"May Ganun?" "Oo, meron."

Chicken breast in cream and parsley sauce

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 05:29:00 +0000

Because this was a product of an unsuccessful 'white chicken karahi' experiment that turned out surprisingly good, this needs documentation.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 whole garlic, chopped
1 whole medium-sized yellow/white onion, chopped
approx. 2 tbsp minced ginger
1 kg chicken breast fillet, sliced to desired sizes
approx. 500 ml water (adjust if needed)
approx. 300 ml cream (we used whipping cream)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash of salt
dash of pepper
2 tsp white sugar
approx. 1 cup of chopped parsley
1 tsp dried basil leaves

Cooking Instructions:

Heat a large wok. In low heat, put in the oil and butter.
After the butter has melted, add in the garlic. Saute until the aroma comes out, then add in the chopped onions and saute until they become translucent, then add in the ginger. Saute for around 2 minutes until the garlic turns a little brown.
Add in the chicken fillet and saute until it becomes brown.
Add in just enough water to cook the chicken and have a base for the sauce. If you accidentally added a lot of water, boil it using high heat.
When the chicken is almost cooked, add in the cream. Stir and boil for 2-3 minutes until the sauce becomes thick and until the chicken is completely cooked.
Add in the Worcestershire sauce. Stir and boil for a minute.
Add in the chopped parsley and dried basil leaves. Stir and boil for 2 minutes.
Add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.
Serve hot with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.

This is our finished product, with a side of mashed potatoes, and a mug of Iced Lemon Mint.

Chicken Mushroom Sopas

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 02:38:00 +0000

This is a recipe that was brought out because we had leftover elbow macaroni and we had chicken and we wanted to incorporate mushroom soup, and we were lazy to cook rice.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 whole garlic, chopped
1 whole medium-sized onion, chopped
500g chicken fillet, diced
250g elbow macaroni
750ml water (adjust if needed)
1 can of button mushrooms (sliced)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup or Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup.
Salt
Pepper
Dried basil leaves

Cooking Instructions:

Heat saucepan. Add in the oil and butter.
After the butter has melted, add in the garlic. Saute until the aroma comes out, then add in the chopped onions and saute until they become translucent.
Add in the chicken fillet and saute until it becomes brown.
Add in the water to cook the chicken.
When the chicken is already half-cooked, add in the elbow macaroni and cook using the instructed time.
When the pasta has been cooked, the chicken should already be also cooked at this time. Add in the canned soup. Bring to a boil until the condensed soup has been completely dissolved.
Add in the sliced mushrooms, stir in and boil for around 2-3 minutes.
Add a dash of salt, pepper and dried basil leaves.
Serve hot.

The finished product, serves 3-4:

Spicy Misua Soup with Tuna

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 05:17:00 +0000

This is one of our random brunch menus that just came from what we had in our pantry which is based from the typical Sardines (in tomato sauce) with Misua soup dish but just a little different.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup chopped (red) onions
1 can tuna chunks in oil
1 pack Mama Sita's Menudo/Afritada mix
500 ml water
150-200g misua noodles
1 sachet of chili flakes (from your favorite pizza place)
2 tsp patis

Cooking instructions:

Heat a saucepan/kawali. Add in the oil until hot.
Saute onions until a bit transparent.
Add in the tuna chunks. Saute with the onions.
Add in the Mama Sita's Menudo/Afritada mix.
Add in the water and let it boil until the mix is fully dissolved.
Sprinkle the chili flakes, and add the patis. Mix in and let the soup boil for another minute.
Add in the misua noodles. Mix it in with a fork to separate the strands.
Boil the soup until the misua noodles are fully cooked.
Serve hot with rice (yeah, for intense carbo loading).

Additional notes:

Mama Sita's mix was used in the absence of tomato sauce. Next time I'll try to use tomato sauce and for sure it will taste better, and maybe, add in some herbs for a western twist. But for now, the mix is already tasty in itself.

So, the finished product, serves 2-3:

Personalized Pre-Cana seminar

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 05:50:00 +0000

Me and my fiance are very lucky to have received a personalized Pre-Cana seminar by no other than my future parents-in-law. I was not able to take down notes on that afternoon but here are some of the items that I can remember and I am writing it here so I can always go back to it.

Husband: Head of the family. The chief decision-maker, with the suggestion and support of the wife.
Wife: Supports the husband, and is mostly in-charge of home activities (such as household chores *ouch!*), but also with the support of the husband.
Married life is about teamwork.
Other people may give advice and counsel but in the end, it will all boil down to the two of you.
Most arguments are unresolved because it is being solved at two different view points, based from each one's upbringing. Both then should understand where the other comes from.
The universal rule to the wife: do not nag. *ouch!*
My future in-laws' personal advice: don't argue over money.
During an argument, when one has a hot head, the other one should be calm and cool enough to control the situation. Wag makipagsabayan ng init ng ulo dahil kung anu-ano lang ang pwedeng masabi. Wait until both are calm before discussing the issue at hand.

25-month update

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 04:16:00 +0000

Again, it has been sooooo long since I last wrote here.

At present, it is already past my second year anniversary here in Malaysia. Time really does travel fast. And from that two years, what has been happening in my life?

Couples for Christ and Singles for Christ - Kuala Lumpur
On that first working day I had here in KL, one of the first things that I did was look for the Couples for Christ community. Luckily, I found sis Lina's number in the website of the Philippine Embassy. I was able to get in touch with her and attend the CFC - Ampang (a.k.a. all-Pinoy) household.

By the time I joined, there were 7 couples, 2 Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD), 3 Servants of the Lord (SOLD), and 2 SFC sisters. All of these people in one household so just imagine how long the worship takes.

Two CLPs plus various hanapan sessions (like how some SFCs met during the SFC ICON 2012 live stream, or how some SFCs were able to recognize us by just seeing the shirt we wore in church which were incidentally SFC conference shirts) later, the CFC - Ampang HH grew into four separate households: SFC, SOLD+HOLD, CFC "New Perspective" (Elders), and the CFC "Team Bagets" (Young Couples). SFC itself even grew by separating into two households, SFC Brothers and SFC Sisters, to a total of almost 20 active members from three, 2 years ago.

Some members and leaders may have come and gone (migrated to other parts of the world, went back to 'Pinas, or were just part of the household temporarily), but still, this is one of the biggest blessings I have witnessed here in KL. Added to that is the service we did and are still doing in St. John's Cathedral, and being able to attend the conferences in Singapore and the SFC International Conference in Manila last February (which was the first time I went back to Pinas for vacation).

Such joy.

Working matters
The first client where I was assigned was another blessing because it gave me the opportunity to be assigned for three weeks in Tanzania. It was a really great experience. People were very nice, although the job that time was really hectic, we didn't even get to go to a safari or to go island hopping.

After finishing the contract with the first client, I was temporarily assigned for an in house project with my employer. Though the working schedule was really hectic, the workplace was behind a really nice shopping mall and I was with a former colleague and we actually had fun working together again.

A month and a half after, thankfully I was assigned to another client. A very big company here in Malaysia, the workplace is near our residence, I am learning a lot, and I am a few days away from my one year mark.

Personal matters
Five months after I arrived here in KL, my boyfriend was able to follow me here in KL. A year after, we got officially engaged, and less than 10 months to go before we get married. ^_^

Selamat Datang Ke Malaysia!

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:05:00 +0000

That is, in Malay, "Welcome to Malaysia!"

No, I am not on a tour. In fact, I just moved here.
Yup, you read that right. From the busy city of Metro Manila in Philippines, I am now living here in Malaysia.

God has blessed me with this wonderful opportunity to be here, because of a new job. So I am writing this blog post (after my frustrated 30-day challenge posts, which only lasted me a week), in order to share some of my experiences of my (as of this day) three-week stay here in Kuala Lumpur.

Arrival

Since I took a Saturday night flight from MNL, I arrived in KUL early Sunday morning. That is 3.5 hours of travel (in fairness to Cebu Pacific, the flight was on time, unlike the usual delays in their domestic flights). Of course I thought that I would be landing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which is an architectural sight to see. But since I took Cebu Pacific, we landed at the LCCT (Low-cost Carrier Terminal).

I think I expected too much. Their LCCT? Well, let's just say that our NAIA Terminal 1 looks better. And if you'll be taking Air Asia (which flies from Clark, Pampanga to here in KUL), you'll also be landing at the LCCT. But if you'll take Malaysia Airlines, then you will go down at KLIA.

Transportation

From the LCCT, you can ride a bus that goes to KL Sentral (the "central" station of almost everything, from trains, buses, even flight check-in when you're taking Malaysia Airlines) that is just around RM8.

The roads and vehicles? Right hand drive. The wheel is on the right side of the vehicle, so the roads, and everything, are on the left.

The roads
In Metro Manila, you can only see "major" highways in C5, South Super Highway and Skyway. Here in KL, these kinds of roads are what connects most of the city's towns. So you'll be seeing SCTEX-like roads almost everywhere.

The cabs/taxis
Taxis, or in Malay, Teksi, has a flagdown of RM3, and increments 10 sens. A note though, some of them, like Pinoy cab drivers:
-choose/turn down passengers
-trick passengers (yeah, experienced this once, because he could tell I was new here, he did not use the meter and didn't even have change so I had to give him RM20 for a destination that would only cost RM10)
-and/or just be a total asshole (me and my friend, Donn, experienced one cab driver who did not even drop us to where we want to, and was hurrying us..he even sped the car as soon as we got out).

If like me, you don't have a choice but to take a cab most of the time, at least be vigilant and know that they are using the taximeter.

The trains
A better mode of transportation, these are waaaay better than what we have in Manila.

LRT Kelana Jaya line (Laluan Kelana Jaya)
-the pink line, travels from Kelana Jaya to Gombak. If you want to go to the Petronas Towers, take this train and go down at KLCC station. This station is underneath the famed twin towers. Usual interchange stations are Masjid Jamek (to Ampang line) and KL Sentral. Usually crowded since it is the longest and I think has the bigger "market".

LRT Ampang line (Laluan Ampang)
-the yellow line, travels from Sentul Timur, has a joint station Chan Sow Lin, and from here, the tracks separate, one goes to Sri Petaling, and the other goes to Ampang. Usual interchange stations are Masjid Jamek (to Kelana Jaya line), and Hang Tuah and Titiwangsa (to KL Monorail). For Pinoys, Plaza Rakyat (or Masjid Jamek) station is a landmark since this is near Kota Raya, a sort of like 168 mall in Divisoria, where most Pinoy stores are. Chinatown (Jalan Petaling) is also near Plaza Rakyat station.

KL Monorail (KL Monorel)
-yes, a train that looks more like a bus, that runs on one rail (hence the name, monorail). Usually crowded since per train, it only has two cabins. A bit expensive by 20sens. Interchange stations are Hang Tuah and Titiwangsa (to Ampang line) and KL Sentral (but is not directly connected to the mall-like train station).

Why is it better here than in Manila? Because even though there's a crowd when riding the trains, most of the time, people fall in line at the sides of the door and leave a space open in the center so that the people coming in and coming out are not blocking each other's way. Unlike in our prestigious MRT3.

Also, we have this electronic and reloadable (much like our stored value) card, Touch 'n Go. You can just load it in any LRT station and you can just tap the card the entry gate. It saves time spent on falling in line just to buy a ticket.

Food

Since Malaysia is a cultural mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese, expect all these kinds of food to be found almost anywhere.

Average cost per meal (bought in cheaper areas/restaurants) would be around RM5. That would include at least one meat dish, and rice, or if you're eating Chinese food, that's one order of noodles. If you're eating in a restaurant inside a mall, average meals would be around RM10.

Wherever you are, if you'll ask for (tap) water, it's not free. And if you won't have ice put in, they'll serve the water, warm.

Since Indian food is rampant, expect to see a lot of curried dishes. A tip: redness is the measurement of spicy-ness. If you see that the food is a dark shade of red, you might want to reconsider, unless you really are used to eating spicy foods. Oh yeah, hot is different from spicy. I just forgot the difference.

Also, Chinese serve their dishes, besides chopsticks, with the soup spoon, even though you ordered noodles. Well, it's a bit of common sense right? Since not all foods can be picked up with chopsticks. I was just wondering why in the Philippines it isn't such.

Accommodation

For working professionals like me, the usual is room rentals, most of the time in a condominium or apartment, or sometimes in a link house. For small unfurnished rooms, a month's rental would range from RM250-RM400. For medium to master's bedroom with furnishings, a month's rent would range from RM450-RM900. It could include the utilities payment, or it may not, but the utilities are shared will all the people in the house/unit. Usual initial payment is either 2 or 2.5 months rent as deposit, plus first month rent. It is good if you'll look for a unit near your workplace, and is accessible to where you can buy food and other necessities.

Need help in finding a room? Visit http://www.mudah.my and http://www.ibilik.my.

Filipinos

If you're beginning to be homesick or you are missing Filipino food, head to Kota Raya. As mentioned, it is a mall between Masjid Jamek and Plaza Rakyat LRT Stations. This part of the city is quite crowded though.

A few meters away from Masjid Jamek (Kelana Jaya line) LRT Station, you'll see St. John's Cathedral. This is the church where most Filipinos go to mass every Sunday, especially in the morning. You'll also find outside the church gates, a few food stalls selling Filipino food. Also, a few feet away there are Pinay manicurists/pedicurists. (Haven't tried them though, maybe one of these Sundays.) And one more thing, the parish church has a small building for Archdiocesan Single Adults and Youth Office, and one room there is called Tahanang Pilipino.

Places to hangout (well, from where I have been)

Bukit Bintang
A mixture of Eastwood (Libis), Session Road (Baguio), Greenbelt 5 (Makati) and Chinatown (Binondo).
How to get here: take the KL Monorail and go down at Bukit Bintang station.

Suria KLCC
This is much like Glorietta and Greenbelt, which is a mall beneath the Petronas Towers.
Get here by taking Kelana Jaya line LRT and go down at KLCC station.

Other things that I could share

-Thou shall not go to a tourist destination (most especially in Genting Highlands) on a public holiday. We tried once, and as expected, our tour was somehow a "fail".
-There have been reported incidences of misfortunes (including snatchers and acid splashers, riding a motorcycle) happening on the streets. Just be cautious on the surroundings. Petty crimes, like in the Philippines, are reportedly quite just as "usual".
-At least try to learn their language (Malay), even just the basic ones that you may use when buying food or something else. Some Malays do not know how to speak English. Indians and Chinese, even if they do speak in English, may sometimes be a bit hard to understand due to their certain accent. Don't get intimidated if they speak Tamil and Mandarin/Cantonese (respectively) around you. Just grab a Filipino friend then talk in Tagalog.
-Public restrooms are not as clean as what you expect. Also, females, be ready to squat. Most of their toilets are those that are on the floor.
-Planning to hop on to Singapore? It is just a 3.5 hours bus trip, for only RM40 one way.
-IT jobs are in-demand here. Interested? Leave a comment.
-Old Town White Coffee is a must-try, plus their Kaya toast. This coffeehouse beats Starbucks.

So, these are what I could share for now. I may add in a bit of details maybe as I go along. Watch out for my next blog posts. :)

Day 7: Yogurt and Halo-halo

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:25:00 +0000

Summer is officially in the Philippines! And what else is left to do besides swimming and outing? Look for cold treats, of course! :)

Yogurts

I am a fan of frozen yogurt, which is already taking different brand names, presentation, etc in every place that you'll be. My personal favorite is White Hat, in Glorietta 4. Their plain yogurt tastes like real yogurt (because I like eating those fruit flavored ones) and not just like ice cream.

So I wondered what a plain unfrozen yogurt tastes. I bought a small pack (well, the photo below is a big pack) of Nestle Creamy Yogurt.

I got a teaspoon, opened the pack, got a small amount, tasted it and...

"WTF??"

It did NOT taste like frozen yogurt!

You know what it tasted like?

Yes. That plain yogurt tasted like the garlic sauce we usually put in our shawarma.

I remember that detail being told to me by our officemate Mark (Mirandilla), because they previously operated a Shawarma business, and the sauce they used was yogurt.

Now honestly, as of this writing, that pack of yogurt is not finished yet. And frankly, I am not quite sure how to finish it.

Halo-Halo

Me and my boyfriend we're craving for halo-halo last Sunday. I wanted to have one from Goldilocks, but since SM Bicutan is about to close already, we just went to Sieg's, Better Living, to try their halo-halo.

Their Halo-halo Special is at P95, with a scoop of ube ice cream, and halayang ube, macapuno, red mongo, banana for the halo. The ube ice cream that came with it tasted good. And because I do not eat red mongo much, I just scooped every bean out of my bowl and gave it to my boyfriend.

But what is still the best halo-halo for me?

Razon's.

Aside from the finely crushed ice, what I love about Razon's Halo-halo is the fact that all of the things that I hate in Halo-halo (beans, mongo, pinipig) are not included in their concoction. Hahahaha! And yes, siyempre sobrang sarap.

Haaaay, Razon's Halo-halo. Kelan kaya kita matitikman ulit?

Day 6: Moments inside an FX and PDH

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:21:00 +0000

Going to work, I usually ride an FX/Van with an Ortigas route. Its first stop is at Pioneer street, Mandaluyong.

Last Friday, I was riding the van on my way to work. I was seated on the second row, second to the left window. I was not able to have a lot of sleep the night before so I was really asleep during the travel, until my seatmate (whom I know is not quite comfortable because she is seated between the large and small seats of the row without leaning her back), shouted at me inside the very quiet vehicle, saying, "Ate, pwedeng umayos ka????!!!?"

Well, that time, I just said, "Ay, sorry...", and just went back to sleep until I reached my destination.

But when I arrived here in the office, those early morning people saw me getting crappy first thing in the morning. Grabe lang! Kala mo kasi siya may-ari nung FX eh! Kung pahiyain ako sa harap ng iba! Pasalamat na lang siya na kalmado ako nun at hindi ako sumagot ng kung ano at baka kung ano pang eksena ang nangyari dun.

Ok, back to my calm self now.

Because of that incident, I had chest pains the whole day, because in addition to the stress that FX scene gave me, the stress of filing my ITR also came along (after realizing on the last minute that I am required to do so). Until my choir practice that night, I was already feeling uncomfortable to the point that I asked my boyfriend to accompany me to the nearest hospital, Parañaque Doctors Hospital.

Inside the emergency room, I was just calm. The nurses was a bit panicky when I told them I was complaining of chest pains. I lay down on one ER bed. They took my blood pressure, it was normal. They took my ECG, again, normal. I was not having difficulty breathing. So the doctors concluded that it may just be muscle pains.

It was my first time to have a needle struck my hand for dextrose and hemlock. I was really scared, even to the point of having excessive chills. Thanks to my boyfriend for keeping me company during that time. He was telling me the latest "chismis" while the nurse was injecting my hand. He kept me warm by his embrace when I was having those strong chills. (On cue: "Awwwwwww, sweet.." :) )

After around two hours, I was discharged (thank you for my health card!) and went home.

The next day, we talked to my mom about the hospital incident and told her that I was in the ER last night because of my chest pains. Her reaction? "Nako, namana mo.."

She was pertaining to the kind of chest pains that she occasionally has. Her mother, my grandmother, had it too. Now I know what those pain relievers I am buying for her are for.

I am just worried now because just like what my mom said, this pain is recurring. The pain reliever prescribed for me is a bit expensive, P73 each. I might need to keep a few ones in case the pain triggers again.

Guys, let us take good care of our bodies. Getting sick is a definite waste of money.

Day 5: Pooping right and my Philips GoGear

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:55:00 +0000

Ok, I have not posted for the past four days. I'll try my best to make up my absence of internet with all the things in my mind that are pending to be written on this newly designed blog. ;)

Pooping, the right way

Can you believe that our simple act of sitting while pooping is actually wrong?

I came across a lot of articles around the internet (Yahoo News, etc.) and found out that one of the things that people are doing wrong is the way we pass our bowels.

Sitting down on the toilet bowl (just like all of us are used to) is actually making us prone to hemorrhoids. And the correct way to do it? See the second illustration on the below photo:

Which (I suppose) could only be (comfortably) accomplished (unlike the above awkward squat on the above photo), when our toilet bowls would be something like this:

And now I wonder if this kind is available in our country.

Hmm, hemorrhoids, eh?

Eh mukhang nakakangawit naman yung pag-squat! Sheesh! >.<

My Philips GoGear 2GB

I do not know if anyone of you are aware of the radio show, Good Times with Mo: The Podcast, where every caller wins a gadget.

I had a chance to call the show one late evening when Maxene Magalona was the guest (check out Mo Twister's site, March 31 episode) and had the chance to ask her what is one love advice that her late father gave her. I learned that the Master's rapper's advice to her daughter was to treat every relationships as a training ground for marriage. Very nice point.

Anyway, back to my title. Because I had the chance to be on the show, I won a prize! And here it is, my Philips GoGear 2GB, delivered here in the office last friday by Tradeport.com.ph!

To my excitement, I quickly removed it from the box, charged it and put some songs on it. Wow, I really missed having one.

I actually went on my college years until my working days having an mp3 player hung around my neck (I forgot the first one I had, but it was 512GB, then it evolved to my (first) square Philips GoGear 1GB). I just stopped when my Philips broke down (it does not charge anymore), and because I almost always had company when I am travelling (where I listen to my mp3 player the most).

And since I have one again, it just feels great. Now I will not be lonely or bored during long and stressful travel hours.

Oh, one tip when using an mp3 player on the road: I strongly suggest that you use earphones, instead of headphones. When you are commuting or driving, you MUST be able to hear the outside world at least, or you might end up dead because you did not hear the vehicles beeping while you were crossing the street, or you might end up not reaching your destination because you were not able to hear when the bus conductor or MRT already announced the current place you are already in.

Day 4: Problems I had with my phone

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:40:00 +0000

I own a Samsung Omnia Pro B7320. With my eight months of usage, I did encounter some problems. The minor ones are, I cannot end a call (often happens when the cellphone signal is getting jammed/lost during a phone call), often losing network signal even on standby mode (I am not quite sure if it is just with the network provider and/or my location here in the office), and the microphone volume does not have an option to be a bit more loud because sometimes my friends who call cannot hear me or I really have to direct the mouthpiece to my mouth for them just to hear me.

Thankfully, I only encountered two major major technical problems. I am writing down below those things I experienced so if any of you owners of the same phone encounter the same, at least you will not panic like I did.

If your phone does not charge, and the light indicator is not green nor red (kinda more like yellow):
Cause: the battery is super super drained. On my case, I think this was caused because I tried surfing the internet by Wi-Fi with just one bar of battery, so it got so exhausted.
Fix: since the battery is super duper drained, it cannot generate even a bit of electricity to have itself charged by your specified charger. Go to any authorized Samsung repair shop (I went to Wellcom in Park Square 1, Makati) and have the battery charged by the technician using the, uh, voltmeter? Basta, the device used to create electrical charges. When the battery has enough electricity already, it can now charge on its own specified charger. I'm also thankful that the technician did not charge me any amount, though I just had to wait for more than 30 minutes to give enough time for my cellphone battery to generate power.
Note: according to the technicians, most or all of the Samsung batteries experience this kind of problem so I recommend not to super drain your Samsung devices. Charge it as soon as it indicates that it is already battery low.

If suddenly your phone does not ring, the alarm does not sound, you are not in silent mode and yet all the sounds seem to have gone, and you cannot even change your tones settings:
Cause: I am not quite too sure, but it has something to do with 'cached memory' something. Hahaha. Sorry, I really do not know.
Fix: Follow these instructions:
1.) Go to Start -> Applications -> File Explorer
2.) Navigate to: (root directory)\Application Data\Volatile
3.) Inside the Volatile folder, you will find a lot of empty folders. Just delete all of them (press the shift button then scroll down to select all the folders, then delete). Do not be afraid to do so, it will not harm your system.
4.) Restart your phone.
Note: I actually found this fix somewhere on fixya.com. To whoever discovered the fix to this problem, thank you so much! You just saved me time, money and effort to have this fixed in a repair shop.

There you go. I hope this entry could be of help to my fellow Omnia Pro B7320 owners. ;)

Day 3: The lost side of me

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:36:00 +0000

I used to play drums (the drums set, that is. I'll cover my Letran Band side on another blog post.). I learned to play when I joined our parish's summer workshop last 2004, under the guidance of Percussion Major from UST, Alvin Meneses (actually my first summer workshop was in 2003 but my course was Guitar then). I also took the same course during the next two summer workshops. I learned to study the drum beats of my favorite songs (isolating the drum beats while listening), and just practicing it on air (because my family could never afford to buy me one). This also started my love for Original Pilipino Music (OPM) and foreign alternative/pop rock songs. Moreover, I learned to appreciate live performances.

Back in high school until college, I had bands, in which I am the drummer. My high school band, we called ourselves, Heaven Street (and from where that name came from, ask AJ). Russell as lead vocalist, AJ as lead guitarist, David as bassist. We used to have unpaid gigs (haha!) on the debuts of our classmates. We composed two original songs (I just do not know how I can post that song here), Asa and Kasalanan (both inspired by their respective composers' heartbreak stories). We still get together, though, during our "get-together's", but unfortunately, we do not 'jam' anymore like we used to.

Heaven Street, during my debut. :)

On the other hand, my band back in college was called Fishballs (kasi may isa daw samin na mukhang fish? I know, it sounds mean). We were an all girl band, me on drums, Gessy on bass, Keena on guitars, April on vocals, Kat on guitars, and Ria on keyboards/vocals. We were active from our late first year until our second year, during the last few months of our organization where we all met, the Letran Youth for Christ (which were disorganized by the school administration due to a lot of issues).

Fishballs, during my debut. :)

Fishballs, during a fund-raising concert in our parish.

Aside from my schooling days, I also had opportunities as I joined in Singles for Christ, playing in the all-sisters conference (photo below), and representing our sector in the band competition (sorry I cannot find a good photo for this).

Ang bandang, Sila!

Now you're asking, what's up with my title?

Lost, because I do not do this kind of stuff anymore. I lost the opportunities, even in my own SFC chapter, where the last standing opportunity for me is.

And honestly, I miss it. Playing the cajon or egg shaker will never replace my adrenalin rush when it comes to playing drums. Seeing my slightly used drumsticks just breaks my heart. Sometimes I think I cannot do this anymore because I do not practice, and I do not have the opportunity, nor the drive to do so.

Hiling by Paramita

(One of the songs I used to play, and sing).

What made me write this kind of emo article is the fact that a new girl band in the music scene, really impresses me. Have you guys heard of the band, General Luna? They have already released their songs, Nandito and Tila. All of them are beautiful, sexy, gorgeous, not to mention their musical skills. They have really caught my attention, most especially the drummer, because somehow I dreamed of becoming like her.

Nandito by General Luna

I am not sure when I can play drums again. But if given the time, opportunity and with awesome band mates, I believe I can try it again. And I'll make sure I will give my best, performance level.

Day 2: Madz North and South American Tour 2011

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:06:00 +0000

Tonight, or let's just say, tomorrow at 12:00AM, The Philippine Madrigal Singers, or Madz, will be leaving the country and flying to the other side of the world (first stopping at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA) for their North and South American Tour. They'll be gone for six months, and will be back here in the Philippines on around mid or late October of this year.

I'm gonna miss them, most especially our friends Bianca Lopez (pagbalik mo kami na ni Ryan ang bahala sa jetlag mo, sagot na namin ang alak sa Kalsada Grill or sa Central BBQ Boy na parati na lang nauudlot!) and Meg Montes (thanks for inviting me to today's lunch out! I'll buy you Korean rice pops when you get back.. yung hindi cheese flavor para hindi maalat!), our officemate, whom I fondly call Mara because of a typographical error in her pigeon hole's label.

Speaking of Meg, it is not common for her to be seen (or heard with a solo), as far as my knowledge of Madz is concerned, so when I learned of a song which she did the solo, wala na, LSS ko na ito ngayon.

Superb singing skills! Just like every single one of them! The thing is, you cannot see her singing in the video because her 'official' seat is on the right side (facing the stage), which, as you can see, is against this video's view.

And if you are wondering who Bianca is, she can be easily recognized because she's the smallest in the group, and can be usually seen in the middle of the crescent seating arrangement (as seen in the above video). You can see and hear her sing in this video below, standing on the right side. And with regards to her vocal powers, all I can say is this Love Radio tagline, "Kailangan pa bang i-memorize 'yan?" ;)

Yanni's Aria

*updated attached video, Apr 14, 2011*

I hope not one member of the group gets homesick too much, though...as this will be their longest tour. God bless you, Madz! See you on your homecoming concert!

Day 1: Crystal, Shamcey, and Taal

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:27:00 +0000

Account hacking...by kids!

Poor daughter of actress/comedienne K Brosas, Crystal Brosas, has had her twitter account (@crystalbrosas) hacked by a fan of her age, Carmela Ozoa (@osowaa), a few hours ago today.

Both just around 13 years of age, the envious fan was able to guess the victim's password. So, to all the kids who are here in the messy world of social media, please secure your accounts! Learn how to create strong passwords!

I also checked the tumblr account of the inggiterang fan. She's an emo! Walang magawa. Nagpapapansin. Parang tanga lang. I feel sorry for Crystal, though. Good thing her mom was not active in twitter at that time.

As of this writing, the real owner of the hacked account finally got in-charge and deleted all of her previous tweets, which includes those written by the hacker. She also said that her mom, K Brosas was mad because she thought her daughter was the one tweeting all of the nasty stuff.

Our Bb. Pilipinas Universe, 2011

Get ready, world, for the Philippines' bet for this year's Ms. Universe, is Ms. Shamcey Supsup.

Hailing from General Santos City (where my boyfriend's parents and our great Manny Pacquiao is from), and standing 5'7 1/4", with vital statistics 32-23-33, this lady is THE complete definition of beauty and brains. Aside from her slim bod, very confident catwalk skills, Penelope Cruz look, Anne Hathaway smile and her long, gorgeous waves, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of the Philippines Diliman College of Architecture, and the June 2010 Architecture Board Exams topnotcher. In line to that, she drew a Madonna and Child pencil/shading artwork in less than three minutes during her talent portion.

What else is left? The Ms. Universe 2011 crown, that is! I have full confidence in this candidate that she will surpass Maria Venus Raj and all the other Filipina beauty queens. Good luck to her competition in Brazil!

An active Pacific Ring of Fire

On the monthsary of Japan's worst earthquake in history, another earthquake with magnitude 7.1 hit an eastern part of the country hours ago.

Also previously noted was a tsunami warning on the nearby shoreline with a maximum height of 1meter but was later revoked by authorities (thank God!).

All I can say is, let us all pray for Japan, and hope that Philippines will not be next, as we also sit in the Pacific Ring of Fire. I pray for my cousin and her son, both living in Chiba, that they may live peacefully and as normal as they used to be. May God provide them with their needs.

Speaking of the Philippines being next, to the people living near Talisay, Batangas, Tagaytay, Cavite area, please do necessary precautions and evacuations, as the world's smallest volcano, Taal, is about to erupt at any time as per PHIVOLCS head.

Lord, please spare our poor country from any disaster, as we cannot afford to be in a state of calamity. Amen.

2011 Blast-off!

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 01:59:00 +0000

Warming up!

Starting April 11, 2011, our company will hold the unofficial 30day blog challenge. I'm joining this blogsite for this to be updated. I was already thinking of doing so a few days back however my emotional and mental capacity was not quite ready yet.

Now, what am I going to write in here for those 30 days?

Expect me to write about my previously undocumented realizations.
Travels and adventures.
Love and relationship advices? Yeah. I'll be your Dr. Love. :)
Technical articles. (Expected from a programmer) ;)
Music. Dance. Performing arts.
Religion and morality stuff (please be forewarned of my Anti-RH Bill write-ups).
And everything else under the sun, and within the perimeters of my workplace.

So stay tuned!

Yes, I am Loved by the Lord

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:25:00 +0000

Having attended the SFC Metro Manila Conference last July 23-25, 2010, bihira naman talaga akong matouch nang bonggang-bonggacious sa mga talks, worships, although siyempre, sa ganitong event lang mas nagiging malalim ang prayer ko compared sa regular na worships na meron kami sa aming chapter.

Ang hindi ko lang makalimutan dito ay ang aking experience sa Heart Made to Worship na workshop na inatendan ko. Siyempre, worship workshop ito. Pero to top it all off, di mawawala na may praise and worship. Nung time na ito ay hindi pa ako nakakapagconfess and I admit na mabibigat ang mga naging kasalanan ko sabay umattend ako ng event na ito kaya parang at this moment e hindi ako worthy. Pero nung nasa kalagitnaan na ng worship, napatingin ako sa crucifix na nasa stage. I looked at how the Lord died for us with all compassion and love.

Then when the song Heart of Worship was being played by the band, I saw a vision: a Man dressed in all white, with a crown of thorns on his head, but no blood flows out. Who looked exactly like the one crucified on the cross na nasa stage. He ran to me and embraced me tightly, just how my boyfriend does it when he is very excited to see me. I was struck when I heard him whisper to me something like, "everything will be alright." From that, for the first time, I cried (as in hagulgol ever ang drama ko) sa isang praise and worship session. I can't stop crying for a while.

Kasi that time, what really worries my heart was about my career. All i wanted was to be regularized in my current job. The Lord knew what I was afraid of. The Lord knew the desire of my heart at that very moment. And from there, he comforted me. I could feel his presence and his comforting words. Above all, I could feel His love.

As the worship session goes, everyone was encouraged to pray in tongues. As we were praying in tongues, the band vocalist, a sister, on the left side of my friend, Pabsy, (the one wearing a red shirt and brown jacket that time), was praying in tongues in front of her microphone, which made everyone hear it. Suddenly, I stopped and listened to her. I really cannot understand what she was saying, but in my heart, I was definite that she was speaking in Indian. I could say that because days before the conference, I have seen a video which shows a news in India, with Indian conversations so I knew that the prayer of tongues of the vocalist was close (or may really be) an Indian dialect. Which made me think, did i already receive the gift of interpretation of tongues? Hmm. :)

After the praise and worship session, I felt that I was really at peace and I was excited to have my confession. Thankfully, I was one of the first to receive the sacrament when the priests were stationed in the Garden of Renewal. I was really, really at peace.

Praying over the full time workers during a praise and worship session.

God has again, revealed to me his deep love for me.
He comforted me in that time of my sadness.
He is present.
He is loving us, no matter how grave our sins are.
He lives.
He is just waiting for us to come back Him.

Husbands, love your wives dearly

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:18:00 +0000

My BF emailed this passage to me months ago. This is a good read for people who are in a relationship, especially for husbands who have married the woman of their dreams. Enjoy!

When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands.
Like merchant ships, she secures her provisions from afar.
She rises while it is still night, and distributes food to her household.
She picks out a field to purchase; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She is girt about with strength, and sturdy are her arms.
She enjoys the success of her dealings; at night her lamp is undimmed.
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.
She fears not the snow for her household; all her charges are doubly clothed.
She makes her own coverlets; fine linen and purple are her clothing.
Her husband is prominent at the city gates as he sits with the elders of the land.
She makes garments and sells them, and stocks the merchants with belts.
She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs at the days to come.
She opens her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is kindly counsel.
She watches the conduct of her household, and eats not her food in idleness.
Her children rise up and praise her; her husband, too, extols her:
"Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all."
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.
(Proverbs 31: 10-31)

Pain.. Teardrops..

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Thu, 27 May 2010 05:25:00 +0000

Noon, hindi ako iyakin. Madalas, naiiyak ako sa mababaw na bagay (tulad nang pag nilipat ni mama yung channel sa TV e paboritong movie ko yung palabas), o kaya kung gusto kong maiyak sa mga emo sessions ng mga retreat na pinupuntahan ko e kelangan ko pa pilitin ang sarili ko na umiyak (yung matagal kang hindi pipikit.. na-try mo na?)

Pero napansin ko, habang tumatagal kami ng bf ko, e bumababaw ang luha ko. Minsan, kaunting emosyon lang, naiiyak na ko. Pag nagagalit siya o kung may hindi kami pagkakaintidihan, naiiyak ako. Pag naiisip ko ang kinahinatnan ko dito sa opisina, naiiyak na ako. Kanina lang habang nagbabasa ako ng isang blog entry e naiiyak na naman ako.

In lighter sense, sabihin na lang din natin na mas madali na rin akong masaktan, physically. Noon, nakagat ako ng pusa and I had to endure 9 shots nung dinala ako sa RITM. Pero nung nakaraang nagkasakit ako, kinailangan din akong turukan ng gamot dahil medyo malala ang sakit ko (tonsilitis at UTI.. naknang.. ayaw naman masyadong magsabay-sabay nung mga bacteria na yun noh?), sumigaw ako nung kinunan ako ng dugo (at nagkapasa din later on), sumigaw ako habang sa skin test pa lang nung gamot, at lalo na nung actual injection na (kahit dapat hindi masyadong masakit ang turok saken kasi sa pwet naman ang site.. pero ewan ko ba..).. pagkatapos ng mga turok na yan, nanghina ako. Hindi ko tuloy lubos maisip kung paano ako nakatagal nung gabing nasa RITM ako.

Balik tayo sa iyakan issue.
Advantageous ba pag mababaw ang luha mo?
Well, siguro. Kasi mas nalalabas mo ang sama ng loob mo.
Naalala ko dati hirap ako kasi parating naiipon lang sa puso ko ang sakit na nararamdaman ko.
Ngayon, mas nagiging ok na ko.
O siguro nahawa na lang ako sa bf ko kasi mas mababaw ang luha nun. Iniiyakan ang mga palabas sa TV at kung ano pang mas mababaw na bagay.
Pero, proud ako para sa kanya kasi hindi siya tulad ng ibang lalake na ayaw magpakita ng emosyon.

Ah basta, kahit ano pa man ang maging issue o kalungkutan, kung talagang iyon lang ang makakatulong, e iiyak mo na lang.
Besides,

crying is healthy. :)

The Law of Programmers

noreply@blogger.com (don_simoun) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 04:56:00 +0000

Noong nagsisimula pa lang ako bilang isang programmer, ang dami kong mga tanong like, "Paano ito?" o kaya "Paano ganyan?". Parang hindi ako marunong gumawa ng saril kong diskarte sa isang issue. Doon ko rin nalaman na marami na palang naiinis sa akin at tinatanong ako: "Programmer ka nga ba talaga?!?!?!"

Hanggang sa nalaman ko itong Law of Programmers at nagsimulang nagbago ang lahat. Kaya, gusto kong i-share ito sa inyo. Hindi ko na siguro kailangan pang i-explain pa kasi self-explanatory naman. Kung hindi pa ninyo alam, ewan ko na lang.

RTFM = Read That F*cking Manual.
Google is your bestfriend
Phone a friend.

Apostles' Creed, by Mheng Torres

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:46:00 +0000

I believe in God, our Holy Father, who created heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus His Son, who was conceived by our Mother because of her obedience through the power of the Spirit, to preach and to heal, but suffered and murdered proclaiming the Kingdom of God and for the atonement of sins, and as proclaimed, he rose again and seated at the right hand of our Father. He will come again to judge everyone from the past 'til the end of time.

I believe in the Spirit of God, the Holy Catholic Church, the foundation of Jesus, the communion of those who followed him, the forgiveness of sins for those who repent, the resurrection of the body and spirit, and everlasting life in the new earth Jesus promised. Amen.

How you can really save the Philippines.

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:49:00 +0000

(a repost from: http://www.facebook.com/notes/definitely-filipino/how-you-can-really-save-the-philippines/195574934793)

It’s easy to say we love the Philippines, that we are full of Pinoy pride, etc. But how much of that feeling translates into action?

The best way to show love for country is in the little things we take for granted. No need to be heroic and get shot in Luneta to contribute to nation-building. Here are fifteen small changes you can do to start. There are over 300, 000 members of DF. Imagine how much we could change the Philippines if all of us did these!

1. Hold that straw! Plastic straws are among the most abundant debris found on beaches. Marine animals nibble on these, thinking they’re food. Remember: you are fully capable of drinking without the help of a plastic appendage.

2. Donate those tarps! Tarpaulins are made of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable stuff. Instead of throwing them away, donate them to Earth Day Network, an environmental NGO that turns them into schoolbags for less fortunate children around the Philippines. Contact Ms. Binggirl Clemente at earthday_village@yahoo.com for more details.

3. Chuck those (disposable) chopsticks: when dining at any Asian restaurant, bring your own reusable chopsticks. Though wooden chopsticks are biodegradable, they take a long time to decay and just add to the volume of solid waste in dumpsites. The annual production of chopsticks uses up to 90, 000 tons of wood, which comes from trees—climax of the plant kingdom and lungs of the earth.

4. Think big, buy big. We Filipinos have a tingi-tingi culture where everything must come small. Imagine the amount of waste we’d reduce if we bought in bulk! Instead of buying in sachets, reach for the big bottle. When traveling, just put the contents in smaller, refillable bottles that you can buy in any department store.

5. BamBOO YEAH: instead of planting a tree, plant bamboo—it’s a kind of grass, which means it grows faster. Other bamboo bonuses: it doesn’t need fertilizer, generates 35% more oxygen than a tree, and stores more CO2.

6. When buying ice cream, choose cones over cups. Note: cones are edible, cups are disposable.

7. Be a botante and not a bobotante: in the upcoming 2010 elections, read up on your candidates. See if there’s any green platform behind the yellow, the orange, and the hand symbols.

8. Spread the word: one person can make difference if she reduces her waste. But if she tells others, then those others tell even more others, then we can begin to effect change. It may be important to practice what you preach, but it’s equally important to preach what you practice.

9. Paper or plastic? One ton of paper bags is equivalent to 17 trees and generates five times as much solid waste as plastic. One ton of plastic bags consumes 11 barrels of crude oil and takes 1000 years to decompose. The answer: neither – bring your own! You can carry an eco-bag or just put your purchase in your own bag. While you’re at it, tell the cashier that you don’t need a plastic bag ‘cause you want to save the world. Trust us, it’ll make her smile.

10. Bring your own water bottle! 2.7 million tons of plastic are used for bottled water annually, about 90% of which end up in landfills. An average mineral water bottle costs about P20. If you stop buying one or two bottles a day, you can save up to P1120 a month. While you’re at it, bring your own tumbler too! When you’re going to meet your friends for coffee, hand the barista your own tumbler or ask for your drink in a mug. Starbucks Philippines even gives a P5 discount for those who bring their own!

11. Need to reload? Go to your nearest e-load or autoload suki! Those prepaid cards are made from and individually wrapped in plastic.

12. Learn to love refillables! When buying pens and highlighters, choose those that are refillable, like Stabilo. That way, when the ink runs out, you no longer have to buy new ones. Just walk to your nearest bookstore and ask for a refill.

13. Eliminate phantom drain: Believe your charger when it says BATTERY FULL – it does not lie. Plugged chargers still consume energy.

14. Give me the “green” light: Replace those incandescent bulbs into Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs). They may cost a bit more, but think long-term: CFLs consume ¼ of the electricity and last several years longer. Plus, they look like vanilla swirl ice cream!

15. Tara na, biyahe tayo! Have you trekked the Banaue Rice Terraces, chased after whale sharks in Donsol, and viewed the Chocolate Hills of Bohol? Explore your country’s natural resources to remind yourself what it is you are saving. After all, you can only protect what you love, and love what you experience.

Remember: we can’t advocate for big changes if we can’t do the little ones. The late Ninoy Aquino said that the Filipino is worth dying for. Allow me to rephrase: the Filipino is worth living for and most definitely worth greening for. Now go forth and greenify!

by Anna Oposa

Anna Oposa is writing a day early because she is in Japan for the Denso Youth for Earth Action Program to present an environmental project she will implement in UP-Diliman. By tomorrow, she will no longer have Internet access. On the 11th, she will be speaking in front of an international crowd wearing a Filipiniana.

Friends come and go.

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:39:00 +0000

Merong isang pagkakataon na nakapag-usap ulit kami ng isang dating malapit na kaibigan. Natuwa ako sa pagkakataong yun kasi matagal na rin talaga ang huling beses na nagkausap kami kahit online lamang. At sa aming pag-uusap, kanyang pinakita ang mga graduation pictures niya na matagal na rin niyang ipinangako sa aking ipapakita niya (Ayaw niya kasi i-upload. Di ko alam kung bakit.).

Sa aking pagtingin sa kanyang mga litrato, hindi ko naiwasang magkomento, hanggang sa hindi ko namalayan, hindi na pala siya natutuwa sa mga nasabi ko. Humingi na lamang ako ng paumanhin sa aking mga nasabi, pero simula nung oras na iyon, may bumabagabag na sa akin.

As always, he has been open na hindi na nga siya natutuwa sa mga nasabi ko. Siguro e masyado akong naging kampante na tatanggapin lang niya ang mga sasabihin ko. Siguro e nasanay na rin akong magkomento sa litrato. Siguro masyado lang talaga akong naging taklesa. O siguro, hindi na nga rin kami talaga katulad ng dati.

At kung yung huling pangungusap nga ang pinakamabigat na dahilan, lubos naman akong nasasaktan.

Sa tagal ng aming communication gap, parang unti-unting napalayo ang loob ko sa kanya. Nagkakaroon na pala ng lamat ang dating inakala kong isang bagay na pang-habangbuhay.

At sa ngayon, sa totoo lang, hindi ko alam ang aking susunod na gagawin. Kung ililigtas ko pa ba ang dating samahan namin, o hahayaan ko na lamang na tuluyan na naming hindi na maibalik ang dati.

Mga ilang oras lamang ang nakalipas mula sa paggawa ng blog na ito, ay ka-chat ko naman sa Windows Live Messenger ang aking ka-opisinang matagal namang lumiban sa trabaho dahil nagkasakit. Nagulat na lamang ako na sa aking pangungumusta at sa aming pag-uusap ay binanggit niyang ako raw ang bestfriend niya dito sa opisina. BFF's na nga raw kami. (Corny ba? Hahaha. Inpernes ah, lalaki rin yan.)

Lubos ko namang ikinatuwa na ganun na pala ang nagiging presensya ko sa kanya. Hindi ko naman iyon itinanggi at ipinagkait sa kanya, bagkus, sa sumunod pa naming chat session at sa aming paglabas upang bumili ng pagkain e "bes" na ang naging tawagan namin.

Si Bes kong ito ay ang nagiging gamot sa sakit na naidulot ng pagkawalay sa akin ng isang kaibigan na kadugo ko na ang turing. Masaya naman ako ngayon kasi si Bes ay aking kasabay sa shift, at hindi pa kami magkalayo ng tirahan, kaya isang tao rin siyang alam kong maaari ko ring takbuhan.

Siguro nga talaga, friends come and go. Pati mga dati kong kabarkada, isa-isa na ring nawawala. Iilang mga tao na lang ang talagang natitira sa buhay kong nananatiling malalapit sa akin. Pero sa bawat pagkawala naman ng isang kaibigan, marami namang mga bagong mukha na pumapalit.

Pero hindi porket "friends come and go" nga eh hahayaan na lang rin natin na maging ganun ang mga pangyayari. Naniniwala pa rin ako na kung pagkakaibigan lang naman ang relasyon, maaari pa namang masagip yun. Alam kong iba pa rin ang ligayang madudulot ng mga "old friends" na talagang tumatak na sa mga puso at isip nating lahat.

Basta ang importante ngayon, pahalagahan ang bawat kaibigan. Binigay yan ng Panginoon upang may gawing isang importanteng bagay sa buhay mo. Ikaw na bahalang umalam ng dapat nilang maging misyon sa iyo. Kung sakaling mawala man sila, malungkot, oo, pero dapat maging masaya ka pa rin dahil dumaan sila sa buhay mo upang magdagdag ng kulay sa dating ordinaryo mong mundo.

Stupidity.

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:10:00 +0000

I just realized that I AM (yes, at present, I mean, just a few moments ago) hurting myself yet again.

A few minutes ago, I was looking at my ex-boyfriend's page at Friendster. Frankly, I found him cute on his current profile photo.

A few minutes ago, I was looking at my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's Multiply site (which, I have discovered, is not updated. Because if it really is, she would have removed all of his comments there. Technically, the site still has his comments.) and a few days ago, her Friendster account.

A few days ago, I was busy looking at the pictures of my boyfriend with that ex-girlfriend, on his Multiply account. Honestly, those really did not bother me in the beginning, but I guess it starts to as time goes by. So, I honestly told him what I felt, and I'm thankful that he removed the photo albums which involved them.

As I was kinda hopeless in my coding spree, this came to my thoughts: why am I doing this, if I know doing these things hurt me so much?

Maybe, because...

I am amazed on how things and time fly by so fast. There came to a point in my life that one close friend was just someone whom I share my detailed experiences with, and little did we know that this close friend and I would actually end up being together.

I am amazed on the situations I have been through. (Magta-Tagalog na ko ha? Di ko na kaya eh. Hahaha.) Dati kasi, itong close friend ko na ito, nattiyempuhan kong online, tapos magkaaway daw sila ng girlfriend niya. Ngayon, ako na ang umaaway sa kanya. Hahaha. (Di naman ako ganun ka-harsh.)

Nakakatuwa lang isipin talaga na talagang mapaglaro ang tadhana.

At masaya ako sa kinahinatnan ko ngayon.

Pero kung bakit ko sinasaktan ang sarili ko, maliban pa sa aking amazement (meron bang word na ganyan?) sa mga nakaraang pangyayari, honestly, di ko talaga alam. Siguro e sadyang sira-ulo lang ako. Adik eh.

Siguro, para gisingin ang sarili ko sa kung anong meron ako ngayon. Siguro ganun na lang talaga ang nakaraan: mga alaalang hindi na mababalikan, kasi iba na ang kasalukuyan, which then affects kung anong viewpoint mo ngayon sa hinaharap.

Siguro, para marealize ko kung gaano ako ka-blessed ngayon. Not just merely on having that close friend with me, pero sa kung ano pa mang magagandang nangyari sa buhay ko, on the side.

Pero as of this moment, I'm telling myself to stop. Tama na. Itigil na ang mga kagaguhang pananakit sa sarili.

Nasasaktan nga ba ako dahil may mga hurts and grudges pa ko?

Wala na akong makita sa puso kong ganun.

Tama na. Ngayon, itinataga ko sa sarili ko na hindi ko na sasaktan ang sarili ko sa kakagawa ng mga hindi na tamang bagay tulad ng mga ginawa ko. I am blessed. So blessed. Siguro e binabatukan rin ako ng Diyos sa kung bakit ko ito ginagawa, pero hindi naman talaga dapat.

And now, I have decided.

Una, gusto ko nang seryosohin ang mga bagay-bagay. Pa-unti-unti. Seseryosohin ko na ang buhay ko. Unti-unti akong babawi sa pamilya ko. Unti-unti akong uusad para makabangon sa lahat ng mga pagkakamali ko. Unti-unti kong tutuparin ang mga pangarap ko.

Pangalawa, mamahalin ko pa ang aking kasintahan. Hehehe. Narito na naman ako, nagiging makeso. Minsan lang naman ako magmahal eh. Maswerte ako kasi ang taong mahal ko ngayon ay mahal din talaga ako, at hindi siya nagkukulang. Gusto kong makabawi sa lahat ng pagmamahal na binibigay niya. Gusto ko pang maging mas mabuting kaibigan sa kanya. Gusto kong maging mas mabuting tao sa kanya. Gusto ko pang maging mas mapang-unawa at mas pasensyoso sa mga nagiging pagkakamali niya. Alam kong nababasa mo ito. Nais kong sabihin sa buong mundo na mahal na mahal kita.

Higit sa lahat, gusto ko pang makabawi sa Panginoon ko. Wala naman nang iba pang nagmahal sa akin ng higit pa sa buhay Niya, kundi Siya lang. In more ways than one, pipilitin kong ipamahagi ang pagmamahal ko sa iba, at pipilitin kong ibalik sa Kanya ang pagmamahal na ibinibigay Niya.

Now, I'm stopping this blog entry.

And now, I'll start to really love myself more.

Singles for Christ.

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:10:00 +0000

Ang bigat.

Iniisip kaagad ng tao na kapag nalaman nilang ang kasama nila ay miyembro nito eh ang taong yun ay isa nang perpektong tao. Relihiyoso.

Ano ba ang pananaw niyo sa mga taong SFC? Sa isang taong tulad ko?

Una sa lahat: hindi kami perpektong tao. Kaya please lang, stop judging us. Stop expecting that we are close to being saints. Although may disclaimer: at one point, SFC's strive to be saints. Personally, pangarap ko yun.

Nakakapressure na kapag nalaman ng tao na SFC ka, e dapat ma-meet mo ang expectations nila. Na dapat hindi ka masamang tao, na wala kang ginagawang masama.

Ouch.

Basta ako, eto lang ang masasabi ko: EVERYONE OF US IS A WORK IN PROGRESS: GOD'S WORK IN PROGRESS.

Oo. Marami na sa mga SFC ang mga taong visible proof na posible ang pagbabagong-buhay. Merong mga dating bading, straight na ngayon. Merong mga dating adik, matitinong tao na ngayon. Merong mga dating walang direksyon ang buhay, ngayon mga misyonero na. Maraming tao na proof ng kani-kanilang mga milagro sa buhay. Oo. Lahat kami. Lahat kami ay may kanya-kanyang kwento.

Pero meron pa rin sa amin na kahit solidong SFC ang pinapamukha sa mga tao, e kakikitaan pa rin ng hindi magandang bisyo. Marami pa rin ang naninigarilyo. Marami pa rin ang umiinom na parang wala nang bukas. Meron pa ring mga nambababae o hindi nakukuntento sa kasalukuyang relasyon. Marami pa rin ang nagpapaligaya ng sariling laman na labas sa sakramento ng kasal. At katulad ng mga nakaranas ng magagandang milagro, in the same way, marami rin sa amin ang may ganito pang mga hindi magagandang kwento. Hanggang ngayon.

At ang mga taong yun, hindi ko sinabing mga masasamang tao. Tingin ko sa kanila, na ito talaga ang totoong mukha ng mga SFC: na ang isang SFC ay isang hindi perpektong tao who could have been really worse kung wala sila sa renewal community na tumutulong sa kanila upang kahit paano eh maayos ang buhay nila.

Ano ngayon ang pinagkaiba ng mga hindi perpektong taong ito sa mga ordinaryong tao sa paligid?

Ang mga taong ito acknowledges the presence of God in their life. Oo. Aminado akong mahina rin ako at kabilang ako sa mga sinasabi kong mga hindi perpektong tao. Pero alam ko na kahit ganumpaman eh mahal kami ng Diyos, at hindi kami pinababayaan.

Isa pang punto: ang mga taong hindi perpekto ay nag-eeffort naman kahit paano na maging isang mas mabuti pang tao. Paano? Andiyan ang mga elders sa community upang tulungan kami. Pero kung spiritual battle na talaga ang usapan, ayan ang sakramento ng kumpisal. Para sa amin, ang kumpisal at ang kumpisalan mismo ay isang mahalagang bahagi ng simbahan na dapat hindi kinahihiyang puntahan, ngunit dapat bisitahin at least isang beses man lang sa bawat buwan.

Sa bawat SFC na makikilala niyo, bawat isa sa amin, tulad nga ng sinabi ko, may kanya-kanyang kwento ng mga miracles, ng mga Jesus Christ Experiences, pero bawat isa rin sa amin ay may kwento ng kahinaan. Ok lang naman maging mahina. Basta pag nadapa, bangon lang, bawi ulet. Kung magkamali ulet, bangon ulet. Ang mahalaga, kahit nadadapa ka eh hindi nananatiling nakahandusay sa lupa, pero pinipilit mong bumangon kasi alam mong hindi ka dapat nakadapa, ngunit nakatayo upang ipahayag ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa bawat isa sa ating lahat.

I was just inspired.

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:40:00 +0000

Minutes ago, I was busy working. But to keep my mind alive (since as of this moment, I am on a night shift), I was also reading my boyfriend's blogs in his multiply account. Since being close friends for almost three years now (and even being his girlfriend after some time), I was always amazed on his life stories. But somehow, I am just saddened as he had stopped his regular blogging due to an incident which discouraged him to blog. I don't want to push him to go back just yet, but I know that he will always have that thing to write again when the right time comes.

Ok. Tama na ang pag-e-English. Bakit nga ba ako sumulat ngayon?

Hindi ko alam.

Siguro kasi natutuwa ako sa pagbabasa ng mga blog niya. Kahit naman noon pa. Isa akong dakilang fan niya. Maliban na rin sa magaling siya mag-English, e kakikitaan naman kasi ng sense ang mga sinulat niya. Gusto ko rin sanang makasulat ng kahit anong malapit sa ganon. Siguro e mayroon din akong masasabi, ngunit subalit datapwat, hindi ko alam kung paano ako magsisimula. Marami rin akong mga pinagdaanan na siguro kung ilalahad ko dito e makakatawag din ng atensyon ng mga mambabasa.

So, paano nga ba?

Hindi ko alam.

Pero ano ba ang bumabagabag sa akin? Takot? Takot saan? Na baka mabasa ng aking ina ang kung ano mang ilalabas ko dito at baka sumbatan ako? Na baka husgahan ako ng kung sino mang makakabasa? Na mag-iba ang maging tingin ng tao sa akin? Na pag-isipan ako ng kung ano? Kung wala sa nabanggit, e ano?

Maybe what I need to do now is to find out what story to write, what could hinder me to write that story, and to ask help on how to construct and express that certain story here in this blog. But as for now, I just wanna tell everyone that I am happy to have been one of the fans of the blogger with the username of don_simoun. And sa kung ano pa man ang mga kwento niya, heto ang kanyang mga blogs:

http://just-two-cents.blogspot.com/
http://ryanestandarte.multiply.com/journal

I can attest that his stories are entertaining and inspiring. In a way, idol ko siya. Kasi despite ng lahat ng pinagdaanan niya eh he emerged strong and faithful. Idol ko siya kasi basically, magaling siyang magsulat. Idol ko siya kasi alam kong tao siya na makasalanan tulad nating lahat, yet he humbles himself and acknowledges his weaknesses.

Ngayon ko lang naisip: ang pundasyon ng mga sinulat niya, ay kung ano ang mga naging kahinaan niya. At kung dinaranas pa rin niya ngayon, ok lang yun. At least eh inaamin niya. Tingin ko e dapat lahat ng tao ay ganun. Ang pride, dapat nilulunok na. Kung alam mong mahina ka, sabihin mo. Kung tutuusin, hindi ka naman talaga huhusgahan ng mga taong talagang malapit sayo, bagkus (*nosebleed!*), mas maaappreciate pa nila yun kasi nagiging totoo kang tao hindi lamang sa sarili mo pero sa lahat na rin ng tao sa paligid mo.

Toe tales.

noreply@blogger.com (heaven_chill) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:54:00 +0000

Ang tagalog ng fingers, ay daliri.

Kung ating iisa-isahin:

thumb - hinlalaki
pointing finger - hintuturo
middle finger - hinlalato
ring finger - palasinsingan
pinkie finger - hinliliit

Funny to think about this though, pero, hmm..

Ano ba sa tagalog ang toes? Daliri sa paa?

Then what about each one of them? Wala bang specific na tawag dun?

Parang ang unfair.