#Notetoself

"Walang dahilan para manlamig sa paggawa dahil: 

> May tungkuling nagbibigay kabuluhan sa buhay,

> May mga kapatid na laging umaagapay,

> May mga manggagawang handang umalalay,

> May mga Mangangaral na nagmamalasakit,

> May Espiritung laging nagpapaalala, ~> May Kristong nagmamahal ng tunay,

> At may Dios na nakikinig sa ating mga pakiusap."

~BroEliSoriano:) Happy Pasalamat:)

Reminiscing Asia-Oceania Conventions

2012, Tokyo Japan

August 2013, Melbourne, Australia

Hi, Australia!

Around Victoria, Australia

From Top (L to R) to bottom: (1) Loving the rural atmosphere at Churchill Island that I felt like i do not want to go back to Singapore anymore; (2)Having some posing with the choppers on the background at Great Ocean Road (12 Apostles); (3) Somewhere in Warnambool: The place where I was able to have a very close encounter with jumping kangaroos in the wild. I was star strucked that I was not able to take pictures. Sigh.

From Top (L to R) to bottom: (1) At 12 Apostles. This scenic place is really breathtaking. 4-5hours drive going there was completely worth it. (2) Next is at Mornington Peninsula. we enjoyed walking around because there were no other visitors. Just the two of us :) ; (3) Outside the Melbourne Gaol. It used to be a prison house for the most notorious Australian criminals during 1940's. 

From Top (L to R) to bottom: (1) I hate to state the obvious, but eer, we were at Melbourne Visitor Center in front of the Federation Square; (2) This is my favorite photo of ours: at Cape Schank Lighhouse, Mornington Peninsula; (3) That green train is the ever famous Puffing Billy train, one of the well-preserved steam train in the whole of Australia.

From Top (L to R) to bottom: (1) Visited my childhood friend, Angelo in their Truganina home; (2) Roaming around on a very late night at Melbourne CBD with rio and Vik. This was after the ASOP-AO Midyear Division Eliminations; (3) Visiting Bro Joel Saba in his Melbourne abode; (4) With Rio, Vik and my Beybi at Flinders Station. Late night strolling here was a lot of fun :)

Exploring New South Wales

From Top (L to R) to bottom: (1) @Feathedale Wildlife. Awesome place and highly recommended to future visitors; (2) @The Entrance. 1.5hrs away from Sydney. A very serene place and there are lots to do but I was only after the free afternoon attraction which is the pelican feeding; (3) @ the Scenic Blue Mountains. Nature tripping at its finest. It was damn cold and windy that day and I cant bear it haha!

From Top (L to R) to bottom: No need to say more top pics were taken in Sydney. On the background is the Sydney Opera House and the equally famous Harbour Bridge; below was in Darling Harbour and the place is really a darling. I dont mind going back and have some nice strolling again :D

Oh, Australia. I want to see more of you :)

Proverbs 22:6

Proverbs 22:6

King James Version (KJV)

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

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On Special Olympics, Special Kids & Kuya Daniel's Help

Special Olympics International is a global institution that focuses  on helping intellectually challenged individuals in developing  their self-esteem and self-worth to make them productive and respected part of the society. They help build their confidence through sports by demonstrating what they can do. Athletes are grouped based on ability and levels and all of them are encouraged to join so everybody will be recognized for his/her ability and capability. 

This year, Special Olympics group from Philippines and Malaysia visited Special Olympics Singapore to hold competition. The 5day-event was indeed successful. As the participants showed off what they can do, the hard work and patience of those taking care of them manifested in their performances. They showed persistence and enthusiasm on the games they are on. Taking care and teaching these bunch of special people entails a lot of patience and commitment. Kudos to all trainers, parents and volunteers! 

Seeing all the participants wearing their sweetest smiles during the event was such a heart-warming scenario- true and genuine happiness! And we, the UNTV-Singapore News Team is so honored to be given the opportunity to witness and cover this event. We were so astonished to see our delegates from the Philippines winning! There were 6 events in the olympics and our team joined 3 categories: bowling, bocce, and swimming. Below is partial and unofficial list of medals won by our kids:

Bowling:  

Doubles: Anton Silos and Robin Clarino, Gold
      Mark Inductivo and Bryan Robles, Silver

Singles:   Anton Silos - Gold
                 Mark Inductivo - Gold
                 Bryan Robles - Gold
                 Robin Clarino - Bronze
                 Joy Bautista - Bronze
Team: Mark Inductivo, Bryan Robles, Robin Clarino, Joy Bautista- Gold

Swimming:
Raymond Macasaet - 2 Golds
Christopher Gutang - 2 Golds, 1 Silver

Bocce: 
Singles: Robin Conanan - Gold
               Kevin Patrick Ong - Gold
               Andrew Lim- Gold
               Carmella Motte -Gold
               Paul Jonah Bianzon- Silver
               Edward James Cabarles - 5th Place

Doubles:Kevin Patrick Ong and Carmela Morfe - Gold
                Mylene Garcia and Bernadette Lim- Gold
                Andrew Lim and Paul Jonah Bianzon - Silver
                Andrew Conanan and Edward James Cabarles- Bronze

On overall account, bagging 6 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze medals after the tournament is not really bad at all for the whole Philippine delegation. 

Among all the games, BOCCE is the only game that is never heard to me. But then again, I consulted Mr. Google and according to him, it is an Italian game similar to lawn bowling. How is it played? Click here. Philippines' Bocce players showed a tremendous performance all throughout the game. The Bocce Head Coach, Mr. Christian Dorion and the SO-Philippines Head Mr. Rodolfo Ungson were so thankful to Kuya Daniel Razon for sponsoring the whole Bocce Team's uniforms and air ticket. Without his support, their participation was not possible. 

 

John 9:2-3 - And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Being able to mingle with these special people was a very heartwarming experience. They converse like normals do. What I love most was hearing them tell their achievements, their disappointments, their aspirations and dreams and their appreciation of life. This experience made me more grateful and thankful to God for what I am and what I have. 

Singapore Locale Choir joins IMS 2013

For two years in a row, Singapore Locale Choir joined the MCGI-Music Ministry's annual International Music Summit held at Apalit, Pampanga. Each local choir division presented their entries with props and choreography.  And yes, all were awesome :)

With each presentation, we have learned some pointers and technique. But on top of this all, we enjoyed the day with singing, dancing, brainstorming and eating on the side. Thanks be to God for this wonderful day!

Below is a short video of what what we did yesterday. Not complete but at least you'll have an idea how fun it was :)                                                              

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Soundtripping. Again. :D

Need You Now

By: Lady Antebellum

Bleeding Love

By: Leona Lewis

Stick With You

By: Pussycat Dolls

Sound Tripping :)

It Must Have Been Love 

by: Roxette

November Rain 

by: Guns & Roses

To Be With You 

by: Mr. Big

Just Take My Heart 

by: Mr Big

Sleepy Happy Heads

As most were resting and snooring already, we were still busy.

We ended 25 of April and started 26 of April with hardcore practice and rehearsal for the upcoming 2013 ASOP AsiaOceania D3 Eliminations.  We were indeed very tired but who would believe? See, we still managed to strike poses and flash sweet smiles for photoshots at 2:44am :))

Thanks be to God for this wonderful opportunity.

1. 

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Thea!

A wacky pose with Thea!

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Today was Fun :)

Met two sweet girls this afternoon, Pari and Suri.  Lovely British girls who are not shy talking to strangers and they are very much camera-ready!

After a day of work, had something to eat at Ikea. Sweet little treat for me and my sweet and lovable hubby :)

Then after, went to locale for the ASOP practice (with some goofing in between :) )

We also had some posing :)

And we sure had lots of fun :)

One last rehearsal on Thursday and the long wait will be over . We are etting more more excited for the ASOP AsiaOceania District Eliminations 2013. To God be the Glory!

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ASOP Asia-Oceania District 3 Eliminations Preparations

Exactly 5 more short goodnight sleeps for us to go before the big day and we are all very busy polishing our parts. But then again, we are happy that we are doing these things for HIS glory. Most probably than not, my source of joy for this one whole week is ASOP. I must not miss a beat. I must not miss the fun. I must be able to also sing along for His glory.

For those who cared reading this entry, please watch A Song Of Praise-AsiaOceania Division District 3 Eliminations on 28 May 2013, 7pm at MCGI-Singapore,  211 Henderson Road.

For more updates, follow asopasiaoceaniad3 on Twitter and  Instagram. You may also visit ASOP Asia-Oceania District 3 website.

See you in 5 days Godwilling!

Thanks be to God!

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My Everyday

Everyday, a lot are stressing us out. Work matters, family things, etc etc. So starting today I decided to post all the most beautiful part of my day. Something that made my heart beat past because of overwhelming happiness,  or something that made laugh so hard, or anything that made me show my best smile- anything that made the best part of my day brighter. I need to constantly remind myself that life is beautiful and I am suppose to fill each day with good memories and that I should'nt let anyone ruin any of my "everyday".

Now, let me start the ball rolling so I will have a blessed and happy "everyday".

:))

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Anniversary the 13th

Who says #13 is an unlucky number? It is not in reality. It has no scientific basis and completely unbiblical. Since I was small, 13 is known to me as freaky number. I can still remember how me and my silly friends scare each other with creepy stories associated with number 13. Funny right? But I noticed that it is normal for common people that, when they cannot explain things anymore, they weave funny stories in their heads to satisfy their silly queries. But hey, come on! Today marks our 13th year together. And it cant be a creepy, freaky anniversary for us. Not for anything blah blah but we don't believe in superstitions because we are Christians and we are definitely logical thinkers. You want to know definite answers about superstitions: Itanong mo kay Soriano.

 

 

Proverbs 19:14  Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent husband is from the Lord.
   

How can something so wonderful be a year of disaster and misfortune? My marriage is a gift and a very precious one. Anything from God is definitely a good thing. Today, I couldn't say much but thanks be to God for giving me the best person that suits my unpredictable and hard-to-handle personality. A person who can endure my unending whining, and can even smile when I am completely sure I maxed out his temper already. I love this guy so much. I am sure because I can take it if his mood swing is worse than mine, even if until now I can't say if he is frugal or big-spender, or fun-loving or boring at times, and that up to this stage I still cannot determine (in some circumstances) if he is joking or he is getting serious already.  Believe it or not, if you are in my shoes and you have no enough love for this guy, you'll surely go nuts and pack your things and get back to your Mum's nest. On the other hand, I am pretty sure he is feeling exactly the same way as I do hahaha!

 

Just like other couples around, we fight like siblings, we talk like bestfriends, mostly, we argue like normal husband and wife,  but the best thing that we do together is walk under HIS rules with all efforts and diligence. 

 

Now, how do we make today an enjoyable celebration? We decided to stay home after work, have fun reminiscing the 13 years that was over a bowl of chicken pork adobo, a platter of rice and a tall glass of avocado shake. After that, we will watch romantic flick to end the day. We dont feel like going out for a fancy dinner and exchanging expensive gifts. This has been our way eversince and being simple is really cool.  

Happy 13^th year anniversary to us!

Hey, USA!

On July 2012, this reluctant traveler (It is ME!!) had her first ever long-haul journey off to the land of the free, United States of America! She was all by herself when she flew that day. She indeed enjoyed it though. Movie marathon, good music, pigging out, nice flight attendants, watching the bed of clouds, writing an entry for her blogsite and sound naps in between was what made her busy for more or less 18 hours. Relaxed indeed. That's the prize you'll have by flying Singapore Airlines. Anyway, the love of her life was just 6 hours behind so she had nothing to worry about.

There are too much stories to share but she cant find ways to express it though (lazy?). After almost half a year, she is still under the US spell.

In memories of her favorite holiday, this lady is sharing photos she had. 

'Til next post ;)

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

BAKERSFIELD

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

GRAND CANYON (ARIZONA)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

My Cactuses' Story

This is kinda boring entry, I know. But I will still post and share this anyway.

I bought two cute cactuses months ago and Mae's Instagram post was my inspiration. But then it ended there. I had them, then stationed them in the toilet (as Mae did) and then passed by them everyday.

These lovely plants are survivors. They lived inside the toilet for a half a year, more or less, but they had'nt been killed. I have no intention of killing them, of course. It is just that my subconscious (maybe) thinks that cactuses are immortals since they don't need to be watered and that they can sit inside the washroom forever without dying! Well, my subconscious mind was completely wrong. They need water (at some point), definitely needs light.Thus, bathroom must not be their dwelling place. However, I just didn't care much because in my eyes, they are completely fine.

I was thinking they were 100% fine but not until this morning. I accidentally elbowed one of my them and I did not have the barbed feeling at all! And as we all know, cactuses are prickly plants. Puzzled that I was, I looked closely and checked what was wrong. I was saddened to realize that the taller and greener one lost its small thorns on its edges. Luckily, the shorter and more-pricked one can still "prick you out" but the torns became a little bit softer. I got alarmed and started Google-ling some details. I'm afraid my cactuses were dying and I do not have any idea if I can still save them or will just die "naturally" in their respective little pots.

Now, my plants are (comfortably) sitting beside the window now. I hope they will still last for quite some more time. Honestly, I feel so guilty about this. I felt so irresponsible for not giving them  a few minutes everyday. 

As far as i know, succulent plants are very easy to keep and that is why I had them. Indeed, it is true. However, there are still important pointers that "plant lovers wannabes" need to know. Please watch the video below.

Around Japan in 10 days

Not in my wildest dream that I ever saw myself setting foot on the land of the rising sun, JAPAN! But last February 2012, it became a reality. In few days time, I have seen glimpses of every part of Japan where the bullet train passes. Hitting Japan almost end to end on a Shinkansen bullet train was remarkably striking. I couldn't tell much anymore now about what had transpired on those 10 lovely days. All I can say is that, the experience was awesome. :)

If you want to spend a few more minutes on my page, let me share some pictures with you.

OSAKA

Left to right: In a local restaurant near Universal Studios; Universal Studios with one of Peanut Characters; still outside Universal Studios; going to subway

Left to right: wandering along Osaka port; cruising around; inside the train; at Osaka's aquarium center (Sorry, I forgot the name)

TOKYO

DisneyWorld and DisneySea, Tokyo

MT. FUJI, OWAKUDANI & HAKONE

YOKOHAMA

KYOTO