Saturday, April 25, 2009

iM baCK!!!

i was out for a two week trng held at the USSC Main Office in Cubao. it was a tough training but i really enjoyed it. we stayed at Fernandina 88 Suites hotel the whole duration of the training. i experienced a very busy Manila life. the hotel is located infront of Ali Mall, beside SM Cubao and near Gateway and Farmer's. staying beside these malls is cool but of course, very costly. one good advantage is that, it is accessible to the commercial area and on the other hand, it entails a higher cost of living.

before i left, i was praying about my whole stay. i was asking for nice room mates, good training and nice environment. all my prayers were answered! we were eight (8) in a two bedroom suite and all of us came from the Luzon area. the other room was occupied by Visayas and Mindanao peeps. two of my roommates came from Pangasinan, two from Batangas, two from Laguna, one from Cabanatuan and me. most of them are younger than me and i became their eldest sister. our relationship was good and harmonious. even the two guys from the other room were nice and gentlemen.

we never stopped taking pictures. we had a lot from the bedroom, living room and even at the classroom. i will be posting the pics later.

the training itself was fine. discussions were lively and very informative. modules were delivered in a manner that everyone can understand.

my first week was slow but when the final week arrived, it was so fast that we do not want to go on separate ways. our final exam was tough. there were a lot of manual computations, comprehension of policies and hands on exam. we took the exam for a whole day. yes! i did not exaggerate it okay? it's true! we started the exam at around 9AM. we were lucky to take the computation part first. by 12 noon, we have not finished the written exam. it was a 5 part-exam! finally at around 3 PM, i passed my paper and started the hands on exam. it also took me around 4 hours to finish all the commands. at 7 PM, hubby was already calling asking if i will go home that night. so, i finished everything since i was so excited to go home hahahha

the goodbye part was the most difficult. we were sad to part ways but excited to be back at home and start our career. some of my batchmates started working yesterday, others today and some (including me) tomorrow. i feel like it is my first day on my first job. this is totally different from a call center so i have an exciting feeling. i hope everything goes well for me.

i am now trying to fix all the pics taken and hopefully i can post them tonight. my new friends are all waiting to see our pics.





Wednesday, April 8, 2009

siLenT m0De ...

Since it is Holy Week, I decided to lie low to my internet life. I planned of resting from mundane activities and be back to basics. As the priest (from the TV mass) said earlier, all we need to do now is to be back to simple things and remember what GOD did for us.

HOLY Week is not only about remembering what happened thousand of years ago. As we think of God's sacrifice for all of us, we should also act and do some good deeds. Being sincere in our act of contrition and helping less fortunate ones are some ways to show our sincerity.

This year's Holy Week is the most meaningful for me. I just want to share some things (and I hope you won't find me boastful) which I am proud to have accomplished. I started this week with a very good activity. Thanks to my friend, Ferds who started a Feeding Program for less fortunate children. Since it is his birthday, he thought of sharing his blessings to others. He may not be rich, but in his own simple ways he reaches out to others. I am very blessed to be part of his mission and we visited Sta Lucia Resettlement which is a far place somewhere in Mauaque. Though the travel was quite long, it was worth it since we were able to feed more than 200 persons which includes children and adults. We gave out chicken arrozcaldo, boiled eggs and juice. Our mission started at 9AM and ended at 5PM. It was a whole day affair but I felt restless. And to all the vounteers namely Ces, Deb, Renz, Sai, Ate Kai and of course Ferds I want to thank you all for sharing a memorable day with me.

** Photos will be posted soon **

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Yesterday, I was able to have a one on one confession. Previously, I was doing it on my birthday but this year, I thought of joining the Lenten Season Confession. I arrived at the Cathedral at around 7Pm and to my surprise, I saw 3 long lines. While waiting for my turn, I was observing the people inside the church. There was a short procession (which I was not aware of) attended by a few persons. The church was so solemn and very conjucive for confession. After almost an hour of waiting, I was the one next in line. It was more of a personal confession since you are in face to face with the priest. It was not the conventional confession inside the confession box. Priests are facing the altar and the person is seated beside him. It was a short confession for me since I already know what to tell the priest. After around 10 minutes, I was given the absolution and the chance to talk to HIM with all my heart. I felt relieved and forgiven after that. So, before I slept I prayed again thanking HIM in giving me such a chance to repent.

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Tomorrow is the most awaited Good Friday. As a yearly tradition, there will be a long procession. This year's procession is more organized since they are asking people to wear black shirts (for men and women) and skirt for women. Unlike before, you can wear anything but this year it is more conservative. Sleeveless and spaghetti straps are not allowed as well as shorts. Aside from this, it is also my husband's tradition to visit their relatives in Sta Lucia where a lot of foods are being prepared. That includes our favorite okoy and other foods except meat. Relatives from other places also visit so it becomes a yearly reunion.

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By the way, my long awaited training starts on April 13-24, 2009. I think I will not have an internet life since I will be focusing on my training. It will be a 2 week training and I won't be able to go home during week ends. I have started packing my things so I won't forget some stuff. Since it will surely be a busy day on Monday (due to people going back to Manila), I will be leaving on Sunday to be more relaxed by Monday.




Wednesday, April 1, 2009

mY faVe BooKs

Recently, I've been reading a lot. There are several reasons why I do this. Since I am not yet working, I make sure not to make my mind idle. Reading is one way of learning while at home. It also kills boredom. Once my hubby fell asleep, I have no one to talk to but my pc and my books. Reading keeps me busy and at the same time gives me a lot of knowledge. And the most important reason is, I get inspiration from books.

I have listed some of my favorites.



Author : Ru dela Torre
Topic : This book is dedicated to all teens who want guidance. There are a lot of inspiring stories and quotes here that will really help teens and younger people in their daily spiritual lives.
Most of all, there are bible verses which can help a person follow the right path.
Dedicated to : Young adults and teens


Author : CityLand Foundation Inc. and OMF Literature Inc.
Topic :
This book contains 31 brave manifestations from people whose faith were reborn after experiencing trials and obstacles in life. These people stood up for the Lord even after committing mistakes which even came to the point of not believing in GoD.
Dedicated to : People who are losing hope because of all the trials experienced and mistakes committed.



Author : White Stone Books
Topic : This book contains life changing stories of couples who really worked hard to live with their faith through God's way. All the stories are inspiring which will help each couple to be stronger and make God the center of their relationship.
Dedicated to : Couples who are struggling and those who wants to make their relationship more stable.


Author : Robert Fulgrum
Topic : This book contains several stories which will inspire all of us.
These were stories from the author's own experiences. Simple and short stories yet gives us lessons which we can apply in our every day lives.
Dedicated to : People who are young at heart



Author : Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Hanoch McCarty and Meladee McCarty
Topic : This book contains inspiring stories about love, kindness, parenting, teaching and learning, death and dying, perspective, overcoming obstacles and eclectic wisdom. This is one of best books (for me) since each story leaves us something which we can apply in our daily lives and with our interaction with people.
Dedicated to : People who needs inspiration through other person's stories



Author : Bo Sanchez (This is the first inspirational book that I have read. This is a type of book which you want to read from cover to cover.)

Topic : All the stories were properly chosen and very inspiring. It really makes life easier and more optimistic. The stories in this book were actual experiences of the author. Stories which he encountered in his daily life where God worked in mysterious ways.
Dedicated to : People who needs proof that GOD works in our daily lives

ApriL FooLs DaY!!!

Today is the first day of the month - April. I have decided to research a little to see how this day all began. Read along for the details that you might find helpful.

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, although not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbours, or sending them on fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. Traditionally, in some countries, the jokes only last until noon: like UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool".[1] Elsewhere, such as in Ireland, France, and the USA, the jokes last all day.

The origin of April Fools' Day is obscure. One likely theory is that the modern holiday was first celebrated soon after the adoption of the
Gregorian Calendar; the term referred to someone still adhering to the Julian Calendar, which it replaced. In many pre-Christian cultures May Day (May 1) was celebrated as the first day of summer, and signalled the start of the spring planting season. An April Fool was someone who did this prematurely. Another origin is that April 1 was counted the first day of the year in France. When King Charles IX changed that to January 1, some people stayed with April 1. Those who did were called "April Fools" and were taunted by their neighbors.[citation needed] In the eighteenth century the festival was often posited as going back to the times of Noah. An English newspaper article published on April 13th, 1789 said that the day had its origins when he sent the raven off too early, before the waters had receded. He did this on the first day of the Hebrew month that corresponds with April. A possible reference to April Fools' Day can be seen in the Canterbury Tales (ca 1400) in the Nun's Priest's tale, a tale of two fools: Chanticleer and the fox, which took place on March 32nd.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org