Category: X-Archives

Fairies are real, they come and make you smile and brighten up your Monday

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It’s been a slow-moving Monday, and I was feeling a little bit down and low to start the day. Must be Monday morning sickness. But looking at these photos of Baby Jill* wearing her cute tinkerbell dress, and her Ninong Bud being all too adorable carrying her, makes me feel sunshiney again. And hopeful. And loved. And excited for things to come.

Amazing what babies (and husbands) can do. Instant pick-me-upper!

Lunch break is over, and I’m feeling so much better now. Hope you’re having a sunshiney Monday yourself. :)

*She’s the baby who was dedicated last week. :)

Afters Espresso & Desserts, we found our new happy place

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There’s this new place in Tomas Morato called “Afters” which we accidentally discovered one Sunday night. We were really aiming for Bubble Tea, but as we were placed in the waiting list (at 11pm! Por que!), we decided to hang out somewhere else. Preferably, a more quiet place where we can talk and have coffee.

The best discoveries are those which happened by accident, so it seems. We ended up a few blocks from Bubble Tea, in this quaint little cafe near the intersection of Tomas Morato and Roces. We’ve been hanging out there since (we brought more friends!), and each night at Afters has so far been epic. ;)

I love that in Afters, you can have gelato AND espresso in one place—have one or the other, or you can have them together! The Affogato is my favorite, it’s a scoop of vanilla gelato submerged in one shot of espresso goodness.

Ahhh. I think I’m in love. 

Still, the best part of every dining or coffee experience is the company of friends. I happen to be blessed with a bunch of crazy ones I can be my-crazy-self with, laugh with, grow with..

..and entrust my husband to. LOL. (Obviously, my husband is fitting right in!)

Cheers to discovering new places, epic nights, and friendship!

Saturdays and solitude

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There was a point in my life when being alone made me crazy; times when I made it a point to be surrounded by people whether I knew them or not. Good for me, those days are gone. And now that I’ve come to acknowledge solitude as a gift, I welcome it with a huge smile on my face and a long, exaggerated, happy sigh. Thank God for Saturdays. And solitude.

Two Saturdays ago, I spent my alone-time studying and marveling at the book of Ephesians, in preparation for that message I had the privilege of sharing at our church last February 19. Ephesians is beautiful (not to mention cheesy), you know? Go, read it and see for yourself! :)

A clean house, a cup of coffee, some vanilla oreos, and a solid, quality time with God’s Word—it was another happy Saturday for me!

Do you feel it too, when something BIG is about to happen—a new adventure looming in the horizon? Time spent in solitude, they say, prepares us for changes and challenges that are about to come our way. My husband and I don’t know what our new adventure is going to be exactly, and when, and how, but something inside me is feeling giddy and restless these days. In a good, bring-it-on-Lord kind of way. :)

I caught the Jeremy Lin fever

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And for me it isn’t about the New York Knicks or the NBA. I stopped watching NBA when Jordan, Pippen and Rodman disbanded, and Penny Hardaway stopped playing for Orlando. (Meh, that just made me feel old.) I never rooted for any NBA team since.

But Jeremy Lin happened and I find myself watching NBA replays and post-game interviews again. And since that’s not enough to feed my curiosity, I start digging into non-sports articles and videos about Lin from his pre-basketball stardom too. The more I dig in, the more in awe I am of his story and its impact that’s so huge even non-basketball fans like me would  start watching basketball again; more so, how backsliding Christians would start coming back to faith (true story) inspired by him.

On a lighter note, I think my husband is happier because now he gets to watch basketball games AND spend time with me at the same time. You’re welcome, dear.

Here are some interesting Jeremy Lin stuff I’ve seen around:

+ You’ve probably seen him give tips on how to get to Harvard, but you should see his cameo in this Kevjumba video! My churchmates and I LOL-ed over these vids. My favorite part was when Jeremy was caught on video holding an iron, in bed!

+ In an InterVarsity interview, back in his college years, Jeremy answered questions about how his faith kept him grounded. It’s inspiring to see how solid his Christian disciplines are.

+ Ate Stef thinks Jeremy Lin’s story is one of hope, of never giving up through years of rejection, and rising above persecution and suffering. (My thoughts exactly, Ate Stef wrote it beautifully.)

+ Jessie Eissenberg shares awesome stories about how Jeremy helped him through tough times; and  how he offered to donate a kidney to someone he’s never even met.

+ John Piper quotes him. He says Jeremy seems to have his head on straight—and coming from The John Piper, that’s saying a lot.

When Paul wrote in Philippians to press on for an upward prize, he was living for that, and it made his life meaningful (Philippians 3:15). And I realized I had to learn to do the same. I had to learn to stop chasing the perishable prizes of this earth, I had to stop chasing personal glory, I had to learn how to give my best effort to God and trust him with the results. I have to learn to have enough faith to trust in his grace and to trust in his sovereign and perfect plan. I had to submit my will, my desires, my dreams — give it all up to God and say, “Look, I am going to give my best effort, go on the court and play every day for you, and I’m going to let you take care of the rest.”

~Jeremy Lin

+ Asked what his profession would be if he’s not a basketball player, Jeremy answered, “I would be a pastor. It’s something I think about doing when my playing days are over.” (WIN!)

Some says Linsanity is just a fad, some says it’s magic. I say it’s a story of faith, how God’s work is not confined within the four corners of the church, but goes on wherever He places His people. You see, I believe in a God who builds up not just small and ordinary people but successful and influential people as well; and He uses them to bring His message to a world that has somewhat stopped believing. This God we live for? He’s very strategic. 

Knicks is losing to the Nets as I blog this, but this Linsanity has stopped being just about basketball and winning games for me now, and maybe for some of you too.

For the first time in my life, I watch NBA and see God at work there.

This made my day

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This morning, as I was doing my daily rounds on Facebook, I found these:

Hello Isaac, you’re sooo kyot!! Ian Fornoles, thanks for capturing these photos! The best!

I can’t stop smiling! I mean, come on, how can you stop smiling with photographs like this? I want to squish my nephew’s cheeks and give him a biiiiiggg suffocating hug, the kind that’s soooo tight he starts crying haha.

I suddenly miss those days we live in the same house and I eat/drink/breathe babysitting and playtime for lunch and coffee breaks. And those little knocks on my door in the morning. And how he would laugh at his reflection in the mirror and then laugh harder because the boy in the mirror was laughing at him haha. And how he would say “aw-aw!” in response to everything you ask or say. (What does the dog say? Aw-aw! What does the cat say? Aw-aw! I love you! Aw-aw! Say bye-bye! Aw-aw!)

Haha I miss him!

Which reminds me, he’s turning 2 years old this week! Has it really been 2 years? Wow.

You’re growing up too fast, little boy! Slow down!

*All photos are taken by rising photography guru, Ian Fornoles.
Post-processed by me.  Just coz I had to chasingdreams-ify it. :D

Hello, I’ve been scrapbooking

Rhiza6 Comments

I take a lot of photos (you know that already), and sometime ages ago, I got hooked with digital scrapbooking too. But lately I enjoy doing traditional scrapbooking again. There’s something about putting together patterned papers, instant photographs, and library sticker labels that make me fall in love, in the same way I love keeping and writing on journals.

Here’s something I did last December. I wish I have more time doing non-digital stuff like these.

I love browsing through a completed scrapbook project, but the process is long and can be really frustrating (because it takes time, something I don’t exactly have so much of.) You know what I’d really like to have in the Philippines right now? I want Project Life to be available in local art stores and specialty stores here. Is that even possible, Becky Higgins? I could really use a hassle-free way of preserving photographs. Project Life would have been a breeze. :)

Oh well, in the meantime, I make use of whatever we have in this side of the world. Here’s what’s inside my little scrapbook project:

Continue reading “Hello, I’ve been scrapbooking” →