I will RISE!

I hear the clock ticking
And I hear my heart pounding fast
Another day breaks
And the cycle begins again...

I long for the day
When the lyrics of this song
Define who I have become


There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes 

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I WILL RISE!

Empty my Hands

'Cause my mind is like a building burning down
I need your grace to keep me, keep me from the ground
And my heart is just a prisoner of war
A slave to what it wants and to what I'm fighting for




I was searching for some new songs and here is what i came across with.
It reminded me that hey I've got dreams and I've got my preferences
But even so, I need God's grace to know that these dreams and preferences
are in line with His will.

Fill my love tank Oh Lord,
let all my decisions be out of love and not out of fear,
let them be out of full trust in You
let them be made with peace of mind and happiness of heart.

Happy Sunday! :)

Priceless!

"Hindi ko akalain makakapunta ako dito."


A seemingly simple remark from my dad as we were walking on our way to Macau immigration.

My dad traveled before to local trips and Asian trips for work, but I guess none for pleasure yet.


The statement struck me.


I have been a wanderer ever since I could afford it. Researching places to see, planning where to go next, waiting for a sale ticket thrill me!

I usually travel with long time friends but not often with my family. I believe the farthest we've been is somewhere in Pangasinan and the other one is our trip to our parents' hometown in Mindoro.


Well, a few years ago, we started to plan on having a family out-of-town/country trip, but we only got as far as Nasugbu. hihi.


Last year was different though, by some excited spirit, we booked a trip to HK. :) However, since there are financial constraints, only my parents and I were able to book.


Both of my parents do not have a valid passport yet. Daddy's passport was expired, Mommy doesn't own one yet.


By God's grace, we got the passport 5 days before the trip!


Three first-timers went off to HK, hopped to Macau and back to HK.


Usually, in my travels, I am in awe with building structures, with the people and their way of life, the technology.


This time was different though.

I was in awe by the happiness that my parents felt.


I was in awe by their strength - my feet almost gave up on me, they continue to walk amidst the cold weather.


I was in awe by my dad's skill in direction - we "argued" on which way to go, me -carrying a map, my dad - basing on previously traveled path. He was right most of the time!


I was in awe by my mom's posing skill - she was our model. Pose...shoot...here.... pose...shoot...there.


The famous city light of Hongkong at night was great, but the sparkle in my parents eyes as they travel together was even greater.

Hongkong's Symphony of Lights

Daddy and Mommy at Stanley, Hongkong

The Ruins still standing after how many years was a big statement, however, seeing my parents happily live their lives together even after 31 years is a bigger statement.

Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral, Macau

happy parents in Macau :D

The richness of Macau was spelled all over Venetian Hotel, my parents holding hands, hugging each other, being each other's "warmer" is even richer (in terms of love, thoughtfulness, etc).

Venetian Hotel

Mommy and Daddy at Venetian Hotel

The Ocean Park is definitely an amazing theme park, yet my parents, seemingly having the time of their lives as seen on their faces, is even more AMAZING!

Ocean Park Entrance

Daddy and Mommy enjoying The Rapids

I love this trip! It reminded me how blessed I am to have great parents. And it reminded me more that these great people deserve great vacations!



Thank you Lord for this!

This will be the first of many more trips...


And for sure, every trip will be...


...PRICELESS.

trust His heart

All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't see how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don't see Him
Remember you're never alone

God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When you don't see His plan
When you can't trace His hand
Trust His heart

 *******

No further words needed. :)

my morning worship

I will live
To carry Your compassion
To love a world that's broken
To be Your hands and feet
I will give
With the life that I've been given
And go beyond religion
To see the world be changed
By the power of Your name

Surely life wasn't made to regret
And the lost were not made to forget
Surely faith without action is dead
Let Your Kingdom come
Lord break this heart





One of my favorite worship songs, perfect for the Scriptures today...

Lord, grant me the grace to be a woman of active faith
to be able to transform prayers into reality
to be able to touch people with my work
In  Jesus name...

Up Above

Lately, I get to travel around the Philippines for a day to conduct trainings with our clients. It is exhausting but it makes me happy as well as I get to see the beauty that our provinces has to offer. I get to experience living their world even just for a few hours- commuting to from hotel to a mall/restaurant, trying their native dishes. I get to mingle with people from the region. Generally, I find that people from the provinces are happy people. They excude an aura of vibrant energy.

The last trip I had was last Monday bound for CDO. God is sooo good, I got the following surprises:
a.) VP Binay in the same plane as I was and was just seating in a row in front of me (I was too late to realize this though, after people went gaga over him (shaking hands with him, taking pictures of him)
b.) in both flights I was booked for an aisle seat, but fortunately the seats in the row that I was in were not occupied, I got to transfer to my favorite - a window seat!

And lastly, I've been able to do my ritual every time I ride a plane - taking photos of clouds. :) To top it off, I got pictures of sunset, miles above sea level! How cool and refreshing is that! :)

They say it's lonely at the top, well I guess I won't ever experience that...

this and the sunset pics below are more splendid behind the lens :)

...  if I get to see the beauty the above world could offer... hehe :)

My 1st 30-day Challenge

I have never practiced writing my new year's resolutions. I just feel I'd join most people who would try for a few days and then fail to continue the rest of the year.

But this year, for the very first time, I've listed in details what my goals are and the steps I need to do with the help of a site I stumbled upon, The Art of Non-Conformity. It really was a helpful site and hopefully, like the author, I will be able to achieve all that I have listed for the year.

After writing my list, I'd had the feeling that this year is definitely going to be different! I have started living life deliberately!

What makes it more exciting is that the first series of The Feast, Overhaul, talks about creating 12 new habits for the year. I just have to align the habits with the goals I have already set.

I started my first habit last January 16 - No Facebook for a month, more time for prayers and exercise.

I'm on my third week, and so far I am doing well! :D

... I believe Facebook misses me... a lot!

But...

Three weeks of non-existent in my virtual world allowed me to expand my real world. I was able to start writing down my prayers (inconsitent but will master this soon), earned a prayer partner (thank you for the LIFT session!), went back to weight lifting at home, shared more stories with friends and family over dinner, coffee, enjoyed a vacation. :)

A few hours off virtually earned me an increased time building and deepening relationships with the people around me.

12 more days... and I'll treat myself to my first successful challenge!

P.S. I've started my second one. How about you? :)