Sorry, I'm noob.

Cos I'm really noob when it comes to editing photos. :( I wanted to learn more about photo editing but I don't have the time to really study this. Plus, I easily get bored when I'm studying via online. I really hope to be good in photo editing someday.

By the way, this photo was taken sometime around summer 2011. Shiiz, I really miss my long hair and I want it back. :)

Let go, and let God.

I wanted to say I miss you, but I’m trying not to care. I wanted to tell you that I still love you, but I’m trying not to show. I know it's not yet the right time for us. We're still young, and we still have a lot of things to learn in life.


So here I am, letting go of this feelings for you. Trying not to think of you anymore and just stay focused to God. Its hard, yes, temptations are around. But I know through God's grace I can do it.


I'm letting you go, and let God write the best love story for me.

A call to full time?

"Ate Tine, mag campus minister ka?" That's one of the questions my friends usually ask me. Its like one of the F.A.Q. to me. 


And two nights ago, someone asked me this question again. 


Yes, I have the heart for full time. And this started when I was still in second year college. That was the time when I am actively involved in almost three ministries (ushering, admin-support, and creatives) in our church, plus my responsibilities in our campus. Loaded schedule? Not really. Its because I really enjoyed working there. Its a privilege for me to work and be surrounded with godly people. I love working for God. 


I am still praying for this. I really don't know what to do after grad. I have a lot of dreams to achieve. But just what the bible says

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21)

I don't need to rush things. I still have a year to pray for it. But for the meantime, I'll just enjoy this season I'm in. Season of being a student.

God is love.

 You ask God to do this and that. But, things end up totally different from the way you wanted it to be.

Is this scenario familiar to you? Well, most of us can relate to that. And when that time comes, we have the tendency to question God why he let things happened that way. Right? But we should always remember that God has bigger plans for us. (Jeremiah 29:11)


God is love. (1 John 4:8) Love moves in mysterious ways.
Ergo, God moves in mysterious ways.

And when we say mysterious, it means its hard to fathom.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:9

 We may not understand why these things are happening in our life now. But one thing is for sure, God is in control of our lives. So worry no more! Just continue to trust in Him and His plans for your life! :)

Good things ain't enough.

What if you're not a Christian now, what would your life be?

For me that's one of the hardest questions to answer. My friend once asked me this, and I really don't know what to answer her that time. But after meditating on it for days, I was able to imagine what would my life be without God in it.

If I'm not a Christian now, most probably I'll still be that good girl. Doing things that seem good in the eyes of this world. And when I say doing good things that means doing whatever I want to as long as I'm not committing any crime and I'm not hurting someone's feelings.

But during my second year in college, I had this encounter with Christ. That's the start of my Christian walk. The turning point.


I've come to realize that doing good things ain't enough. Life is not just about obeying certain rules, adapting to the cultures of the people around you. No, that's not the life God has planned for me, and for you.

It's about living a life worthy of God's calling. (Ephesians 4:1-2) That calls for turning away from my old lifestyle and start living with God, and for God. Through my constant devotions I've learned that doing good things is not only about obeying the rules of your country, following the things written in the student handbook of your school, not even obeying the commands of your parents.. It calls for a greater obedience from us- to obey His will even though sometimes it means going out of our comfort zones.

Being a Christian for almost two years already, there's so much change in me. I was transformed to a new me. (2 Corinthians 5:17) And I know that I am still a work-in-progress.. And part of that, I know there's still a lot of pruning that'll come my way but I know I can overcome all of it because God is with me.

I won't go back Lord to the way I used to be before you rescued me.

Yes, I still miss you..

I miss the times when we used to talk almost everyday-updating each other, and simply just talking about anything we want to. I miss those nights you used to call me and sing me your favorite songs. I miss those dinners we used to have. I miss hanging out with you. Yes, I still miss you but I don't feel anything anymore. 

I remembered this line from a show before:

Don't let your emotions overrule you.

From the past weeks, I learned how to manage my emotions.. I was able to adjust to this new setup. I overcome those days and weeks without talking to you, not even thinking of you at night. lol.

Yes, I still miss you but I don't feel anything anymore. I am okay and I like what we have. We're friends, but not the talking-everyday-friends anymore. I will always treasure what we have, but for the meantime, let's just enjoy this season we're in. Love has its own time.

Power of Prayer.

We all have prayer requests to God, right? And because we usually have so many prayer requests, we list them down on a paper (to be more specific, in our journals) so we will not forget it.


In listing down my prayer requests, I used to draw a check box before my prayers. But one time while I'm writing my prayer list for that month, I realized its not right ( I mean, that check box thingy). I realized that it looks like I only have a little faith in God. Why? Because I needed to put a check box before my prayer requests. Its like doubting if He will grant my prayers or not.

God impressed something on me, I was reminded of the true power of prayer.

 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. -Mark 11:24

This is just one of the bible verses that talks about the power of prayer. It tells us that we need to have the faith to believe that our prayers will be granted. We don't need to draw a check box in our prayer lists anymore.

I remembered what my victory group leader used to tell me, that in praying we should not use the word "sana".. That when we pray, we should claim it already. That's what you call faith!

So next time that you'll pray for something, believe that God will grant it ;)

Love letters.

It has been one of my dreams to receive love letters. Call it old-fashioned but I really find it sweet. Sending snail mails to that person whom you love and receiving letters in return.

Early this year I tried sending a snail mail to someone special to me. It was my first time to send a letter and I really don't have any idea on how to send a mail, thank God my best friend is with me.

Actually it was a birthday gift to my friend, so the timing of the arrival of the letter is really important to me. I am really hoping that he will receive my letter on his birthday. Thank God the timing was perfect! He received my letter exactly on his birthday. :)

It was a good experience. The excitement you feel while you're on the post office sending your letter. And the feeling while waiting for the day he'll receive it. Hopefully, someday someone will also send letters to me. :">

California Maki

Ang sarap talaga kapag may kamag-anak kang chef, kung ano-ano nakakain niyo. Lol.

Tonight my tito made california maki. Eh ang kaso hindi naman kasi ako mahilig dito. :( :))))))))))

Never ko talaga nagustuhan yun. Paano ba naman kasi hindi ko talaga gusto yung amoy ng nori seaweeds. :| Okay naman sa akin yung ibang ingredients nito e, except for the seaweed.

Sayang lang ginawa ng tito ko, hindi ko man lang mae-enjoy ito kainin. :( :))))))

Secured.

I must admit sometimes I envy my friends, to be specific my non-Christian high school friends. Why? Because every time I hear news about them I can see that they're doing great especially in their academics. They have gained a lot of academic achievements already. I can see that they already have a clear vision of their future. 


And me? Just an ordinary average student. Sometimes I feel like I am still clueless of what my future will be. Its like I still don't have any plans for my future. "What happened?" "What went wrong?" These are some of the questions I usually ask myself. 


I even ask God of what my future will be. Really. I keep on questioning God. Asking him why these things are happening. Am I really being busy for nothing? 


Certainly NOT! I was reminded of this bible verse.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

I know I should not be so afraid of my future because God is in control of my life. And that I am not working so hard in vain. All my hard works, even though this world may not see and understand it, will be rewarded by God in the right time. It is said in Matthew 6:33 that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, all these blessings will be given to us.

This is a season of trusting God. I may not see a clear vision of what my future will be, but I know I don't have to be insecure of the things around me. I don't have to be afraid because it is the Greatest Writer who's writing my story.

Our security should not be based on our grades, academic achievements, fame, nor position. We should only secure ourselves in God. And if we are secured in God, there's no room for insecurities in life. 

My travel collection.

I really love traveling- Going to different places, exploring the beauty of nature, taking many photos, and having long trips. 

Last March 2011 I was in Cebu when I saw this souvenir shop, the Island Souvenir. I bought black&white baller bands. That's the start of my "travel collection". I told myself that I'll buy baller bands every time I'll travel to a new place. And thank God because during 2011, I was able to travel twice. First was that in March, and second last August (in Bohol). 

I gave  two of my baller bands to my twin that year. But he lost it. Huhu. :( Anyways, I got a new baller that same year. He gave me an I ♥ Baguio baller. Its his' pasalubong to me because he went to Baguio that sembreak. :D

And this year, I traveled again, with mom & her friends. We went to Ilocos. :) While we were in Vigan, I saw my favorite souvenir shop. Island Souvenir! Hihi. I'm so kinikilig when I saw this. God really knows the desires of my heart. I am really thankful because there's an Island Souvenir shop in Vigan. So there you go, I bought ballers again. :"> Their ballers there are different, there's no black & white ballers, but only have these colorful ones. Blue. Green. Yellow. & Pink. I really insisted to my mom to buy these four colors even though its expensive. Heehee. 

And that's my travel collection. Little by little, I know this collection will grow bigger and bigger. Praying for more travels for the coming years! :">

Truth, repentance, and faith.

I attended the ministers' orientation yesterday during the Victory Weekend. Its not my first time to minister though. This orientation is really helpful not only to the first time ministers, but also to oldies like me. It refreshes me of the things I need in ministering. 

So there you go, these three words really caught my attention during our orientation: Truth. Repentance. Faith.

I googled the word repentance and saw this definition from Wikipedia:

Repentance - change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged

Change of thought to correct a wrong. 

So how do distinguish the truth from lie? How to know what is right from wrong? Simple, through God's word. Apart from the Word, its hard for us to distinguish the truth from the lies that this world gives us. The more we read our bible (and of course apply it in our lives), the more we learn the truth.

Gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. 

Repentance has two types- worldly repentance and godly repentance.

Worldly repentance is when we repent because someone caught us doing wrong things. Its like, saying sorry but we really don't know why we say so.


Godly repentance, on the other hand, is when we realized our fault, and we're sorry for the things we had done. We know why we say sorry. We realized that we have offended God through our actions. We ask God's forgiveness.


But what happens next after we realized that we have offended God?
Continue living the same lifestyle we used to have before? Continue doing those things? 


Certainly not! True repentance leads to a changed life. 

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

When we confess our sins to God have that faith to believe that He will forgive us. Faith is what we need. Believe that Jesus can (and will) heal all the wounds in our heart. That Jesus can change our life. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Truth. Repentance. Faith.
We need to know the truth. We repent and be sorry for offending God. And we have the faith that God can change our lives.

Discipleship Level Up!

I've been in the business of discipleship for almost one year already. I first started my own victory group last March 2011. It has an original number of 6 members, and from that number it grew up to the current 11 members I have. I am really thankful because I can't imagine that our group will grow fast like this for a short span of time. Its really God's grace.

For the past school year, I really saw the growth of our group (not only in number).
I was able to send 6 participants for the Victory Weekend, three of them are really part of my victory group while the other half have been my disciples but attend others' group. I'm really blessed and I feel so privileged because I was able to be part of their lives, I was able to share the Gospel with them.

Last semester, I used to ask them to lead the group on the spot! We had a rotation of who's going to lead for the next meeting- in the opening prayer, Word, and closing prayer.. And I find it effective for our group. Through that, I was able to encourage them to step up and become a disciple-maker too.

Engage, establish, equip, and empower. --- That's the Victory's 4e of Discipleship Process.

I'm done with engage and establish. I was able to master it already. And I can say that my season now is more on the equip and empower. I want to encourage my group to step up, and take the next level. To have the faith to lead their own victory groups soon.

Next school year I am planning to make the most out of the time we still have. I really want to empower each one of them. I am praying that everyone of them will have that boldness and courage to share the Word of God to other people. I know they can be greater leaders than I am. I am believing that they will have their own groups soon. Hopefully, by the end of the first semester our victory group will be already called LG- leaders' group.

Morning look

Ze morning look. I really love my hair best when its morning. lol. Good morning guys! Sorry vain. :| :)))

Anyways, I'm about to prepare. I'll go to U-Belt today for our meeting and to attend the youth service. Hihi. I'm so excited to meet again my Lifebox and U-belt friends! :">

He hears. He answers.

Last January I joined the 2012 Seven Days Prayer and Fasting. Its my 2nd year of doing this, and I am really overwhelmed with the fact that most of my faith goals have already been answered!

The things I usually write in my faith goals are immaterial ones, except for that thing that I've always wanted for. DSLR camera. I wanted to have a camera and take photos since high school. And today, my mother bought a camera for me. I am really happy and thankful for this. God really knows the desires of my heart and He knows when to give it to us. Indeed He has a perfect timing for everything. (Eclessiastes 3:1)

Aside from the camera, one of the things I'm thankful for is the opportunity God gave me to travel this year. Just so you know I really love to travel, and this summer I have 2 planned out-of-town trips with my family. And I'm really looking forward to that!

There's a lot of things that I can still share but that's not my purpose why I am writing this. I want this to serve as a testimony that God is a faithful God. I want to encourage you all to have that faith to believe that God will answer all our prayers. It may not be now, but I know He will answer it, in His right time.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4

Looking at my faith goals now, I am really thankful to God. He really hears our prayers and He answers it. The God we serve is a Faithful God.

Indeed, 2012 is a year of breakthroughs!

Privileged.

Working for God and his people, I guess that's one of the most beautiful work (or for some, it's a job) one can ever have. 

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was in 2nd year college. And from there, I've been active in our church. I am really thankful to be part of the core team of UST Lifebox. It is really a privilege for me to work for God and his people. Yes, being part of this is fun but there are also things that I really need to look out for. 

One of this is pride. This is really one of the things I always battle with. I don't want this position I have make me proud of myself and forget that it is God who is to be praised and not me. 


Don’t brag about yourself let others praise you. -Proverbs 27:2

I always remind myself that it is not my efforts that qualified me to be in the core team. It is only by God's grace. He's the one who brought me here. And that UST Lifebox will still exist even without me.. I always try to keep myself humble before Him, acknowledging that He is the one who makes all these things possible. 


God does not call the qualified, He qualifies whom He calls.

Back in the bleachers.

It's been years since I last sat there. That spot where my girl friends and I used to sit and cheer our friends. The bleachers.

Every summer there's a league in our place, and my guy friends used to join since our fifth grade. That's what I usually look forward every summer vacation back then. Its a chance again for us, barkada, to hang out again because normally we're so busy during school days. 

Every time our friends have a game, we support them. I mean us, girls. We used to sit in their bleachers and cheer at the top of our lungs. That's how supportive we were. And during their practice games, we sometimes play with them too. 

But I stopped going out with them when I was in third year high. Maybe I've been busy with school? I don't know. I really don't know what happened to us. We've been separated. We had our own lives. We seldom see each other up to now...

And last night, I was able to sit in that bleacher again. We cheered our friends, this time with the kids.. I am so happy because I was able to see and talk again to my kababatas. I missed them.

What Makes A Girl Happy?

Gifts? Latest fashion wear? Gadgets? Cheesy lines? Food? Chocolates? Flowers?

Yes, all of those things will make a girl happy. But do you want to know what will really make a girl happy? It's your effort and time. 

They say that time is one of the most precious thing a person can ever give. 

Let her know that no matter how busy your schedule is, you never forget to make time for her. Even just a lunch date with her, or an afternoon walk at the plaza with her.. Whatever it is, as long as you're spending time together, I'm pretty sure that'll make a girl happy. ;)

Another thing that really makes a girl happy is the effort. Women love surprises! No matter how big or small that surprise can be, as long as she can see your effort in making it, she'll appreciate it. A little creativity and efforts. That's all!

A woman's happiness is not based on expensive gifts she received, nor the latest gadgets or fashion wear she has.. Its easy to make a girl happy. No pretensions needed. No need for cheesy lines. Just be yourself and speak from the heart.

Why so cute?

Hello Kitty is really one of my childhood favorites. I don't know but I just find it so cute, at hanggang ngayon mahilig pa rin ako sa kanya. :">

Sa sobrang pagka-cute ko sa kanya I even collected Hello Kitty stamps before. Yung set ng Hello Kitty & Friends stamp sa Mcdo every time you purchase their value meals. Hihi~

Alam kong may pagka-childish pero natutuwa kasi ako talaga kay Hello Kitty eh. Last Valentines' nga my friends gave me two Hello Kitty toothbrush. Haha! Napaka-sweet lang. :')

And before the semester ends, my friend gave me this stuff toy. Si Daniel. Ang cute lang kasi ang unexpected ng pagbigay niya neto sa akin. I mean, ang random kasi ng pagkakasabi ng friend ko na may stuff toy siyang Hello Kitty at ibibigay niya sa akin. Heehee~ Ang cute lang talaga ng Hello Kitty. <3

She bangs!

When boredom strikes. 

Okay, ito talaga ang nangyayari kapag bored ako dito sa bahay. Kanina ginupitan ko na naman ang buhok ko, naglagay na naman ako ng bangs. Yes I know mahaba at di ata masyadong pantay yung gupit ko, pero kasi natatakot na akong gupitan pa.. Baka magupit ko ito at maging sobrang iksi na pagsisisihan ko rin sa huli. Nung bata kasi ako, nagmarunong ako pag dating sa buhok ko, at hindi ko nagustuhan yung kinalabasan, sobrang iksi ng naging bangs ko non. >_________<

So ayun, kung mas marunong talaga ako gumupit at may gunting ako na pang buhok talaga, ifu-full bangs ko ito e, kaso wala. Sayang. Hindi ko alam, pero gusto ko kasi talaga masubukan yung full bangs. Feeling bata. Lol.

The Notebook

While I am watching The Notebook I was reminded of that 7 years of distance between Allie and Noah (they are the main characters) That number has been a very significant number, not only to me personally but also in the Bible. Seven years of being apart. They had their own lives during that period. But just as when they already have their own careers, fate leads them back again. Isn’t sweet?

Loving the right person at the wrong time is still a wrong love. That’s one of the moral of the movie. It is said in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that everything is beautiful in its own perfect time.

One of the sweetest love stories the bible gives us is the story of Jacob and Rachel. The book of Genesis gives us the account of their story. In Genesis 29, (v18) “Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven (7) years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” And in the succeeding verse it says (v20) So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love to her.

Seven years? Yes, it’s too long. And not everyone is willing to wait for seven years. But Jacob was different, because of his love he has able to wait for seven years. Not only that, it is also written that it only seemed like few days for him. It’s all because of love.

One thing I want to share also is that as that seven years passed by, Jacob worked. He served. Same is true with us, as we wait for the right time we need to work. We need to serve. 

1) We need to WORK. It calls for an ACTIVE PREPARATION. We should not just wait passively, we need to prepare. That’s what we call actively waiting. My friend once told me: “Prepare yourself for the one, because God is also preparing the one for you.”

Next,

2) We need to SERVE. Serve who? Serve God. As we actively wait for the right time, it also calls us to serve God and his people. Living a life worthy of the calling of God (Ephesians 4:1-2)

And if you’re worried what if you become too preoccupied with your career, the bible tells us to worry no more. Genesis 2 shows us that God doesn’t want us to be alone forever. (v18) The Lord said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

A helper that is suitable for him. That's what God will give us in the right time. I remembered one of the sermons in our church before, our pastor told us that as we fulfill God’s will for our lives time will come that He will give us our helper, that someone who will be with us for the rest of our lives.

You see, God is not a killjoy Lord at all. In fact, He is very much concern for our love life. Let him write your love story and you’ll see how wonderful that story will be. Yes letting God rule over your love life may call for some heart breaking decisions to make, but in the end it’ll be all worth it.  Trust in him. 

Sana next week na.

Kung pwede lang na matapos na itong linggong ito eh. Ayoko na talaga ng week na ito. Bakit? Kasi naiirita lang ako sa mga napapanuod ko sa tv. Mga panata and all. Ang sakit lang sa puso kapag nakikita ko yung mga taong nagpapapako sa krus, kesyo yun daw ang panata nila kada semana santa. Maling maling mindset talaga. Nakakalungkot lang. :( All we can do is really pray for them. 

Isa pa sa mga rason kung bakit gusto ko ng mag next week ay dahil next week pa kasi naka-set ang mga lakad ko. I can't wait to see my friends again. :)  High school reunion, plus meetup with college buddies. Bale, parang next week pa talaga yung seryosong simula ng bakasyon ko. Isa pa sa mga inaabangan ko for next week e yung trip to Vigan namin ni Mama. Haha! Excited na talaga ako, gusto ko na kasi talaga makapunta dun e. :)

Something to study this summer.

Say hi to UST Students' Election Code 2011. :) Part of my preparation for being the vice chair of AMV-Comelec next school year, I need to study and understand all that's written in this code.

I need to finish reading this before April 10.

Happy oovoo night!

Last night was a really fun. Oovoo time with my love ones. ♥

I'm really thankful I saw them again, they brought good vibes to me. 

#OovooItsMoreFunWithUSTLifebox ♥

My girlfriends! ♥

One of the highlights of my junior year in college is my victory group. 

One Wednesday afternoon @ Botanical Garden.

UST Lifebox 2011 Christmas party. 

B.U.W.A.N. UST Lifebox Valentine's Day <3

UST Lifebox 2012 Semender @ Tramway. 

Eating is the best way to bond with your girlfriends. Lol.

With Janika. <3 One of my closest girlfriends.

 With Val, my beloved sis & kambal.

With Gew & Mhel. 

I am really thankful to God for giving me these gorgeous women. <3
Actually, I still can't believe it that from 5, our group grew up to 11 (I think :p) during my junior year. Not only that, I can also see that change in their lives, they are now more on fire to God. And I am really happy for them. <3