Tag Archives: Jars of Clay

Entertaining Angels, Randomnities

On Artists and Outrageous Concert Prices

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Ack, my lips are so itchy. I’m praying these are just windburned lips and not some kind of lip allergy from using a more than six months old lip shine. Eep. I’ve been dousing it with petroleum jelly for the entire day and it gets itchier after I eat since it becomes dry, and it’s so annoying. :/

I accomplished some things for one of my goals for 2008 for this month, which I will post about in an update soon. It’s got me a couple of thousand bucks poorer though, but I’d like to believe that’s an investment. Besides, I badly need them. :D Heh. In the next week I’d be accomplishing some other goals too, which means more late time going home from work because of lots of meetings. I’m kind of nervous about tomorrow’s meeting, though, since it’s my first time to hea one, and I’m not yet entirely sure if I understood everything. I’m not regretting being placed in this position though; I’m just nervous. Pray for me, please? :) After that, I shall prepare for my first ever presentation during our general assembly on Friday. Eep. :o Which reminds me, I planned to work on one document I should be emailing by tomorrow today, but then…there’s such a thing as work-life balance, so let’s make use of that. I’d have time tomorrow. :)

Speaking of work-life balance, I just heard from some friends that Maroon 5 concert tickets for their March 5 show in Araneta Coliseum are already available via TicketNet…and check out these prices:

Patron VIP (101, 103, 1st 20 rows) (Reserved Seating) – PhP 10500
Patron (Reserved Seating) – PhP 7875
Lower Box (Reserved Seating) – PhP 5250
Upper Box A (Reserved Seating) – PhP 3938
Upper Box B (Free Seating) – PhP 2625
Gen. Admission (Free Seating) – PhP 1575

Look. At. Those. Prices. More than a thousand bucks for General Admission?! My gosh. What can you see from GenAd anyway? And ten thousand for one ticket? What if you’re on the 20th row already, is that still worth P10,500? OUTRAGEOUS. That’s even more expensive than assisted living software (I think)!

Then again…I remember Josh Groban front seat tickets are P25,000 each…so this looks small compared to that. BUT STILL! The most expensive ticket I ever bought was for the Jars of Clay concert three years ago…and that’s really close. Switchfoot’s highest priced ticket is even cheaper than Maroon 5’s General Admission. :-o

Yes, they are big artists…but the tickets are just…whoa. I was planning to watch, but my wallet is seriously disagreeing with me; and if I do decide to watch, I could say goodbye to Sydney.

And now this makes me wonder who else will be going here this year. I haven’t heard any news from our bosing during the Switchfoot concert, since I guess she’s busy…so no news yet of who will be coming here that we’ll be able to help organize. Switchfoot is coming to the Pacific, but not passing by Philippines so I am totally envious of Gharri who will be in Malaysia at the same time they are. :P Here’s my current artist “wishlist” though:

  • Brooke Fraser (I heard she visited the Philippines early last year, but not to perform but as a part of some movement…I’m not sure if it’s World Vision).
  • Dave Barnes (Dream on, Tina :D).
  • Matt Wertz (Bring him with Dave!)
  • Jars of Clay (I still dream of being able to hug and have a picture with Dan Haseltine).
  • Switchfoot (Once is definitely not enough).
  • Anberlin
  • Mae
  • Bethany Dillon (Her show does not have to be in a big venue…a small venue would definitely be better :D)
  • Lifehouse
  • Relient K (Appetite for Construction tour here too? Please? :D)
  • Nichole Nordeman (She could do a show with Bethany? Hee.)
  • TobyMac

Ah. I could list so much more…but I’ll stop here. :D Now I have to finish watchig this Ugly Betty episode and finish the book I’ve been meaning to finish since last yesterday. Have a great week everyone. :)

In His Steps

A Christmas Tale

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A year ago, my friend Chris sent me a Christmas email with a challenge, and we had a pretty interesting conversation about it. Then I told him I’d blog about it that year, but I never did, so here’s the one year overdue entry about what we talked about.

Interestingly, when we talk about the Christmas story, it usually ends with Jesus lying down on the manger, with the shepherds visiting him and then followed by the three wise men. After that, the Christmas story is “finished”, and we hardly even talk about why He came. What’s the real reason why He was born that night, to those parents, on that place? Why the angels sang and why the shepherds came and why the three wise men came to visit and bring him gifts. Yes, sure, they did all that because Jesus is God’s son, but again, why did Jesus come down here in the first place?

The answers to those questions do not really come until the Lenten season, where the real reason of God becoming man becomes clear (supposedly). It’s nice to remember those things during Easter, yes, and I remember saying that Easter is where the juicier story really is. Because that’s where the entire salvation history is shown, where God’s forgiveness can be really seen, and His power is demonstrated in its fullness.

Then I remember my usual greeting every Christmas: may we always remember the reason for the season. Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season, but why? What is so special about it, besides Him being the son of God? What is the real reason, anyway?

Chris’ email challenged me to remember that the story of Christmas does not end where we always end the story during Christmas. In fact, the Christmas story is just the start. Christmas is where God’s sacrifice started, by His sending His only son to a world laden with sin, to save the people who barely acknowledge Him. Unlike other people who are born to this earth to live, Jesus was born to die. For you. For me. For us.

Christmas is the start of His journey to save us, Jesus’ journey to the Cross. This where God gave us a concrete and human sign of His love. That is where the Christmas season gets its beauty, its magic.

This Christmas, let us remember and keep in our hearts the REAL reason for the season. :)

I leave you with a song that I finally made sense of during the email exchange with my friend. :) Enjoy and have a blessed Christmas Eve. :)

Continue reading A Christmas Tale →