this post has been long overdue..

Guimaras Oil Spill..
one of the biggest oil spills in the Philippine history was the very recent Guimaras Oil Spill, which destoyed the livelihood of almost everyone living in the island..
the oil spill has caused much trouble not just to the residents of Guimaras but to the whole Philippines as well.. and the threat of having the oil spill reach the neighboring islands of Panay is still there..
the Philippines need as much help as it could get..
please take part in the advocacy to clean up Guimaras island.. its one of the most beautiful and most abundant places in the country.. lets not allow the oil spill to kill the island..
remember that there is only one huge water system that flows around the world..
whatever happens in our seas also affect the other seas connected..
biggest thanks to the countries and nations who have shown support and concern..
God bless us all!

kalungkutan..

nagpaalam na naman ang isa sa mga mahal kong pari sa parokya ng sto. rosario.. hay.. sa ibang parokya na raw sya na-assign.. sad ako kasi matagal din syang nanilbihan sa simbahan ng rosario.. at isa sya sa mga pari na napagkumpisalan ko na.. oh well.. nakakalungkot talaga..

oh well.. change topic.. excited na ako sa pagdating ng westlife dito sa manila.. sana lang makapunta ako sa concert nila.. mahal na mahal ko talaga sila at ako na ang pinakamasayang tao kung mabibigyan ako ng pagkakataon na makita sila..

so kung sino man ang may P4,500 dyan, pautang naman! hehe..

long weekend ngayon.. pero parang hindi ko rin masyadong nararamdaman.. sa dami ba naman ng dapat kong gawin eh.. hay..

paano, kailangan ko ng magpaalam..

hanggang sa muli..

magandang araw sa lahat!

God bless! =)

happiness is..

..when all your efforts are well paid off.. (i got a very good grade in CS180 first exam!)
..when you get the chance to see your all-time favorite (i'm gonna watch Westlife's concert in Manila, no matter what happens!)
..when you know that a lot of people are appreciating you (thanks guys!)
..when you know that your family will always be there for you (i'm so lucky to have such a great family!)
..when someone close to you will soon come home (!)
..when you get to see your friends after some time and then you would realize that nothing has changed (tweet2 had a reunion yesterday.. and it really made me feel sooo blessed to have wonderful friends like them!)
..when something important comes back to you (i got my necklace back!)

...happiness is knowing that God exists and He's doing so many wonderful things for you to enjoy!

God bless everyone! =)

Count your blessings and be happy always!

..lebanon..

i got this email from a friend.. and i would like to share it with everyone.. i realized that i can't reach that much people through email because, first and foremost, i don't have everyone's address.. next, some people might think of my message as a spam and just disregard it.. but this blog is published all over the world.. and i know, many people could somehow have a glimpse of this particular post..

so what about Lebanon? why did i chose to share these facts with you? well, just read on.. i swear its a good one.. read 'til the end.. you would find out my purpose.. =) have a good day!

LEBANON FACTS
1. Lebanon has 18 religious communities
2. It has 40 daily newspapers
3. It has 42 universities
4. It has over 100 banks (that is banks and not branches of a bank)
5. 70% of the students are in private schools
6. 40% of the Lebanese people are Christians (this is the highest percent all the Arab countries)
7. There's 1 doctor per 10 people in Lebanon (In Europe & America, there's 1 doctor per 100 people).
8. The name LEBANON appears 75 times in the Old Testament
9. The name CEDAR (Lebanon's tree) appears 75 times too in the Old Testament!!
10. Beirut was destroyed and rebuilt 7 times (this is why it's compared to The Phoenix).
11. There are 3.5 Million Lebanese in Lebanon
12. There are around 10 Million Lebanese outside Lebanon!

OTHER INTERESTING FACTS:
1. Lebanon, the country, was occupied by over 16 countries: Egyptians-Hittites-Assyrians- Babylonians- Persians- Alexander the greats Army- the Roman Empire Byzantine- the Arabian Peninsula-The Crusaders-the Ottoman Empire- Britain-France- Israel- Syria.

2. Byblos (city in Lebanon) is the oldest, continuously living city in the world.

3. Lebanon's name has been around for 4,000 yrs non- stop (it's the oldest country/ nation's name in the world!)

4. Lebanon is the only Asian/African country that doesn't have a desert.

5. There are 15 rivers in Lebanon (all of them coming from its own mountains)

6. Lebanon is one of the most populated countries in its archeological sites, in the world!!!

7. The first alphabet was created in Byblos (city in Lebanon)

8. The only remaining temple of Jupiter (the main Roman god) is in Baalbeck, Lebanon (The City of the Sun)

9. The name of BYBLOS comes from the BIBLE!!!

10. Lebanon is the country that has the most books written about it.

11. Lebanon is the only non-dictatorial country in the Arab world (it has a President!)

12. According to Christianity Jesus Christ made his 1st miracle in Lebanon, in Sidon (The miracle of turning water into wine).

13. The Phoenicians (Original People of Lebanon) built the 1st boat, and they were the first to sail ever!

14. Phoenicians also reached America long before Christopher Columbus did.

15. The 1st law school in the world was built in Lebanon, in Downtown Beirut.

16. People say that the cedars were planted by God's own hands (This is why they're called "The Cedars of God", and this is why Lebanon is called "God's Country on Earth."

Is it not a real Crime against Humanity to destroy a country with such history?

>>yes, it's a crime against humanity.. and its a crime against God.. why do we need to destroy one another? why do we need to hurt each other? is it our purpose to cause pain and suffering to our fellow humans? are we not created to love and to help one another? don't we realize that we are all created in the image of God? we are God's children, we are one family..
its so unfortunate that the world doesn't seem to recognize God anymore.. its like we're living in a world without God.. "heal the world, make it a better place.." this sounds so good but it doesn't happen anymore.. i am still hoping though, that someday.. one day, there would be heaven on Earth..

i don't mean to preach or anything.. i am not perfect.. i am also a sinner, i am human.. and i am strongly against inhumane practices..

honestly speaking, i get hurt everytime someone tells me that i am being idealistic.. i feel bad when people tell me to live in the real world.. i am living in the real world.. i am not living in fantasies and illusions.. yes, life is cruel, life is unkind, but that doesn't mean there's no more hope.. God doesn't want this kind of life for us.. He wants us to be happy.. He wants us to have peace, to have prosperity.. He loves us and He doesn't want to us to suffer.. We are His children and He cares so much for us.. the problem lies in our hearts..we make problems.. WE are the problem!

i don't wanna sound like a priest giving a homily.. but i know i can't prevent some people from thinking that way.. again, i would like to point out that i am not perfect.. and i am not a saint.. i am just speaking my thoughts.. and i don't mean to offend anybody.. i was just moved by the above email message and that inspired me to speak my mind, once and for all..

this is the problem of the world: we don't know the virtue of humility.. pride, lust, power, wealth - these are the things we focus on.. ever heard of the saying "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth"? that's the mentality.. and i believe, a wrong one..

however, if you try to keep quiet, if you don't fight back when mean people hurt you, you would be thought of as a 'martyr', a 'saint', a 'fool'..

they say that one has to be clever in order to survive in this harsh world.. but being clever isn't being wise.. and a wise person applies God's words & teachings in his journey.. a wise person has wisdom, not just knowledge.. and wisdom is all we need..

i believe that if people would just follow God's footsteps, if people would read the Bible and reflect on each message, and practice what is being preached, then, we wouldn't have to suffer this much..

if people would just learn how to respect what others believe, then there would be better understanding among different religions and culture.. yes, there is biodiversity, but we must all remember that all of us belongs to only one father, and that is God.. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, whatever faith you have, whatever church you belong to - we are all God's family..
why don't we just accept each other's differences? why don't we give up our pride and just be humble enough to accept failures and imperfections?

stop the bombings! stop the killings! stop discrimination and harassment!

start spreading the Good News! start spreading love! start making a difference!

if people are unkind, be kind anyway.. in the end, its not going to be between you and them.. its going to be between you and God!

its not always true that majority wins.. but it is always true that good triumphs over evil, right triumphs over wrong..

not because the world does it, its already righteous.. seek God.. know God.. follow Him.. you will never go wrong..

God has never forsaken us.. He has never left us.. It's not true that He's doing nothing.. He did something! He sent us! Let us be a blessing to others! We were created for a purpose.. and that purpose is to spread God's love to others..

Israel vs Lebanon.. what good would it bring? - destruction- deaths- pain & suffering- trauma..
is that how you treat your brother? is that the proper way of letting a family member know that you care for him? think again..

it is never wrong to be called a martyr.. as long as you are a martyr for God..

- Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. - Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.. let this be our prayer too..

while waiting for ma'am becca to come..

ay nandyan na raw pala.. hehe.. next time na lang.. may gusto akong i-chikka.. kaso lang hindi ko dala yung file na ginawa ko eh.. i'll try to post it later..

God bless everyone! =)

today's gospel: the transfiguration of Jesus Christ

yesterday, after the UPCAT, my brother and I went to Rob. Galleria to unwind and relax.. =) our original plan was to watch Miami Vice.. but my brother changed his mind and told me that we watch Just My Luck instead.. well, i think we made a good choice! It was a cool movie.. some romantic flick with a good quality of comedy.. and I loved it! Although I believe that the scenes were too good and too bad to be true, I appreciated the very nice & sweet ending.. i don't wanna be a spoiler so i'm not going to tell the whole story.. i encourage you to watch it.. well, like I said, it wasn't that realistic but it was fun! Perfectly suits those romantics out there.. i really love the ending! i swear! =D and another good thing about it was the fact that it introduced a new band to me.. McFly, some British band which really performs good songs.. they're my instant favorite!

i wanted to say more kaso lang someone's bothering me here.. hehe..

more stories next time..

God bless everyone! =)

i'll be ok..

When everything is going wrong
And things are just a little strange
Its been so long now you’ve forgotten how to smile
And overhead the skies are clear but it still seems to rain on you
And your only friends all have better things to do

When you’re down and lost
And you need a helping hand
When you’re down and lost along the way
Oh just tell yourself
I’ll, I'll be ok

When things are only getting worse
And you need someone to take the blame
When your lover's gone there’s no one to share the pain
You’re sleeping with the tv on and you’re lying in an empty bed
All the alcohol in the world would never help me to forget
When you’re down and lost
And you need a helping hand

When you’re down and lost along the way
Just try a little harder
Try your best to make it through the day
Oh just tell yourself
I’ll, I'll be ok

You’re not alone
[You’re not alone]
You’re not alone
[You’re not alone]
You’re not alone

Just tell yourself I’ll, I'll be ok
Oh just tell yourself, I’ll, I'll be ok
Won’t you tell yourself, I’ll be ok
When you’re down and lost
And you need a helping hand

When you’re down and lost along the way
Try a little harder
Try your best to make it through the day
And oh just tell yourself

I’ll, I'll be ok
I’ll, I'll be ok
I’ll, I'll be ok

**heard this song from the movie "Just My Luck", which was, by the way, very nice.. i really liked that film.. going back to the song, it was performed by McFly, which is now included in the list of my favorite bands.. =) Why did I choose to post this song? because i believe it perfectly suits me.. well, as far as the current situation in my life is concerned.. but just exactly what the song says, i'll be ok..**

God bless everyone!