Yep, Yep, Yep!

I'm back. I'll be trying to explain this sudden interruption of my 30 day blog challenge. And hopefully I'll be able to share some lesson and God moments here and there. So, I've already skipped blogging for more than a week. First, it was because the unavailability of internet and then laziness started to take its toll. So now I'm trying to think and see if I'll do it all over again or just blog whenever I feel like it. So here's a reflection that just dawned upon me just now, like a smack on my face. We are just lucky that God doesn't just do a 30 day of blessing, loving, molding, and watching over us but for a lifetime. And as much as this 30 day,supposedly, was a challenge and a struggle for me, His lifetime package of abundance isn't. And the best part is, there's no unavailability of blessings that would cause Him to stop filling us up with needed strength and inspiration to last us for a day, a week, a year and even for an eternity. And we would be doomed if laziness starts to take its toll on Him. That would mean havoc and total chaos. And the best part is, He doesn't love us only when He feels like it, but has decided to love us for the rest of eternity. Bigtime. So would like to end this reflection with my God Whispers that made my day and has definitely reprogrammed my mind that this week is gonna be a blessed and love-filled one. 

Love the choice of words. So me. with the yep, yep, yep! Wootwoot! Nothing beats the love of God! I will indeed get all the gusto I can and live life full of purpose and passion. One day at a time. And at the end of the race, I look forward to hear God say, "You did it Maymay! Yep, Yep, Yep! Now I welcome you to the coolest paradise there is, HEAVEN."

DAY 9: Be Grateful.

Had this conversation with a friend yesterday,

Me: May lagi gyud wala na lang ko nipalit og Starbucks. (I shouldn't have bought Starbucks.)

Friend: Ayaw na. No regrets. Nag-enjoy man kaha ka? (Don't. No regrets. As long as you enjoyed it.)

Me: O. Lami man ang caramel. (Absolutely. Love the caramel!)

Thought bubble: I'm not much of a translator. Even from Bisaya to English.

So there. Lesson learned. We had this conversation cause after I bought coffee, I realized I don't have any money left in my wallet in that afternoon and to think there's dinner to spend pa. I wasn't even praying for a free dinner yet God still sent me free dinner. Thank you Lord for surrounding me with abundantly generous people. He never fails to surprise and His generosity can never be outdone. The lesson there, learn to count your blessings, be grateful. Focus on the blessings and you'll never ran out of things to be thankful for. I remember having this almost same conversation with my bestfriend through chat... since she's miles away from me.

Me: Bestfriend!!! How is u? Kahibaw ka, nakapurchase bitaw ko og starbucks tungod og meeting. twice na. feeling gyud nako nakasala ko kay mahal rba. hahaBestfriend: ahaha! char na kaayo ka hap. meeting2 nakag starbucks. Karelate ko ana, mura kag maguilty kay mahal pero ayaw lang na tagda bestfriend ahaha! The Lord has always given us enough. We should live out our gratitude by being always thankful for the big and small things. ehehe, naa sad bitaw panahon na wa tay lami na kan-om...ahaha, pero thankful japon ta. :D

no translations na. so, so long conversation. hehe. Go figure!

The point, I deserve God's blessings and what I have right now. There are just those times that I feel guilty over something just because I think I don't deserve such blessing. Big letter "I" think. But that's not what the way God thinks. God knows that each one of us deserve His love, mercy, generosity and blessings and it is up to us to open ourselves to His extravagant love. We can never fathom God's wisdom and what we can do is have a grateful heart. Count our blessings, stay happy and grateful, open our hearts for the tons of blessings coming our way, and share His love.

DAY 8: Today is I LOVE YOU day!

Heard from Disney Channel a few hours ago that today is I LOVE YOU day! That day does exist after all. But for me, everyday should be I LOVE YOU day. Makes me want to call home...later. My papa never fails to include these three words when he sends a text. My papa is a man of a few words (but when he's in his happy and exciting mood, all he does is talk about GK and the environment and he goes teasing mama and all) so his texts such as this really means a lot. And that gets to rub off on me, mama and my younger brother. I carried that over and my best friends are mushy people too so I get I love you's a lot. My "macho" younger brother's sudden mushiness is truly a surprise. I got his ever first text message that ended with an I love you a few months before. I was shocked and excited and can't stop teasing him about it. I really kept that one (and as I was looking through my phone after I wrote this sentence, some of the text messages that I kept are gone...hmmmm) The day before I left for Manila, we had this normal fight between brothers and sisters. He went home a few hours after I reached home and he handed me flowers. Red roses bouquet. First flowers I received. Ever. So that means a lot. I was melting inside, like aaaaaawwwwwww. And I couldn't imagine that we were mortal enemies as early as 3 years old to around early high school days chasing and wrestling each other when we feel like, you know, arguing and fighting. So that's a big leap and a big change in him. How about you? Have you said I love you to the most important people you love? A kiss and a hug means a lot. As they say, action speaks louder than words. Have you thank and receive a hug and a kiss from the greatest Lover of all time? Have you set a date with Him yet? I have this feeling that when we tend to forget to spend time with Him, even for just a few minutes in a day, He goes planning something out to catch your attention. A sunrise or a sunset, an unexpected surprise, a concern that will make you seek Him, a blessing that will make you thank Him. And you know how much He really, really loves you? More than all the love in the world put together, higher than the highest part of the skies and deeper than the deepest depths of the sea, more than we can ever imagine. He love you that much that He sent His only Son to save you and me. This much.

DAY 7: Stars

“Indescribable, Uncontainable, You make the STARS in the sky and you know them by name, you are amazing GOD.”

Who would look up the stars and wouldn’t believe in God’s magnificence. His love for intricacies, and His unfathomable wisdom in details. I love stars, and up till now, I am still awed whenever I see these shining, glimmering heavenly bodies. (I just miss these tiny stuffs since I don’t get to see them here in Manila, except the shining yet not glimmering light from the posts in the busy streets). That song up there has been playing in my head for hours. LSS, thanks to a friend. (hi Ate Marj…J) Excited for the concert. Yaaay! And I remember, I have this fascination about stars from the songs to photos and stuffs and even thought of having a star collection. Virtually will be healthier, budget-wise. I remember that whenever we get to go out at night and see the stars (star-gazing bonding is a must), me and my sister will go looking for Orion’s belt and Big Dipper. And only that, since we’re not familiar with other star constellations. I have even included in my bucket list to wish on a shooting star since I haven’t seen one yet.  hopefully in my lifetime, I will. Reminded me of one of my favorite Kids for Christ (KFC) song, “Superhero”, where one line goes, “He’s the one who hangs the STARS, one by one”. And another praise song entitled “Praiseworthy” with a line that goes, “Im forever thankful for the stars in the night. How they sparkle and light up the night skies. All of these is beauty oh how profound. All of this power.. all of this Love.” Stars indeed make you worship its Maker, and above all, we should be STAR struck to its Creator. Like the stars, our Maker would want us what stars do best, SHINE. Shine amidst the stubborn darkness that surrounds us to glorify the Author of Life. Shine to give light to those who live in the night of despair. Stand up, stand out and stand firm. For it is in giving the best of who you are are you able to bring out the best and greatness in others. Let me leave with you my favorite movie quote of all-time from the movie Coach Carter. 

” Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. “

DAY 6: Simple Joys.

To be able to have a good night sleep after a long and inspiring day. Rest is indeed a gift that should never be taken for granted. The joy of being able to wake up to a new day of another week. Another week to inspire and be inspired. The joy of waking up beside someone (not what you think it is…haha. =P) I’ll never wake up alone as long as my roommates are here. The joy of being able to commute to and from work and say the words “bayad po” and “para”. That reminds me that I am an inch closer to master my “tagalong” linguahe. J An inch. *insert nod here*. The joy of being able to arrive at the office early and safe for my roommates’ have their weekly Monday meetings. Busy people, taking care of GK’s partnerships, of our generous partners, and finding more partners who’re willing to join in nation-building and in this crazy and thrilling  ride towards Vision 2024 (uplifting 5 million Filipino families from poverty). The joy of sipping my hot “tablea” drink and onion-flavored crackers straight from Cebu, and personally funded by the Balatayo family. Thanks Ma! The joy of arriving in an eventful office filled with the hustle and bustle of ever passionate and enthusiastic GK people. I will forever be amazed of these people’s energy and zest for life. The joy of sharing a story or two after the weekend, lunch or even dinner together, and the ultimate joy of being able to laugh til your tummy hurts and tears start to well in your eyes. Despite the weight of their work that the whole country, or when the right time comes, the world, that is waiting upon, it never is a burden since everyone is up for sharing the load. Passion indeed fuels force and vigor. Joyful people who never fails to enjoy the simple joys along the journey, knowing when to stop and rest, and to give their all and their best especially to the least. Its simple joys such as these that gives life more meaning. It’s simple joys such as these that makes life worth-living. Take time and take in these simple joys. Get carried away in the pleasure of enjoying the simplicity that life brings and you’ll never ran out of reasons to smile and blessings to be grateful for.

DAY 5: Inspiration.

*accidentally deleted Day 4: Senseless Blah. Hay. 

I thought of writing an article for today’s activity when the sun was at its highest peak today, amidst the cheerful chatters of the sporty-clad SIGAs behind me, and the excitement around me brought about by the partial announcement of winners, but decided against it. Too early. And I was on the bleachers of other side of the main stage area, assigned for re-announcing the sectors that’ll be playing a certain sport. So there I was, left to watch all that is happening around me, happy, filled with enthusiasm, and who would’ve have thought that these youth come from less fortunate families than I am. Honestly, they look more “sosyal” than I am. Seriously. Their smiles and laughters, contagious. Their stories, extraordinary and inspiring. I even thought I was in a YFC-ILC Conference and I would have to remind myself that it was a SIGA Olympics. You wouldn’t know the difference, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We started the event with an opening worship and they do praise like there’s no tomorrow. And they would best know how to be grateful since some of these youth really did experience the hardest of times. On the streets, out of school, drugs, vices, you name it, they’ve had it. And because GK has started and never stopped dreaming for the poor, these youth will have a brighter future and we will get to see a better Philippines. I even met a new friend, Nancy from GK Arkong Bato. She’ll be an incoming freshman at De La Salle University and will be taking up Early Childhood Education. Kudos to La Salle for giving a great privilege such as this. Nancy is one of the less than a hundred SIGA scholars that are studying in La Salle. Indeed, the best for the least. And she shares, that one day, she wants to give back and work fulltime for GK too. When God’s hand is at work, anything and everything is possible. A dose of inspiration here, a little of imagination there and loads of faith, hope and love, life-changing circumstances does occur. Marikina Sports Complex showcased a glimpse of heaven that day, filled with games, sports events, fun, faith, freedom, friendship, and of course free food for us service teams. As much as I want to be God’s messenger of love and inspiration that day, I was the one moved, inspired, and blessed. An affirmation that indeed GK is God’s work and I wouldn’t mind dedicating every second of my life, shedding a tear or two, offering every drop of my blood (yes, GK is padugo), and wasting my life in living the GK way. Cause with heartaches and heartbreaks comes God’s great promise of eternity and a better tomorrow for these youth and more youth and their families that GK will continue to nurture and love. And I know it will be so much worth the fight til the end. So much worth it.

DAY 3: Abundance.

This day turned out to be abundant with great food and great friends. And this day is just like any other day in my existence. And I thought this experience of taking the risk of living away from my family and going beyond my comfort zone right after college will be a time of scarcity. Especially with the food part. But God's timing is always right. Never fails. He sends the right people to make my stay here easier than what I've imagined it to be. Yes, I do have that weird gift of predicting the future based on my own perception of what the bad days ahead would be. I'm sometimes trying to scare myself no matter how God tries to make His presence and providence be very visible. I sometimes wonder why are we like that? We try to make someone prove their worth and what's sad is even if they already did everything they could, we chose to turns our backs and not accept their worth. But good thing God doesn't give up on us no matter how stubborn and brats we are. And He never will. So let's learn to open ourselves to the avalanche of blessings around us. Thank the people who've been God's instrument of providence and love. 

Got to go, I've got a FREE dinner to catch with great friends. what can i say, God's spoiling me that much.  

DAY 2: God Whispers.

A whisper is something uttered softly. To keep something private and to keep that someone close. A sharing of secrets, imparting words of comfort and even of love. And wouldn't you be enthused when you get to share hushed and intimate messages of love with the greatest Lover of all time.

God Whispers. This is sent to you via email when you subscribe to GodWhispers Club. You get to receive God’s personal and intimate message for you at least twice a week. It will sure to inspire and make your day. Below is my first ever God whispers:

Dear Maymay,

If only you see what I see in you.  Then you'll realize how great I am—and how great you are.

Your Infinite Source of Blessings,
God

P.S. I'll give you a hint.  Maymay, you're more magnificent than quadrillion suns put together.  (And I know suns.  I made every single one of them.)

Who wouldn’t be inspired and brought into tears when you get to read this? I always look forward to the arrival of this motivating love letters from my Maker. My outlook for the rest of the day stays positive and loving. Reminds me to grow and stay grounded in God’s love and faithfulness. Especially when my day turns out not so right, reading these messages never fail to bring me back on my feet again. And I admit, it really is addicting.

My recent God Whispers:

Dear Maymay,

This is your mission.  To become what you were born to be.  You were born to bless and heal and love in a very specific, fantastic way.  I don't know about you, but it's really incredibly exciting just making it all come to pass.

Live with passion,
God

P.S. Your destiny is waiting for you, Maymay.  You'll love it.

This had me all goosebump-y. An affirmation of the work that I believe I am called to do. Another everyday glimpse of God's immeasurable wisdom and extravagant love for us. Sometimes, we just need to shut down the clatter and the rowdy stuffs of our everyday so we’ll get to listen to our heart speak. God’s plans for us are rooted in the deepest desires of our heart. And  I do believe that when you finally discover the purpose of your existence, you'll be happy, excited, passionate and be able to conquer every fear and every obstacle that comes your way.

This idea of Bo Sanchez of God Whispers is just superb!

DAY 1: Written.

day 1. whopee! i am having a hard time of thinking of something to start off this write- up. so here it goes...

I remember a few years back, I kept a diary, hidden under my unruly stash of clothes, where I write all my thoughts and activities for the day. Elementary and early high school days. Sometimes, I go into details especially when the day turns well or extremely disappointing and bad. At other times, I write in full or sometimes only half of the page. But the thing there is, I actually get to write almost everyday. I love to write letters and have loads of them from friends. Good thing my best friends love to give and write long letters too. That means an addition to my stack. A manually written letter means a gift of time and effort and that equates to love. At present, as much as i want to put aside my inspirations to write cause I get too lazy or too preoccupied to do some other more important things, it will always come back haunting me. I often find myself having conversations within my mind. Talking to oneself is common and may still be weird in public but having a battle of conversation going through one's head is not an everyday scenario (i'm really weird...haha). I find it ironic that when you start to think what you're going to write, you'll have a hard time processing what you want to write but when you allow yourself to follow the rhythm and write whatever comes to your mind, you actually get to write more sense-ful stuffs. The best thing is that you'll get to astonish and surprise yourself of how good that write-up turned out to be. And I actually love to read blogs and write-ups. So I find myself comparing to other writers and bloggers, which makes me not see myself as a "real" writer. Too much analyzation is going on when I start comparing thus I end up not writing at all. But I'll put an end to that. From now on, i'll stop comparing and start writing. well, that's what the next 30 days will be about. finding and rediscovering the passion within. and if this is where God is planting me, I know this is where He wants me to grow.  If it's His will, then let it be. after all, it will always be about Him and no one else.

Thoughts of a Nation- Builder

Thoughts of a nation-builder. I was thinking of creating a new blog site for my thoughts as I continue my journey as a nation-builder and a full-time missionary. Got all inspired and excited to write when Kuya Kirby shared his stories about blogging and after reading through his song compositions and write-ups. I was thinking of that before whenever I see myself working fulltime for GK. That every life- changing and heart melting story of every volunteer, kapitbahayan and partner ought to be shared and passed on. Just realized now that because I ultimately want to share, as much as possible, every inspiring GK story to everyone i meet and come across, I am where I am now, the marketing team of GK. God's amazing coincidences. And though I am an office girl, (which I don't really see myself be, because I was envisioning myself before to be travelling a lot and doing the work on the grounds. but it's okay, i'm still loving it anyways since i know in one way or another, I am contributing to GK's vision of a slum-free Philippines :) I know I'll still find a lot of inspiring stories to share since I'll have my weekends, hopefully, to be involved in GK activities on the ground. I'll give myself 30 days to write daily of anything and everything under the sun, and if i get through the 30 days , i'll think about creating a new one. I need to have the discipline to write and not just to write whenever I am inspired or feel like doing it and ignite my passion to write and tell stories through writing (since i'm not really good at expressing myself verbally). I recently read a book which i forgot what the title was, that you need not write when inspired, first you can write with your mind, the heart sure will follow.

so hopefully i'll get through the 30 days. *fingers crossed*

Food Trip!

its my 17th day in the capital city of the Philippines. i'm learning a lot and trying a lot of new and different stuffs and that includes fooooooood! and God knows that i'm on a strict diet when it comes to my budget, so he sends the right people to bless me with good company, inspiring stories and good food. so brace yourself for i will go all out on sharing with you my food trips for the last 17 days. they may not be new to you, but they are to me. not all food chains are present in Cebu and Manila never seems to ran out of restos to choose from. way back home, i am totally faithful to my mama's recipes, plus the fact that we choose to get away with eating from restos because, well, we have mama and the budget for one resto would be our family's for a week. but my love for Jollibee and Hukad and my mama's varying recipes will be forever. (and yup, i've written them all down in my planner so as not to forget...haha.)

so here we go:

1. Persia Grill. Located in Ortigas. Date with ate Nina and ate Andy. ate Nina chose this place because she loves their food, especially the Persian rice, which is a little bit bigger that our rice. We also had an ox brain, and it doesn't taste like a brain at all. as if i knew what a brain really tasted. haha. ate Andy was being generous to the extremes that day. 

2. Chocolat. read as cho-ko-lah. with an H. Located at Mall of Asia. courtesy of Ate Andy of course. We ordered Death by Tablea, which tastes like, tantananan, tablea. makes me miss that chocolate drink. chocolatey and yummy!

3. Good Burger. Located at Katipunan. This street is indeed full of restos and food shops especially burger. They have chicken and veggie patty so I think it's healthier than the "baboy" patty. wrapped around on foil with your name top. love that too. la lang. haha. a must-try!

4.  Starbucks. I'm not new to this, but I had my first ever purchase in Starbucks a few days ago. An almond iced tea. and the day after that, a frappucino. i think the iced tea's not worth the price but the frap is a thumbs up, always. i'm not really much into coffee as they said it would make you "nerbyosa" and all and i'm already "nerbyosa", sometimes. but what can i do, the people around me just loooove coffee, especially in Cebu and for the love of these people, i won't mind forgetting about the "nerbyosa" thing. i ordered the chocolate chip one because it made me think of my bestfriend, who paid for my first Starbucks purchase years ago. :)

5. Hot Shots. Located at San Miguel Ave, Mandaluyong. Burger and fries. And made me think about my papa about ranting how unhealthy burger and fries and all other unhealthy foods and how it'll make us sick easily. but i blocked his voice on the back of my head and enjoyed the meal. he's not here anyway. mwahaha.

6. Big Burger. Located at Robinsons Galleria. A burger joint. and my papa's gonna kill me if he knows that i've been eating nothing but burgers. haha. had this before a movie night with the Oquinenas and the inspiring titos from Visayas and Mindanao. watched Date Night. the Kuyas were all laughing their hearts out in the movie and the titos go zzzzzzzzz and i go, "wow, this is my second time to watch this movie". haha.

7. Next Door. Located at San Miguel Ave, Mandaluyong. love the chicken with the lemon thing. and i found no photos of this resto and the two before these and i would want to share the visuals so you'll go drooling. darn! don't really know how to describe because i'm not that good with adjectives and synonyms. yummy , delicious and very good is all i can think of. 

8. S&R pizza. had this very big sliced-pizza at that imported grocery store in The Fort. had me full at just one slice. or maybe because i had dinner before that.

9. Chilis. Near Greenhills. love their fish thing which i forgot what its menu name was. and i love how they give their kid customers some paper and coloring materials so they'll get to do their thing with those and the nicest art goes to their art bulletin.

10. Krispy Kreme. This is not new at all. every Manila trip is not complete without having a taste of these donuts. even when i was in Cebu, friends would definitely look out for a Krispy Kreme pasalubong. it may have become a Manila delicacy to us.

11. Other food stores. which i get to eat in in ordinary days here. Sisig Hooray! which is yummy and baboy and my papa's gonna freak out again, in a subtle way. Bacolod Chicken Inasal. Mang Inasal. Mcdo. Aling Banang's which is nearest to our boarding house.  JOLLIBEE!!!! 

That's all for now folks! Hope you get inspired to have more friends so you can avail a lot of free food and of course, lots of inspiring stories to listen and learn from and good company to share with.