Entries from July 2011 ↓

Three Blessings for my birthday weekend: 1. The peak of my birthday celebration is a spa treat with my Ian and a sumptuous seafood hot pot dinner with my family. Shrimps, shrimps, and more shrimps! 2. Ptr. Jeff's message this Sunday is about praying with authority, the kind Jesus demonstrated when he healed the boy possessed by an impure spirit. 3. Daff and I laughingly fumble the alto part of The Prayer. After the nth try, we are finally able to sing in harmony with Italian lyrics. And a post birthday verse:

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7

1. I share three rolls of cake with friends and colleagues for a very sweet 28th birthday. Goldilocks' dulce de leche cake is a new treat, while the taste of mocha roll reminds me of childhood parties and parlor games. 2. My quiet time passage from Psalm 39 is apt indeed:

⁴ “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. ⁵ You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.

⁶ “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be.

⁷ “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. 3. My Ian patiently listens to my existential rambling, then takes my hands in his and prays for me.

1. Along EDSA, I catch a glimpse of a billboard that proclaims: "I love the way you are always with me." Reminiscent of a recent quiet time verse from Hebrews 13:5.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

2. Opposites attract is playing on the radio, and it reminds me of my Ian.

You're a morning kind of person Everything is spic and span I could live with all the clutter Stay so late at night I can I would often think it out loud Say whatever's on my mind You would rather keep your mouth shut Leave the details all behind

You take me just as I am No more, no less, just as I am. 3. For inspiration, I sign up for FEBC's Christian Blogger's Fellowship. I am seated with the noisiest table (sugar + caffeine + bloggers = BOOM!) and have immense fun brainstorming ideas with them. [caption id="attachment_2324" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="So you think you can blog? A fellowship of Christian bloggers"][/caption]

Three Blessings for Sunday, July 17, 2011. 1. I wake up in the wee hours of the morning to tuck a hot water bottle into bed with me. Relief sans drugs for that time of the month. 2. Deborah stops to retie the decorative ribbon of my dress while asking where I bought it. 3. I hop to the parlor with drastic plans for my hair. I ask my Ian's opinion, and he waxes nostalgic about the time our paths crossed again. I get the hint and gleefully say goodbye to four inches. Hello, neat bob cut which makes me look like a sixth-grader.

Three Blessings for Saturday, July 16, 2011. 1. We feast on a Korean lunch of steamed rice, vegetable dumplings, dried seaweed, bean sprouts with sesame seeds, chicken teriyaki and tiny dried fish. I relish the crunchy saltiness of bean sprouts wrapped in dried nori. 2. Instead of the usual mountain setting, we meet in Dinky's family backyard. The refreshing breeze, leaf-dappled shade and sturdy trees make me yearn for hammocks and camps. 3. Something catches my eye in the middle of a gridlock: a spiffy CCTV camera swerving on top a pole, its lens monitoring the movement of traffic (or lack thereof). 4. After a whole day of burying his head ostrich-like in his pillows or averting his gaze from mine, the painfully shy little boy finally deigns to let me carry him. Hurrah!

1. Mantha is at my side a second after the microwave pings that lunch is ready: ground pork, shredded cabbage, marble potatoes and button mushrooms sauteed with onions, garlic, thyme and basil. She seems to like my cooking experiment, and suggests a healthy dose of pepper for the next attempt. 2. Jon thanks me for posting the verse in my previous entry, and I am gratified that people actually read my blog posts. 3. I rejoice with my Ian and his flood of great news. There is nowhere else to go but up, indeed.

Three Blessings for July 7, Thursday. 1. As part of my thesis work, I have been observing Alternative Learning System sessions at the Shining Stars Learning Center for out of school youth in Rizal. Today, the students are practicing their English writing skills by describing a place they've been to. I help out by answering questions that usually start with, "How do you say this...?" It is refreshing to be able to teach again. 2. Burger Machine offers one of my favorite treats for only P15! Sansrival in all its icy, creamy, and nutty goodness. 3. It is already my Ian's bedtime when I pack up  my things to leave the office. He texts, "I'm here for you," and offers to wait until I get home. 4. My take home verse from our Wednesday BS:

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Luke 16:1