry…but we ended up bonding. :)

I was having blisters all over my body — my fever was bad and the skin problem I had was getting worse. You brought me to the dermatologist and got me medicine to drink and cream to put all over my blisters. Even if I was in college already and I can manage pretty well, you helped me put the meds just so everything’s covered. :)

I was tired with schoolwork and thesis. You accompanied me as I got our thesis ringbound, and while I was waiting for it, you disappeared into the grocery. A little while later, you were back, carrying a bag of groceries for me to take to the dorm for the week with all the stuff you know I like, and an additional bag of M&M’s chocolate. :)

We weren’t always good to each other — in fact, I think I answered back to you too many times as I was growing up. But I know that despite all that, you were, are and always will be there for me. I know that even if we don’t really like and understand the same things, I’ll always be able to count on you to storm the heavens for me. You’ve taught me to pray, to value my faith and to believe in God’s faithfulness. You don’t have to apologize for not being the perfect mom, because to me, you ARE perfect. :) Flaws and all. :D

Without you, our family wouldn’t have been the same, our home wouldn’t have been the same. I wouldn’t be who I am, I wouldn’t be where I am. Thank you. :)

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama! I love you! ♥

And before I forget…Happy Mother’s Day, Mama Mary. :) Thank you for always praying for us. :)

And finally: Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Entertaining Angels, Greetings

Celebrate the Day

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In connection to yesterday’s post…here’s another song that I shall leave you guys with as Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day. :) Much thanks to Gab for recommending this song (as I have it in Triskal for the longest time but never really took the time to listen to it)! :)

[audio:i-celebrate-the-day.mp3]

I Celebrate the Day
Relient K

With this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know
How much You’ve touched my life because
Here is where You’re finding me
In the exact same place as New Year’s Eve
And from the lack of my persistency
We’re less than half as close as I wanna be

And the first time that You opened Your eyes
Did you realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did you know that it would change this world forever
And the first time that You opened your eyes
Did you realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I’ll compare
The things I’ve felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me
And the hope that
That You give
That You were born so I might really live
To look back
And think that
This baby would one day save me…

And I
I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day
Pray for You to save my life
Pray for You to save my life
Pray for You to save my life

Happy birthday, dear Jesus! ♥ Merry Christmas to everyone! Have a blessed time with your loved ones. :)

Dear Diary, Greetings

Comebacks: Green Archers and NaNoWriMo

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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. :-?

Greetings

Mama ♥

I’d post a picture here later; Ginger ((my laptop :P)) is running out of batteries and the outlet is far away from where the phone line is. But anyway. This song is old school, but it’s never out of date, especially now. :D Mama, this is for you. :)

MAMA
Spice Girls

She used to be my only enemy and never let me be free,
Catching me in places that I knew I shouldn’t be,
Every other day I crossed the line,
I didn’t mean to be so bad,
I never thought you would
become the friend I never had.

Back then I didn’t know why,
why you were misunderstood,
So now I see through your eyes,
all that you did was love,

Mama I love you, Mama I care,
Mama I love you, Mama my friend,
You’re my friend

I didn’t want to hear it then but
I’m not ashamed to say it now,
Every little thing you said and did was right for me,
I had a lot of time to think about,
about the way I used to be,
Never had a sense of my responsibility.

Back then I didn’t know why,
why you were misunderstood,
So now I see through your eyes,
all that you did was love,

Mama I love you, Mama I care,
Mama I love you, Mama my friend,
You’re my friend ,You’re my friend

But now I’m sure I know why,
why you were misunderstood,
So now I see through your eyes,
all I can give you is love,

Mama I love you, Mama I care,
Mama I love you, Mama my friend,
You’re my friend
Your’re my friend

I’m loving you, you loving me
our love thats true and guaranteed.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mama! I love you! ♥ Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there too. =)

Greetings

Soul Sisters ♥

Happy Birthday, Bea!

Now where should I start? You’re one of the reasons why I am where I am right now, and why I am who I am. I wouldn’t be back in the community if it weren’t for you (and Myka) always asking where I was, “bugging” me to go to the tambayan. I knew there was a reason why I went to the discovery camp back in 2004 (and Engel saying I was her simple joy) was because I’d meet you.

I’ve only known you for two and a half years, but I feel like we’ve known each other all our lives. I love how you understand me and my quirks, how we always seem to understand each other, how comfortable we are about talking about God. I love how assured you are of God’s love, how dedicated and passionate you are of GK. Most especially I love how you never judge a person, but you love them just the same. Actually, there’s so much I love about you, and that’s why you’re my best friend — too many reasons to write. ;)

On this special day of yours (which I missed by 4 minutes last night!), I pray that God will bring you to places where you could shine even brighter than you do before. I pray that God will continue to make your heart bigger so as to accommodate even more people inside. I pray that He takes care of you and your mom and everyone else you love. I pray that despite all the trials you have experienced and will experience in your twenty-first year, you will still continue to smile and laugh and make other people smile and laugh, because the world wouldn’t be the same without that Beaboo cheer. I pray that you touch more lives, that they may see through you (just as I have) that God is a good and loving God. I pray that our friendship will last longer, grow stronger, until we are all old and have our grandchildren playing with each other in your big flower garden, where we will all spend our afternoons with our GG’s and closest friends. And finally, I pray that on your twenty-first year, you’ll grow into the woman that God has made and is making you to be. :) Actually there’s so much more I pray for you, but it won’t fit. :P

Bea, Beaboo, Bei, Liberty, Billie, Boo, Pink 5, Awesome Chick, Princess…so many names, all the same great woman. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARIE BEATRICE LIBERTY O. CORTEZ! :) You don’t have to be demure for people to love you; we love you just the way you are, Princess Chick. :D Sister to sister, yours in life and death. I love ya, soul sister. ♥

Greetings

Anak and Inang

Happy Birthday, Gigie!

I was there at your camp, but being the antisocial girl I am, I only stuck to the people I knew. I remember you thought I was your classmate in one of your Eco class. :P I disappeared from YFC after, but then I got back, but I never knew how to talk to you. To be honest I was kind of afraid because I didn’t know how to approach you and such.

And then God put you in my household. Now that’s divine intervention. :) I was nervous, but I set it aside because I know I had a resposibility towards you. No matter how much you annoyed my partner, I wanted to get to know you. And I’m really, really glad I did. You’re one of the people who made my last year in college worth it. True to your birthday, you’re one of the most loving people I know. Words cannot express how much you made my year brighter — be it your diligence in attending households to the way you call me “Inang”…and to the way you have grown in Christ, which I am privileged enough to have seen. :)

You’re one of my dearest friend and sister, and I hope we’d get to be that way for a long, long time. :D HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR ANAK GIGIE! :) Thank you so much for everything. I’ll see you on Saturday, okay! Music and Lyrics! I love you! ♥

Greetings

The Ultimate Birthday

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Your birthday is the most popular in the whole world because everyone celebrates it. And I mean everyone. Even the ones in the remotest areas know that this day is special, I bet. Your birthday is also the inspiration of a lot of novels, movies and TV specials; in fact, everyone feels special on Your birthday, as if it was theirs too. Everyone gives everyone else gifts, and every family prepares a HUGE dinner at the Eve of Your birthday — it’s like one big birthday party all over the world.

It’s sad to think, though, that most people forget that it is Your birthday on Your birthday, that they forget to greet You. Everyone’s happy, but more often than not, people forget about You, the celebrant. People forget the reason why they celebrate with all these gifts and food; people forget the night where Your mom and earthly dad wandered around your hometown and end up in a stable where You were born, when You deserve to be born in a palace.

So this year, I pray that everyone remembers You this time. That in the midst of the gift-giving, Christmas wreaths, the eating and the festivities, people would pause even for just a minute and remember that it’s Your birthday and if it weren’t for Your coming into the world, we wouldn’t be where and who we are right now. :) I know You know this already, but just so You know (again), we’re having cake tonight for You. :)

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR JESUS. ♥ ♥ ♥ I can’t wait to see You smile this big when we are all together and celebrate Your birthday up there with You. :) I love You! ♥ ♥ ♥

About that time, Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounte for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

There were shepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

“Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.”

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They had told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

– Luke 2:1-20 (The Message)

Merry Christmas, everyone! May we all remember the reason for the season. :) God bless!

Greetings

A very HAPPY birthday

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Happy Birthday, Happy!

I really didn’t get to know you on the first night we met each other, on the night we first attended the GenRev night at ECR. I got to know your name during the LSPO prayer meeting, where only you and Kina got attended it in behalf of GenRev. Then we attended another night, and that was when we all got to talk to each other.

We didn’t really talk until one day at the tambayan. I think you ended up being there because you have a long break and I just happened to be there too…and that was when we talked. Talked and talked and talked and talked about so many things — school, life, our communities, God. In High School Musical words, it was the start of something new. It was the start of your being an official YFC GenRev tambay, and the start of our friendship. :)

Your name definitely lives up to how you make the people around you feel. Seeing you in school always makes me smile because I know that if we ever stop where we are standing and talk, we’d talk soooo much that we won’t ever stop. Haha. Plus you complete the Gilmore foursome — if it weren’t for you being a member of GenRev, I would not have been able to taste the goodness that is Happy Veggie Village. If it weren’t for you, there would be no Happy’s Veggie Girls. :D

We don’t get to see each other as often now, but I’m glad for the times we get to text/talk/see each other. Haha. Soon we’ll be able to see each other a lot more…well, depending on where God brings us in the future, but I’m pretty sure He won’t forget the friendship He had grown in us. :) I’m really glad that I found a sister in you, and like I what I told you through text: hanggang sa pagtanda na ‘to. :P Happy’s Veggie Girls Forever! ;) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY! =) I am and will always be here for you. May you have a blessed year ahead, and may you be a woman after God’s own heart. :) See you soon dear. ♥