Dissatisfied Customer


A while ago, I went to Praise Music kiosk to return the CD I bought yesterday. It is "Top 25" CD which is a compilation of top praise and worship songs. When I bought the CD, I thought that the songs were sung by the original artist of each song instead it was just re-recorded by Maranatha and mind you! The double CD costs 550 pesos. Even "Hillsong Music Double CD" only costs 500 and you get original and intense live recording of Darlene Zschech and her praise and worship team. The CD was far from Hillsong quality that's why I'm quite disappointed.

The saleslady was not the one who at the kiosk yesterday so I need to explain my concerns all over again. Upon hearing, she immediately told me that they cannot exchange the CD with another CD of different artist but only with the same CD. I really "plead" and I told her that I was really frustrated so she asked for my contact details to consult her manager regarding the matter. I just pray that the response would be positive.

By the way, things got more exciting at work. I was given more area-specific tasks and I felt productive at the end of the day thinking that I've done something quite great. I'm still praying to God that I would get more cooperation from the people in my area and to lessesn work complications like delays and unavailability of the equipment. Like I promised to my friends that I will move to their house next month, I decided to stay at my current place. I just felt comfortable in there, with easy access to the mall, hospital, refilling station, laundry and the church most especially.

Home

Let this song be your personal prayer.

Thinking back when we first met
I remember what you said
You said you'd never leave me
I let go of your hand
Built my castle in the sand
But now I'm reachin' out again
And I'm not letting go
Till you

Hold me
Mold me
Sometimes I feel so all alone
See, I gotta find my way back home
So why don't you
Shape me
make me
Wash me whiter than the snow
I gotta find my way
Back home

Master upon my knees i pray
I just want to be the clay
Put your arms around me
Place my life in your hands
Lord, I know I'm just a man
I know you understand
This time I'm not letting go
Till you

Anoint me
Appoint me
Sometimes I feel so alone
See, I gotta find my way back home
So why don't you
Chastise me
Baptize me
Wash me whiter than the snow
I gotta find my way

'Cause I'm lost and alone
I've been wandering
Long enough to know
Humbly I search for you
And I'm not gonna rest
Till you

Choose me
Use me
Sometimes I feel so alone
I'm on my way back home

So why don't you
Direct me
Bless me
Wash me whiter then the snow
I'm on my way
Back home

The Week That Was


Last Thursday, I have decided to go down south in Manila to spend the holy days. Upon arriving, I stopped by an internet café to make the initial draft of my monthly report to be passed on Friday this week.

Tomorrow that day, Good Friday. I attended the 3 o' clock service of my home church in Manila. It was a spirit-filled experience as people of God sang songs of Christ's victory at the Calvary and at the same heart-piercing, cuz in between the seven last words, we were shown with several movie clips from "Passion of the Christ". You cannot help but be moved. Dinner was a luxury as most common fast food chains were closed during that day. My friend Butch and I landed at an elegant Italian restaurant in Eastwood and we went out feeling our stomachs so full as our wallets are empty. :(

By Saturday, some malls were opened. So we have our lunch at a mall near our place in Ortigas. We sang in a videoke booth and that's the reason why I can't speak today. After that we get dressed to go to SM Megamall and watch "Miss Congeniality 2". Sandra appears as Gracie Hart once again with new comical acts to show. After that we went to Timezone and played "Jurassic Parkand something like a ninja game. We have to shoot the dinosaurs if they try to eat us. It was so much fun, full of shouting and (swearing) as one by one we get eaten by those pesky critters. My friend was killed by a large T-Rex at the final part of Stage 1. When we got home, I can't say a thing.

On Resurrection Sunday, yesterday, John met me at Chowking to join Frank and Anita at Word Community Church. I was pestered with the worse case of diarrhea (or gastritis) that I can't concentrate mouthing (not singing since I was completely voiceless) the Praise and Worship songs. I even exited from the service to my private meditation in the CR... hehehe... After the service, the diarrhea went away as we are on our way to Edsa Shangri-la to have our lunch. We ate at "Bon-Appetit" where there was an endless supply of ice cream for dessert. That afternoon, I was due to go back to Baguio but John invited me to go with him at Los Baños to visit the wake of the mother of the friend of her sister. (Tatay! Peace! hehehe) Since I haven't visited that place and haven't been to UP Los Baños either, I decided to go with him and have a road trip, forgetting my trip back to Baguio. When I took up my UPCAT test when I was in high school, I passed and I'm supposed to study here. What life would it be if I've taken my college course there instead of Ateneo? Just wondering. When we got to UP Los Baños, I was quite amazed with the place because it's at the foot of Mt. Makiling and the area was filled with large trees, much like of a sanctuary within a forest. John gave me a tour around the whole campus for about an hour and we visited the wake. We got back in Manila by 11 and John accompanied me Victory Liner bus terminal that would bring me here in Baguio. I arrived in Baguio by 4:30 last morning.

Ready to Fly!



This post is dedicated to my brother, Aris who just graduated a few hours ago!!! Congratulations, bao! My brother, took a course in AB Fine Arts majoring in Painting at the Ford Academy of the Arts in Davao City, Philippines. Among his sketches including this one above can be found in his DeviantArt account. He also have numerous paintings (all of them stacked in our room) mostly of Medieval or Davao ethnic theme. But his specialty are his comics which are naturally very funny (You should've read them. Worth publishing!), drawn from day-to-day experience like the Ateneo community (in which he spent his 1st year in there) or his friends and classmates' lifestyle at his current school. My brother dresses weird like most artists but I'm glad he's less weird than most of them. Hehehe... Congratulations, bao, I pray I could produce publishing your comics someday.

He Rode on a Donkey




¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.
¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!"
¹⁴Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

¹⁵"Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion;
See, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey's colt."

¹⁶At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

This is today's scripture at the church I've been worshipping. As the world knows, today is Palm Sunday. Traditionally, it introduces a week long observation of the Lenten Week which will end next Sunday. As I was riding a jeepney from my place, I passed by Baguio Cathedral and saw worshippers holding a coconut leaf version of the palm leaves, locally known as palaspas. Yesterday, I was watched "Gospel of John" and I was really moved not because of how Jesus was tortured like the one I felt watching "Passion of the Christ" but somehow viewed Jesus Christ as a man, whose leadership was awesome! A fiery God's own Son whose life is devoted in listening and following the will of his Father and selflessly offered himself to die on the cross for our sake. After watching the movie, I have decided to follow Jesus' leadership. In any small way which require my task as a leader, I just look up to Jesus.

Jesus, as presented in the movie, was misunderstood. Pharisees see him a potential religious-political threat in the Jewish comminity. Some people doubted him and called him blasphemous and worthy of death by violating the Law of Moses. Some however opened their eyes. I believe that Jesus miracles did not happen because He just said it so but because, those who were given those miracles BELIEVED that the miracle will come upon them. When Jesus told the blind man to wash his eyes with the mud He wiped on them, the man immediately got up and washed it cause he BELIEVED that he could see. The lame man got up immediately when Jesus told him to get up because he BELIEVED that he could walk. Sometimes when God speaks to us, we doubt God's promises and turn to other ways we think that could solve everything. God simply tells us to believe regardless of anything we might think or feel.

Jesus is a king! But he only rode on a donkey's colt. What irony can we see! Kings are supposed to ride on majestic white horses, aren't they? But see here, being a great a king of great leadership, one is to offer a life of service. A great leader is a servant to his followers. The scene on Jesus' triumphant entry to Jerusalem shows us that greatness comes in little things. In his humble appearance, his greatness his shown as people who have been touched by Him declared "Hossanas". At that time Jesus was perceived only as a prophet, or a fool declaring He is God's son. Maybe he was also perceived as revolutionary leader gaining followers for an army that will bring down the Roman Empire. It was like this cause Jesus has been declaring He wil bring His Kingdom on Earth, though Jesus was referring a kingdom not of this world.

Anyway, as the Lenten week comes, let us be mindful of a God who became man - who undergone all-too-human feelings of pain, doubts, temptations, sufferings to follow God's will and save us from sin.

Introspection


FYI: Take note of the new blueswirls logo under each blog entry. It looks cool. If you think the matrix picture (pls. browse old archives) was cooler, this one is definitely the coolest.

Last Friday, I went back to Manila to visit my friends in BP. One of my bros. John offered me to stay at Frank's apartment during my stay over the weekend. On Saturday noon, I went to BP's office to meet the gang. I met John at the entrance of the building and we exchanged greetings, asking how fine is each other. When we get at the office, Frank was there sitting in front of his laptop. I was "starstrucked" as I get to meet the "MAN" behind the world's largest ministry of its kind, "The New Hope" ministry.

John told me that by four we will be having a "gimik" at Powerplant Mall with JP and Frank will join us if he wants to. Meanwhile we went out to buy flowers for BP office. I noticed Frank likes purple flowers. Maybe purple is his favorite color. JP arrived later as we were watching "Dr. Phil's" show. By 5 we all four went at Powerplant and we have a really great night. We watched Hitch, starring Will Smith and the beautiful Eva Mendez (that was her in Fast and Furious II).

Tomorrow, Sunday, John, Frank and I went to church at WordCom where I left my dear old Bible. It was a youth Sunday, and the preacher was a very young man, and he's still in college. I was really blown away with the power of God's message delivered through him. I left the church so blessed and at the same time HOPEFUL that God will make his plans for me more beautiful and perfect than I imagine in His time.

Before I went back to Baguio, I bought a new Bible.

Lonely Pine Trees


I have been spending a week and a half in Baguio. Last weekend I came back to Manila to get my things and I admit it, I really missed the place. Back to Baguio, I arrived feeling all alone. The euphoric feeling from orientation starts to fade away as I was given my duties and responsibilities yesterday. Though the job is quite exciting like gathering data for IC warpage, I felt something is quite empty and alone inside. Some people are TI are quite "arrogant" in terms that they knew something else. I knew that we warned at the orientation that some people would be like that and people who I have perceived to treat me that way make me feel estranged. But I know that God must've placed me in this place to adapt to something new but for now it just doesn't feel right.

Every time I step out of the bus, I walk alone, though I have friends who I go along with. I prefer to be alone, feeling the cold Baguio air and admiring the pine trees, (Naks!) taking comfort by dining at a fastfood then walk home and get ready to sleep. Life nowadays feels quite a routine but I don't know as sure as God is there, then I can be assured that everything will end well.

Money



It can buy a House
But not a Home

It can buy a Bed
But not Sleep

It can buy a Clock
But not Time

It can buy you a Book
But not Knowledge

It can buy you a Position
But not Respect

It can buy you Medicine
But not Health

It can buy you Blood
But not Life

It can buy you Sex
But not Love

So you see money isn't everything.

I tell you all these because I am your
friend, and as your friend
I want to take away your pain and
suffering...

So send me all your money and I will
suffer for you.

A truer friend than me you will never
find.

First 3 days at Texas Instruments


It's my third day of my 5 month apprenticeship at Texas Instruments. Praise God, cause I passed the qualifying exams just a while ago and I'm glad that I still have a month to go to take another qualifying exams. But for the meantime, I'm glad I did pass the exam which is composed of 40 items and you have to get 36 to pass. The exam is simple but I have to take it twice cause I failed the first time. If I failed the third time, sadly I'll be out of the program.

Things have been going quite well. I found a house with roommates I hardly get along with. They are speaking "Kapampangan" all the time, and most of the time I'll just listen to them without any idea what they're talking about. Anyway, I'm planning to move maybe next month in a house with my original gang at Texas Instruments, the ones I get along with. The training is very good. Our trainors/instructors are very competent and funny. The clinic gave us anti-meninggoccemia shots for free! Shots cost 2000 if you do it a clinic in downtown Baguio. I was tagged in this batch as "Dingdong Dantes", cause they said, I look like him. Ganun! Well, I think this is what I'm going to give you so far. Tomorrow, we will be deployed at our designated area in the production.