Trip to Bustos


Ah! What a nice day to start. I'm excited cause I'm going to visit a friend in Bulacan. I did not know exactly where he lives but he has given me an instruction to ride a "Baliwag Transit" bus and he'll be waiting for me at Jollibee at Baliwag Town Plaza. I believe I woke up quite early and by a quarter to nine, I was on my way to Ortigas to ride the MRT to Cubao. What a bad luck this Monday has been! Starting near our place (Countryside) up to Robinson's Galleria, the traffic is sooo slow-paced that it took me almost an hour. Normally, it would only take me 20 minutes to travel. Now, I understand why people hate Monday mornings.

However, my MRT trip up to Baliuag is smooth sailing. I met my friend there in front of Jollibee. It was 12 o clock. We rode a tricycle that would take us from Baliwag up to their place in Bustos. My friend showed me the great river where upstream, the Angat Dam is located. The river is so wide but the water streaming on it was narrow. However my friend said that when there's a typhoon or when the dam spills the excess water it has, the water rises almost touching the bridge itself. This river was also the location scene of "Te Amo", a soap starring Iza Calzado and that Spanish guy in "Monica Brava".

When we reached their house. I was introduced to his mother who was watching TV. Lunch was superb! I was served with Spaghetti, Turbo Chicken, Corn Soup, Fruit Cocktail and Fresh Pineapple Juice. Man! I was so full. My friend talked a little about his life abroad (since he is an OFW) and proceeded to explain the new business I am into. It was about three when we left their place cause I'll be heading home already. My friend even bought me a big bag of cornick and small packs of "Lengua" so that I could eat something along the way.

Hospitable people are a rarity nowadays, especially if you're here in Metro Manila. Mostly people think of themselves only. But I thank God that people such as my friend and his family are servants of Generosity. I'm so much thankful. I really have a wonderful time.

The Highway of Holiness

Isaiah 35:8-10



⁸ There will be a highway which will be called
The Way of Holiness;
no one unclean will pass over it
nor any wicked fool stray there.
⁹ No lion will be found there
nor any beast of prey.
Only the redeemed will walk there.
¹⁰ For the ransomed of Yahweh will return:
with everlasting jou upon their heads,
they will come to Zion singing,
gladness and joy marching with them,
while sorrow and sighing flee away.


For these past months, I believe I have strayed away from this highway. Branching roads along the way lured me away with their promises of fame, vanity and power. I know that deep in my heart and as Christian, I was called by God to be holy. But what it is to be holy? Who is the "holy" man? As I was listening to the sermon just this morning, I couldn't agree more with what the pastor cited. Today, the world considers someone holy when we seem him clad in rather immaculate white robe. In Hindu countries, an old man who hasn't taken a bath for a year, who sports a long beard, whose clothes were not washed and lives in a mountain is a holy man. We thought directly of archbishops whose lavish garments we see during the mass as the holiest among the holiest. We thought of the holy ones as "untouchables", who's actions were quite refined, like some mystical phenomenon will happen when you are with him.

The Bible tells us that a holy man is a man who reflects God's nature in his mind. Have we recalled Phil 4:19 and the fruits of the Holy Spirit? He is a man who is set apart from the world because he has a purpose. And that purpose would be to mirror God's nature, to infect other people and those who are around him with a message that says, "God is in me". People can directly see God's power in his life. Isaiah 35:8-10 are God's promises when we live a holy life. A whole life of peace and security knowing that God is in control of me.

Sadly, I have departed from that highway to pursue empty and foolish dreams and before I knew it, I was back in my old ways. I haven't felt God close to me. It seems he's so far away. I felt desensitized. My views of morality become lax. Though the world considers it being liberated! I have realized it's foolish to be someone who is desensitized, even considering immoral like it's a normal thing to do. I have relapsed into believing that having PMS is normal, that same-sex relationships are normal since nowadays many people are doing it. DESENSITIZED. I like that term. It's seems like you are numb on everything, morally and spiritually. God says to the priests at Ezekiel 22:26, "... [your priests] have broken my laws and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between what is holy and what is common; they have not taught what what difference there is between the clean and the unclean..." and God has declared terribly in verse 31, "So I have poured out my wrath against them; I have destroyed them in the heat of my fury bringing down on their heads all they have done ..."

I sat there on my seat as the pastor prayed and the praise and worship team singing the final hymns thinking how much I have gone astray especially with my motives and thoughts. I have realized how much I have lusted for worldly ambitions quite forgetting my purpose in life. Oh, I pray to God to feel Him once again and lead me back to the Highway called Holiness.

Feeling Tipsy


Hi, it's been a week since I got here in Manila. Me and my friend Ryan Chua have been cruising the Ayala and Ortigas buildings, shoving our resumés to the information girls of different ECE and It companies. It's been quite good, my diet slightly out of balance but getting enough workouts to get those muscles at least active. I should've bought that Chinese medicine when I still have the money. It's been really shitty and I know I'm going to regret this all over again even though my friends and my family have thoroughly advised me not to be disillusioned by that PA thing. What did I earn? A negative 7,801.75 pesos... sigh!

Anyway, I have better things to look forward to. I just earned my first payout from my new business venture, the Uniloads last Thursday and I was more than excited. I hope I could convince more people to join maybe next week. God will provide and help! Anyway, life goes in for Andy. I'm not really looking forward to find a job here in Metro M. Even if I do have a P10T-figure job, I still wouldn't be able to save. I'd rather go back to Davao and make myself rich in there. It's kind of surprising, how interesting it is to know how money goes in and out of your hands. You just have to know "how to".

I Hate Flying


Just arrived yesterday here in Manila via plane. My flight was supposed to be 1:05 PM yesterday but to due to some unavoidable circumstances, it was rescheduled to 2:25 PM. So I waited quite long, watching Game KNB and MTB while waiting. By the way, days ago I went to my EENT doctor because I have problems with my sinus part and I felt pain whenever I press my forehead. I was diagnosed with Allergic Rhinitis and Astigmatism. The former is like Sinusitis in a much worse level while Astigmatism is an inborn eye lens defect where the lens is less/more concave than it should be. My left eye has grade 50 (the vision is slightly blurred when I cover my right eye)but my right eye is normal so my doctor said, I shouldn't be needing reading glasses. (I really want to wear glasses!!)

Back to my story, having allergic rhinitis, you are vulnerable to certain allergies. Personally, my rhinitis is triggered if I'll inhale cold air like in an airconditioned room or inhale some dust. So while at the airport, the pre-departure area is so cold, and I felt mucus was building inside my sinus part and I have to cover my nose with a hanky to warm the air entering my nose. By the time I entered the plane, my nose was quite normal however as the flight progresses, I start to sneeze. Despite my efforts to warm the air I breathe, the mucus seem to build up faster.

Then the worst came, at the start of the plane's descent at NAIA, My whole head start hurt in the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in whole life. I felt something would burst forth my head and I imagined some alien life-form borne and saying "Hello World". My nape tingles and felt that my spinal cord is affected too. My temple throbs and I felt I'm some human transforming into a werewolf. The pressure in my sinus is unimaginable and minutes later, I felt my eye veins will explode. I imagine myself in some horror film when eyes get suddenly turn red with blood and burst out blood spraying like the one in "Kill Bill". I endured this pain for almost 20 minutes and when we finally disembarked from the plane. I can still feel the ringing sensation in my ears even up to this point. I haven't have regular sleep last night, my nose is annoying me but fortunately when I woke up this morning, I feel it's okay. I just pray for a healthier day ahead.

Poltergeists Strike Again





I'm starting to doubt whether there really are Poltergeists around the house. It was like noon, near the spot (please see map re: Poltergeists) and suddenly the maid's door bang by the itself followed by my sister room's door. I don't have the spooky feeling anymore. I just shrugged, it must be the "wind".

SCQ Fab Five




3 hours of tension was building inside me as I waited for Star Circle Teen Quest. Yesterday was another elimination day for the show but it was special because the remaining contestants will belong to SCQ's prestigious fab five. These contestants will join the ranks of their now-famous predecessors such as Jorross, Hero, Melissa, Roxanne and Sandara. So I waited for all the "teleserye" to be finished, enjoyed "Mulawin" and "Lovers in Paris" much along the way.

The show eventually came, with a cool production number by the contestants. Gracing the events were Piolo and Bea who promoted their new movie, "Dreamboy", the first batch of SCQ, and Animé of the horror series, Spirits. The show came to an end when the contestants take their final stand awaiting for the jurors to declare what fate will bring them. When the two stars from Davao, Erich and Charles were called I was so proud. They really deserve it. Oh my God, I seem to contradict myself. I was never involved in things like this before. I was right to judge that Janelle will be eliminated. Too bad, she really had a very good voice but when she performs she looks as if she was bored. Her energy is too low.

Well, the journey for the Questors continues this week as each of them will compete for the grand questor prize. I hope Erich wins.

Poltergeists


This entry is supposedly to be posted last Friday but due to some disk problems it was not posted.

Yesterday, I think I confirmed my belief regarding the paranormal or so in a slightly elevated level when something very spooky happened to me. For these past days, I have been reading my brother’s Philippine Ghost Stories books 4 and 6 and maybe this spooky thing is also attributed to the work of my imagination. But, my eyes can’t fool me so here it is.

This quite scary event happened inside our house. It is located in an area where there is a mirror facing the door of the CR and just perpendicularly adjacent to the CR is the door leading to me and my brother’s room, beside it is our maid’s room and beside it is my sister’s room. It’s door perpendicular to the maid’s door. Behind the mirror is a small hallway leading to my sister’s room and the to the hallway’s left is the divider that divides the room and the rest of the house.



It was about six in the evening and I took a leak inside the CR. When I got out, I faced the mirror to fix myself. Suddenly, the ajar door of my sister’s room just closed by itself shut so fast as if someone was pushing it from inside. I called our maid’s attention who is fixing some things in our room and asked her if she had heard the door shut. I became so spooked that I blurted loudly that something not like ours has pushed the door shut. My mom casually told us that it’s just the wind. But it’s impossible since it’s so freaking humid at that time and no wind was ever felt. If ever there was wind, it would be impossible to close the door since it was positioned to cause the door to “open” if the door would be ajarred. Our maid told us that it happened to her also many times having seen the doors suddenly shut themselves and sometimes open by the themselves. Could it be that poltergeists linger our house? We have been in this house for almost ten years and just recently these things happen. My siblings have this habit of playing Spirit of the Paper just for fun. Could it be that this game has called some spirits that lingered inside our house?

Hooked on SCQ





It's the 3rd week of my extended vacation here in Davao and I'm starting to feel bored. But the nights are getting more exciting since I get to watch Star Circle Teen Quest. Currently, the questors are down to six and this Friday, the jurors will be selecting the final five. I'm very glad that our own homegrown talents Erich and Charles are doing great. Erich was the highest pointer in last week's "TV Show Week" while yesterday, Charles was the top questor during their dubbing stint of "Lovers in Paris" followed by Erich. I'm very sure that these two will land for the final five which shown in Friday live at Aliw Theater.

Movies for the Season


Happy New Year!

For many, New Year is a sign of making things new: forgetting the old and bad ways and welcoming strange adventures but not being quite cynical, New Year for me is just a continuation and what must to be done, well although it would be hypocritical to say that New Year somehow brings larger opportunities, some exciting news and to tell to you the truth I'm quite excited of what is going to come for me. I just pray that God will grant the desires of my heart.

I was afraid that for the last days of the season would make me bloated. I only go to the gym twice a week coz, I'm so lazy to carry my own ass and pump some iron and oh yeah, my mum keeps all the sweetest cakes, salads and sweets inside the ref., just within my reach. But what keep me sane these last days are the movies I watched from our private (pirated) DVD library inside our house. Highly recommended are the movies which will melt your heart and will burst your guts out laughing.


    

"Love Actually" is a story collection of different people (Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, Liam Neeson, et. al) who are loosely interrelated set in modern London during the Christmas season. The the stories varied in kind and in nature they are there to show us, audience that Love actually... is everywhere. When I first saw this movie, I was "bored" with too many characters involved and too many situations to digest but if you get to watch this movie the 2nd time around, maybe you'll appreciate it this time, like what it did to me. Nothing in this movie is overly dramatic, nothing much to be excited about but it will surely makes your heart stop and think and realize your capacity to love in your own unique way. "Big Fish" is a highly touching movie not intended for "all too literal" minds. Big Fish is a life story of a father (Ewan McGregor), who tells life in a fantastic, enchanted, surreal and exaggerated way. His son feels detached from his father since he though that he was living a lie of made-up yet exciting stories that never really happened. However, as his father is dying because of sickness, he realizes that his father is not really lying and all those events that happened to him were true. What was dramatic was that he himself in the end finished his dad's story for him in the most delightful way. Prepare yourself for the "biggest" laugh in your life as the Wayan brothers again entertain us with their another "critically un-acclaimed nonsense movie", White Chicks. The brothers played as two policemen who were to escort elite sisters, Britney and Tiffany Wilson (who kinda reminded me of Paris and Nicky Hilton) to the Hapmton's Weekend party. However things got screwed up and they end up disguising themselves as the two sisters. You don't have to think too much, just sit, relax, grab some chicharon and drinks and you'll have a good time.