Denial 101

Denial: is a defense mechanism' postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. The subject may deny the reality of the unpleasant fact altogether (simple denial), admit the fact but deny its seriousness (minimization) or admit both the fact and seriousness but deny responsibility (transference).

TYPES OF DENIAL:

1. Denial of impact: Denial of impact involves a person avoiding thinking about or understanding the harms their behavior have caused to themselves or others. By doing this, that person is able to avoid feeling a sense of guilt and it can prevent that person from developing remorse or empathy for others. Denial of impact reduces or eliminates a sense of pain or harm from poor decisions.

• Last Thursday, I went to Starbucks-Marquinton to meet Jaja. I also intended this meeting to compensate for my absence on her birthday party due to a cluttered schedule. I came early at our meeting place for the first time. (Hehehe…) Honestly, I was hesitant at first to tell her about my issue. I clarified to her that I don’t really need an advice I just need someone to listen to my rants and affirm my convictions that I may arrive to the right decisions. I told her about the whole story behind my blog entry “Sounds Familiar”. I stated all the evidence I got that led me to have a conclusion about it. She started to dissect the story by asking me questions. Then after explaining things, I asked her to tell my mistakes and she quickly answered, “The only mistake you committed was that you’ve made yourself too much involved in a situation where you shouldn’t.” I told her that my initial reaction when I learned about it was, I don’t know what to feel or if I should be feeling something. She affirmed that I should not be feeling anything at all. The discussion went well. It was very liberating to know I shouldn’t be really bothered about the whole story.

• I shouldn’t be feeling aggravated about my issue. In fact, I’m not privy to it. COLLATERAL DAMAGE----I think this word would completely rationalize why I felt a little bit annoyed upon knowing it. However, I should let it go and let God be God over my situation. I believe that no matter how I insist that I have the right to feel bad about it, nevertheless it will not lessen nor change the situation.

• I think that they are both happy about what they did. And all I need to do is to be happy for them even if my heart is still feeling the pain. After all, love is not all about having everything you want to have, but it is all about giving, sacrifice and believing the best in every person. Others may perceive that I’m in denial about it, but if that’s the only way to show that I have forgiven and forgotten things, then so be it.

2. Denial of cycle: Many who use this type of denial will say things such as, "it just happened." Denial of cycle is where a person avoids looking at their decisions leading up to an event or does not consider their pattern of decision making and how harmful behavior is repeated. The pain and harm being avoided by this type of denial is more of the effort needed to change the focus from a singular event to looking at preceding events. It can also serve as a way to blame or justify behavior

• Last Sunday was Mother's Day. We paid tribute to one of God’s greatest gifts to all of us---our mothers. During the Morning Service, my Mom was our speaker and she talked about the characteristics that a Godly woman/mother should have. Then, all the mothers were prayed for by our Pastor (my Dad) and the whole congregation. Afterwards, the young people started to distribute the roses and certificates made by JP, while being serenaded by Wendy and Jen with their rendition of the song “Wind Beneath My Wings.” During the Afternoon Service, our Pastor talked about the calling and purpose of mothers. After the message, the young people again distributed the roses and gave the certificates, as I sang “Beautiful In My Eyes”.

• After the Afternoon Service, my family and Jen’s family went out to celebrate Mothers’ Day. Actually, it was an impulsive decision on our side, because we just wanted to treat my Mom and Mama Elena for a dinner. We went to Dampa-Marikina and spent the whole night for a sumptuous dinner. We even attempted to have some coffee, but most of us were already sleepy and very full so we went home after we had our dinner.

• One thing I thank God for having Cornerstone Christian Church is the bond that it has created among its member-families. I thank God for the bond He has created between my family and Jen’s. We’ve never been this close before. Like, we always have time eat dinner and relax in their house and vice-versa. I’ve cooked so many times for them. It has become a habit for us that after our worship team practice, we go straight to their house and eat our very late dinner. Then, every Sunday we also eat lunch together in the church and share food. I thank God for all these things. I know God has a purpose why He let our families to be close to one another. I will not deny that I love the bond God has created and allowed to grow between and among our families.

3. Denial of responsibility: This form of denial involves avoiding personal responsibility by blaming, minimizing or justifying. Blaming is a direct statement shifting culpability and may overlap with denial of fact. Minimizing is an attempt to make the effects or results of an action appears to be less harmful than they may actually be. Justifying is when someone takes a choice and attempts to make that choice look okay due to their perception of what is "right" in a situation. Someone using denial of responsibility is usually attempting to avoid potential harm or pain by shifting attention away from them.

• Last Friday, I received an SMS from Sun Cellular telling me that I already exceeded 70% of my allowed credit line. At first, I was a bit shocked and in denial about it. How could it be? It’s been days only since I’ve paid my last bill, then SUN’s telling me that I’ve exceeded more than my credit line. I tried calling the SUN Hotline but the line was busy. So I sent an SMS to 205 and they replied:

“Your latest bill as of 04/212008 is Php 550.44. As of 5/9/2008, your unbilled charges amount to Php 554.41 exclusive of VAT, adjustments, OCT, one-time charges and roaming charges. Your latest payment was 04/15/2008. The total amount paid was Php672.25.”

• Whew! I can’t deny the fact that I should take responsibility for this. Thank God for the provision. For me, it’s bad timing to receive this bulging bill because its vacation time and I don’t have any financial source as of now. However, God is so faithful. He provided for my needs. Thank God!

4. Denial of fact: This form of denial is where someone avoids a fact by lying. This lying can take the form of an outright falsehood (commission), leaving out certain details in order to tailor a story (omission), or by falsely agreeing to something (assent, also referred to as "yesing" behavior). Someone who is in denial of fact is typically using lies in order to avoid facts that they think may be potentially painful to themselves or others.

• Yesterday, I sent a message through YM to “her”. I said, “How are you?” She replied that she’s okay. At first, I was hesitant to talk to her because like what Jaja said, it’s useless for obvious reasons. However, I can’t help but to do it. So, I told her I heard some rumors about her. Then, I started to ask her if it’s true. She said, “No. It’s not true. I’m still single.” I was shocked upon her reading her reply. She even asked me where I got that idea that she’s in a relationship right now. I just said to her that I got it from a reliable source. I also told her that I saw a picture supporting the allegations about her. At the end of our chat, she said that it’s not true. She said that she’s still single. She’s going out with some guys but it’s not a date.

5. Denial of denial: This can be a difficult concept for many people to identify in themselves, but is a major barrier to changing hurtful behaviors. Denial of denial involves thoughts, actions and behaviors which bolster confidence that nothing needs to be changed in one's personal behavior. This form of denial typically overlaps with all of the other forms of denial, but involves more self-delusion.

• Honestly, upon reading her answers, I don’t know what I should be feeling. I want to believe that she’s telling the truth because it will not cost her anything if she’ll conceal it from me. I don’t know if after knowing that she’s still single, should I be happy or should I feel guilty for misjudging her. I don’t know if she’s just denying it for her personal reasons or telling me the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

• Nevertheless, all I wanted is to know the truth. The truth that will set us both free. Anyway, denying it will not even compensate the pain I felt for days. I just pray the best for both of us.

More Than The Crown

We had a blast last Sunday! Woohoo!!

Imagine, we celebrated CORNERSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH’S 4^th Anniversary (Main Church) and also REV. PTR. ALFRED ABAD’s (insert a double digit here)^th Birthday. Whew!

Thank God! Our main church (Cornerstone Christian Church) celebrated its 4^th Anniversary simultaneous with our Senior Pastor, Rev. Ptr. Alfred Abad (“Tatay” as we usually call him). We rushed to drop by to our main church to give our surprise gift to him. We gave him a super delicious cake from Max’s (Which is now one of my favorite cakes. Thanks to Mama Elena for introducing that cake to us.). And also, we brought JANINA SAN MIGUEL (Binibining Pilipinas-World 2008) and JENNIFER BARRIENTOS (Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2008) as our surprise gift(s) to him. After Jennifer won the crown, Tatay immediately informed me that he wanted to have an interview with Jennifer. After the interview, he mentioned that he also wanted to meet and talk to Janina San Miguel. Janina at that time was at the peak of her controversial victory. So while we were on our way home, we thought of inviting Janina on Tatay’s birthday in order for his dream to meet her would come true. Lo and behold, we brought Janina and Jennifer to our main church to grace the Anniversary and also his birthday. As usual, the whole Robinsons Novaliches was surprised and star struck at the two ladies’ arrival. However, we still managed to fulfill our purpose for coming there.

Furthermore, Tatay acknowledged the two ladies and even asked to stand beside him on the stage. Then, Ptr. Fred started to introduce Jennifer and Janina to the congregation. What highlighted the event was when they were both prayed for by Ptr. Fred together with the whole congregation. Surprisingly, Janina wept while being prayed for by Ptr. Fred. Her tears overflowed so I offered my handkerchief to her. My hanky is still with her right now. She just told me,

“Kuya, akin muna yung panyo mo. Lalabahan ko na lang bago ko ibalik sa’yo. Nakakahiya naman po sa inyo. Hehehe..”

I just quickly nodded and told her,

“Okay lang. Sige lang. Don’t worry.”

While I watched her using my hanky, I realized something. (Wow! My things are becoming legendary. Bwahaha... The first time was when we met Anna Theresa Licaros (Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2007) at Starbucks on our way home from Tagaytay. She used my cellphone to talk to Jennifer (her successor) who was then in Bohol. Then last Sunday, Janina used my hanky to wipe those overflowing tears in her eyes.) Anyway, the pleasure and privilege will always be mine. They are all beautiful ladies, and they deserve only the best. After the service, people started for their photo opportunities with the two beauties. I saw familiar faces and I missed them all. Ate Faye (the “Multiply ang Facebook goddess”) approached me and I introduced her to Jen and Janina for some rubbing elbows. While on our way back to our church, I asked Janina what she felt while being prayed for by our Senior Pastor, she said to me,

“Grabe! Na-feel ko yung presence ni God. Na-feel ko yung prayer ni Pastor. Bihira lang kasi ako ipinagpray-over. Yung una nung victory party ko with my family. Tapos pangalawa yung kanina. Ang sarap ng feeling.”

Then, we continued eating the sweet pica-pica that was served to us. (They even let us have some “take-home” pica-pica delights.) I asked her if she enjoyed the whole event, and she affirmed quickly. While were eating on our way back to our church, I heard her singing some lines from Christina Aguilera’s song, “Beautiful”. She repeatedly sang the chorus:

You are beautiful no matter what they say Words can't bring you down You are beautiful in every single way Yes, words can't bring you down Don't you bring me down today...

It’s so nice to know that she has this positive attitude about everything in life. I wonder where she got that inner stamina to even face all those issues and controversies that are being thrown at her.

By the time we arrived at our church, I told them what happened there. Thank God! Everything went well. So we thanked Janina and her father for dropping by our church and gracing the event in our main church. I was surprised when Mama Elena informed me that Janina's father was my schoolmate. Janina's father finished his elementary studies at Claret School of Quezon City. (Janina's family were rich then, not until there were some mismanagement of their wealth that made them suffer the consequences now.) I had the privilege of talking to her Dad and surprisingly, despite the age gap we have, we had teachers and other school personalities back in gradeschool that we both know like Dr. Corralejo, Mrs. Potenciano, etc..

Subsequently, the night ended having our version of the photo opportunity with Janina and her father.

Here are some of our pictures:

Janina with some COLOURS Core Team

Janina with some COLOURS Core Team (Wacky)

Janina and her father (back) with Pastor and church elders

Janina and Jen with My Dad and Mom

Janina with Jen's family

Janina with COLOURS again

Janina with me and Maan (Jen's sister)

Janina, Jen and Jen's Dad

Janina with Joshua (my younger brother) , Ate and Me

Janina with Ate

Maan (Jen's sister), Janina, Ate and Jen

Janina, Joshua (my young brother) and Jen

I learned so many things that night. I discovered that the real Janina San Miguel is far from what the whole controversy dictated. She is so young yet her innocence is one of her charms. She’s very tall and very beautiful even with or without make-up. She came with a very casual get-up straight from a spa at Tagaytay but still managed to look great. She’s so sweet and spontaneous while telling different stories. She’s very honest in everything. She’s naïve in many things. (C’mon, let’s excuse her for that, she’s very young. She’ll learn those things in due time.) She has a positive outlook about life despite the criticisms being thrown at her. She’s very cheerful and will easily laugh even at simple things. Most of all, she’s willing to learn, try everything and she never fails to give her best shot in everything that she does.

I’ve always believed Jen for being the simplest girl I’ve ever known. She loves sweeping the floor and cleaning the rooms in their house and in our church. She is a self-confessed “clean-freak”. She loves to have everything clean and organized. She’s very kind that she even took the initiative to put those ‘make-up thingy’ on Janina before fixing herself. She’s like Janina’s older sister. She takes care of others first before herself. She’s very beautiful inside and out, with or without make-up. She’s a woman of few words. She’s very introvert but that is one of charms I believe. She’s very inspiring and worth emulating by the young people. She’s also willing to learn everything, and she never fails to give her best in everything that she does. When you get to know her deeper, her personality is great and you’ll be more convinced why God gave her the top crown.

Jen and Nina (her nickname) are both very humble and simple. (I didn’t expect that these two beautiful ladies are both very “cowgirl”, in short, parehas silang walang kaartehan sa katawan.) Both of them are really deserving of the title and crown that was given to them. The judges made the right decision. They both exemplified the real meaning of beauty and simplicity. It is only now that I’ve proven that God really blesses those people who are humble and not those who are haughty; those who are simple and not conceited; those who can really sustain and handle victories in life; those who know how to stand-up from every rejection, criticism and failures; those who always give their best shot in everything; and those who are willing to give God all the glory for every victory that they have in their life.

As 2 Corinthians 4:18 says,

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

You may see them beautiful outside, but I tell you they are even more beautiful inside. It may sound like a cliché, but I will firmly testify that both of them are really more than the crown.

Thank God! Woohoo!!

Goodnight Girl

Title : Goodnight Girl
Original : Wet Wet Wet (“High On The Happy Side” Album)
Revived : Jay Durias (“Songs I Grew Up With” Album)

VERSE 1:

You hear me so clearly and see how I try;
You feel me so heal me and tear me apart.
And I won't tell a soul, I won't tell at all
And do they have to know?
About my goodnight girl.

CHORUS:

Caught up in your wishing well,
Your hopes inside it,
Take your love and promises
And make them last,
You make them last.

VERSE 2:

You keep me so near you and see me so far;
And hold me and send me deep in your heart.
And I won't tell a soul, I won't tell at all
And I won't let them know
About my goodnight girl.

CHORUS:

Caught up in your wishing well,
Your hopes inside it,
Take your love and promises
And make them last,
You make them last.

BRIDGE:

Doesn't matter how sad I made you,
Doesn't matter how hard I've tried.
Just remember the same old reasons
Reflected in your eyes you said you wanted me.

*This is for YOU. (the girl whom I dedicated the poem which I posted here in my blogsite.)
I’ll always be here.

*P.S.:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Haydz!! (May 3)
HAPPY BIRHDAY, Tatay!! (May 4)

Sounds Familiar

Yesterday’s Labor Day (holiday) paved the way for our church’s first Family Outing at Loreland, Antipolo. I didn’t have enough sleep the night before our church’s event, not that I was so excited for it, but because I tried to check my Multiply account for more updates. Lo and behold, I didn’t find anything new. But I noticed that a friend/law school classmate uploaded a list of relaxing songs that made me wait to fully download them all. (Thanks, bro!) After downloading the songs, I listened to them one by one because the song titles are not familiar to me. By the time I heard the song, ‘Goodnight Girl’ by Jay Durias from his album ‘Songs I Grew Up With’. I listened and figured out the song, because it sounded familiar to me only that I didn’t know the title of the song. I stopped for a while and instead of going to the next song, I turned on the ‘repeat song’ option on my player. Then, I kept on listening to the song for the nth time. Until, I saw that it was already 2 a.m. on my clock and I remembered that we should wake up by 4 a.m. So I transferred the songs to my mp3 player, and hurried to my bed to sleep. My very-late-sleeping habit sounded familiar to me since I entered law school until now.

Thank God, I woke up early and took a bath immediately. Then, I packed my things for the whole day outing. I finished my preparations early so I had the chance to watch TV and help my Dad to load other things in the car. Then, my Dad and Mom left immediately to fetch our other church mates in the church. Afterwards, we followed.

By the time we arrived at the resort, we started to fix our things and settle for the whole day affair. The day started so hot. (literally scorching heat! whew!) So we just ate first to fill our tummies before we swim. Then after a few minutes, our other church mates came. Mama Aileen told me that Neri is just around the vicinity of Antipolo because she also had their company outing at Bosay. So I told Maan about it and she sent an SMS to Neri and invited her to come over and join us. Neri agreed and was fetched by my Ate and Jen. While waiting, we just ate and had some hilarious chit-chat with Dr. Jem, Ate Joy, Wendy, Carla, Joshua and Jerry. I told them that it’s a time to celebrate for our successful anniversary last Sunday and a time to bond with other youth members in our church who happened to be there also. They all agreed to my ‘sounds familiar’ instructions whenever there are new young people coming and joining the church.

Jeri, AJ, JP and Joshua (the “Bernardo Brothers” as we fondly call them) went together with me as I toured them all over the place. Afterwards, we decided to swim. After swimming, it was already lunch time so we went back to our place and ate lunch. Wow! I love the food plus the kulitan moments. Then, Neri came together with Ate and Jen. It was only this time that I saw her after Jen’s victory during the pageant at Araneta Coliseum. So after eating we took some pictures together and then we had our siesta time sharing stories as I wouldn’t want to swim because of the sweltering heat that time. Then, during our bonding moment, she injected the words, “Confirmed na!” I said, “What do you mean, ‘confirmed’ na?” So she refreshed my memory about the incident we were talking about while we were waiting for Jen at the South Gate of Araneta Coliseum. (Well, you know, when you tell me personal stories/events, rest assured, I won’t remember them after three days. I have a short-term memory when it comes to personal stories/events concerning me and my friends. I don’t know why. That’s why I tell my friends that your secrets are safe with me, not until I write a blog entry about them, like this one. Hehehe...)

Moreover, I tried to recall it as she restates certain facts to help me. By the time, I’m on the right zone; I started responding to her statement of facts. Honestly, I don’t know what to feel right that moment. It’s like the story sounded familiar but I don’t know why and what should I feel that moment. It involved two ‘common’ personalities in our lives. I can’t recall what I said to her exactly after confirming that the two ‘common’ people in our lives are now ‘secretly’ in a relationship. (Insert music here: 'Secret Lovers' by Atlantic Starr. Hehehe.. I hate to say the last phrase in that sentence, it sounds very Friendster! Hehehe...) I just said that there’s nothing wrong about it and I’m happy for them and I wish them all the best. (I honestly meant it though that sounded a familiar cliché... Hehehe…)

Our lips were filled with laughter after a strong and heavy wind broke our silence after discussing the story. In fact, we even shed a better light on the matter. The story we were discussing has been very familiar to us since the time we knew that rumors are spreading about it. We just shrug off our shoulders about ii even if things and events confirmed the facts. Whether they admit it or not, it’s not our business anymore. The incident sounded familiar because we never thought that our ‘what ifs’ would have become a reality.

By the time we went home, honestly, I kept on thinking about it. Not that I felt anything bad about it, but I was just pondering if I need to let it out by writing it on my blogsite. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to ruin the joy that I felt during our church’s event by just lingering on a fact that will remain forever as a fact. I can’t do anything about it. I don’t want to feel anything negative about it. They have the right to make decisions for their lives. And I would like to respect that decision that they’ve made. It’s just that, I want to take it on a positive perspective with a Christ-like attitude. You may not understand why it seemed to sound like a big deal for us, but when you got the idea the behind it, I guess you would feel the same way too. Does the word delicadeza, sounds familiar to you? Then it would help you understand somehow.

Whoa!! Brooke White was eliminated in American Idol 2008. I felt extremely sad (that’s a hyperbole! Hehehe..) as she sang for the last time on Idol stage. That was the most dramatic and emotional exit I’ve ever seen in American Idol. I even watched it more than four times on local TV channel and on cable channels. I will surely miss her voice and her heartfelt performances. Her voice sounded familiar to me, I just need to figure it out.

The rain poured so hard last night. I thought that the succession of lightning bolts cutting the dark sky would translate to a brown-out. I felt literally so hot even if I had taken bath for two times that night. I went out before I go to bed and I saw how dark the skies were. The wind blew so hard. Our lights were flickering but it didn’t convert into a brown-out. I played ‘Goodnight Girl’ in my mp3 before I sleep. It felt good. It felt really, really good. I prayed and thanked God for everything He has done in my life. I thanked Him for everything as I always claim Romans 8:28. I thanked Him for saving me from falling into a temptation by a sudden confirmation. I lifted everything up to Him and unto His will. I felt relieved, comforted and vindicated. Thank God!! At the end of the day, two things I surely will miss-----Brooke White and ‘her’. I felt great after a tear fell from my eyes. Whew! (Deep sigh)

This is the only feeling I don’t want to get familiar with.

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mama Len! God bless!

Welga Ng Mga Tunay Na "Marginalized Sector"

Eto pa. Mas lalong pa-iinitin ang ulo niyo.

Hehehe..

Tutal malapit na ang eleksyon, at patuloy pa rin ang mga kontrobersya sa mga Party List Organizations na tumatakbo, eto tignan natin ang mga hinaing ng mga tunay na "marginalized sector".

Eto ang kanilang mga sinasabi:

"Pinapaikot mo lang ako.
Nagsasawa na ako. Mabuti
pang patayin mo na lang
ako."
-Electric Fan

"Hindi lahat ng walang
salawal ay bastos."
-Winnie The Pooh

"Alam mo ba wala akong
ibang hinangad kundi ang
mapalapit sa'yo. Pero
patuloy ang pag-iwas mo"
-Ipis

"Hala! Sige magpakasasa ka!
Alam ko namang katawan
ko lang ang habol mo."
-Hipon

"Ayoko na! Pag nagmamahal
ako lagi na lang maraming
tao ang nagagalit! Wala
ba akong karapatang
magmahal?!?"
-Gasolina

"Hindi lahat ng green
ay masustansya. "
-Plema

"Hindi ko hinahangad na
ipagmalaki mo na ako'y
sa'yo. Ayoko ko lang naman
na sa harap ng maraming
tao ganun mo na lang ako
itanggi.."
-Utot

"Sawang sawa na ako
palagi nalang akong
pinagpapasa- pasahan,
pagod na pagod na ako."
-Bola

"You never know what you
have till you lose it.
And once you lose it, you
can never get it back."
-Snatcher

"Ginawa ko naman lahat
para sumaya ka. Mahirap ba
talagang makontento sa isa?
Bakit palipat-lipat ka?"
-TV

"Hindi lahat ng maasim
may Vitamin C!"
-Kili-Kili

"Sige, batihin mo ako.... Sigeee.....
BATEEEEEE!!! !!!!!"
-Omelette

Pilitin mo man na alisin
ako sa buhay mo, babalik
at babalik ako!
-Libag

"Wag mo na akong bilugin.."
-Kulangot

"Paano tayo makakabuo kung
hindi ako papatong sa iyo?"
-Lego

"Hindi lahat ng dugo
pwedeng i-donate."
-Regla

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nakuha ko ito mula sa isang email na ipinadala sa akin ng aking kaibigan/kaklase noon. Wala lang. Naisip ko lang na i-post kasi malapit na ang eleksyon. Hehehe.. Tsaka, para makapag-isip-isip ang mga tao kung sinu-sino ba talaga ang tinutukoy na "marginalized sector" ng ating batas. Hehehe.. Sino ba talaga ang mga "marginalized"? Mag-isip muna bago bumoto.

God bless.

Breaking News # 1: Jollibee's Real Identity Revealed

Sobrang init.

Ang hirap mag-isip ng pwedeng maisulat. Bigla kong na-realize, hindi talaga ako tatagal sa isang disyerto. Pero bakit nung nagpunta kami ng Saudi Arabia kinaya ko? Hehehe.. Magdamag kasi ang aircon sa bahay namin dun. Dito, pilit kong pinipigilan ang timer ng aircon para mas humaba-haba ang pag-eenjoy.

Walang kinalaman dyan ang entry na ito.
Ala lang.

Gusto ko lang i-share ang isa sa mga walang katuturang trivia na nalaman ko mula sa isang kaibigan at classmate nung college. Minsan ko lang bisitahin ang blogsite ni RJ kasi hindi naman gumagalaw ang site niya. Wala namang pagbabago, puro promotion lang nung mga negosyo niya. Pero minsan naisipan kong bisitahin at mas lalo akong na-enganyong tingnan kasi sabi niya alam na daw niya ang tunay na pangalan ni Jollibee.

Sabi niya, kung Ronald McDonald daw ang buong pangalan ng Mc Donald's. Dapat si Jollibee rin daw meron din. Kaya yun, habang naglalakad sila ni Vier ng mga papeles ng kanilang negosyo inabutan sila ng lunch sa isang Jollibee branch. At yun na! Nakita na nila ang tunay at buong na pangalan ni Jollibee.

Ready na ba kayo? Naku, exclusive ito.
O eto na:

Kung sa McDonald's may Ronald McDonald, sa Jollibee naman ay may:

JOLLIBEE N. DOMINGO

Heto ang katibayan:

Ito ang pruweba niya.
Pinoy na Pinoy talaga!
Take note, may middle initial pa.
Woohoo!! Bwahahaha!!!

Nakakapang-init ng ulo, di ba? Hehehe.
Gaya ng sabi niya, wala na akong masasabi pa.
Naku, dapat next time pati middle name niya alam ko na.

P.S.
Sa Jollibee Bida ang sarap!
You're the best!! (Hehehehe...)
RJ, wala kang kupas!!

Part Two: Sembreak Fever

Whew! As I continue exposing my activities during the past semestral break, I noticed that I was able to achieve almost 90% of the pre-planned activities that I’ve scheduled before the break starts. Hence, God has been so great that He gave me the chance to accomplish almost all of the things I wanted to do before the second semester begins. Moreover, I learned many things about the essence of time management, discipline and perseverance in achieving the goals, whether it will have short-term or long-term effects.

For a two-week semestral break, every activity or appointment must be strategically scheduled. Time is of the essence. And every minute that passes by should be spent for remarkable and highly-valuable tasks or pursuits.

Here is a quick yet extensive preview of what I did for the second and ‘almost’ last week of the semestral break:

WEEK TWO: THE MARATHON

Sunday, October 29, 2006: INCOMPLETE YET COMPLETED

• Ate Joy’s family went to their ‘usual’ family reunion. (It has become ‘usual’ because it seems that they have it many times as they want in a year. I don’t know why. Let’s leave it up to them. Hehehe…) Plus, Haydee has not been attending in the church for a couple of weeks. (I don’t know her reasons, but we hope she can go back again. She and her boyfriend have been rumored with so many issues. I hope by the time she comes back, she’ll be ready to answer them. Hehehe…) Hence, we have to do some abrupt changes in order to make the regular Sunday Service possible. (Connection? Our regular afternoon Sunday Services are usually held at their house. Gets?!) Thank God, Bro. Roland, the head of their family, did not join the family reunion instead he helped us in fixing and preparing for the afternoon Sunday Service.
• Long before this Sunday comes, I already sent messages to both Jerry and PJ (our former churchmates/friends) to help us out because our drummer will not be around. Jerry did not reply, but thank God, PJ did. Surprisingly, they came together that Sunday. Jerry yielded to PJ, so PJ became our drummer. We also had Ptr. Manuel as our guest speaker. His message/testimony was so inspiring. We learned so many things about God’s providence and church-planting. Check it out: www.ccc-sm.blogspot.com
• That Sunday was a miracle. The whole story testified to that statement.

Monday, October 30, 2006: SORTING OUT

• I woke up late. (And there’s nothing new about it. Hehehe..) I stayed at home and tried sorting out different documents that I have since I began going to school. Bulks of papers are cluttered in my room for a long time; and I badly needed to sort them properly---an inevitable task in the life of a student.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006: UNEXPECTED BLESSING

• I stayed at home. I was writing a blog entry when my Mom called and asked me if I can preach in our Midweek Service at Cornerstone Christian Church-San Mateo. She had this idea because she knew that I have been preaching at DAR Christian Fellowship many times, especially when there are no pastors around. At first, I was surprised, but then I gave in. I prepared my message for our Midweek Service. I asked God for anointing and supernatural wisdom and revelation. God responded actively. And I had my message about assessing one’s net worth and using it for God’s glory. In fact, you can read my message outline in my previous blog entry: “Don’t Just Live, Get A Life!”.
• Dad and Mom went home very early. I invited them to watch the movie, “Laws of Attraction” of which they enjoyed very much. Then we went to our Midweek Service afterwards.
• During the Midweek Service, I was bit nervous because it’s my first time to preach to a familiar congregation, unlike at DAR Christian Fellowship, of which I don’t know most of them personally. Then, I started preaching God’s word for our church. The whole Midweek Service went well. Everybody was blessed. And I gave all the credit to God for He alone deserves to be glorified in what I did.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006:
HEAT STROKE IN CHRISTMAS SEASON/WHOLE DAY OUT

• It’s All Saints’ Day. It’s a holiday as declared by Malacanang.
• Dad, Mom, Ate and I went to Paco, Manila to attend the wake of one of our relatives---my Mom’s cousin. (I forgot his name.) He died due to heat stroke. He had three wives. He had children to each of them. But the most active or “punong-abala” during the wake was his second wife. Surprising!! We were shocked upon knowing his story. He is not a Muslim, but he managed to have three wives all at the same time. To be technically correct, one legal wife and two paramours. (That’s the effect of taking up Criminal Law. Hehehe….) Upon hearing the story of the second wife, I remembered the Pinoy movie, ‘Ako Legal Wife’. The whole story is almost the same, of course, minus the wealth. I don’t know what to feel upon hearing his story. All I understand is that after all he is accepted and greatly loved by his three wives, who were present during the wake, and also his children, even at the point of death.
• Then we went to Market! Market! (Again! This place has become a part of us, because of Aling Nene’s Sinigang sa Miso. Try it. Hehehe..) to eat dinner. Of course, we ate at Aling Nene’s again, with the same food order. Then, we went over the tiangges to check out for new arrivals. We bought few articles and accessories, as usual. My Dad initiated to go home, as always, so we can’t help but to obey. Actually, it’s already late in the evening that’s why we agreed to go home.

Thursday, November 2, 2006: FAMILY-BONDING

• All Souls’ Day. It’s not a holiday anymore.
• Dad, Mom, Ate, Joshua and I went to the Department of Foreign Affairs to have our passport renewed. The renewal of passports is usually done every five years. So early in the morning, we hurried to DFA and started the bureaucratic process (Again!) of renewing our passports. Except for my Dad (He has been traveling all his life that’s why his passport is always active.), we all went through the process needed for the renewal. We almost got into the deceitful schemes of the fixers outside the premises of DFA. Praise God, we discerned early that the man, who initiated to lead us through the process, was leading us to the wrong direction. Therefore, we concluded that he is one of those fixers loitering around. By the grace of God, we were led by an official from the DFA and we finished the whole process less than an hour. (Of course, legally and take note, with no long queues?! That’s amazing! Hehehe…) We were really grateful that God led us through the right direction----legal, fast, and logical.
• Then we were choosing either to go to Rockwell, to Mall of Asia, or to Market! Market! to eat lunch. We ended up eating at Market! Market!. (Again. I told you this is the place to be this sembreak. Hehehe..) Then after eating lunch and a little bit of strolling, we went to Cubao. My Dad, Mom and Joshua went to Farmers Market, while Ate and I went to LTO Driver’s License Renewal Center. I left Ate and Joshua at LTO and I joined my Mom and Dad strolling and shopping functional items there. (Of course. Parents are parents. Everything needs to be functional. Hehehe…) When we met Ate and Joshua, Ate told us that she saw Jonathan, our former churchmate/church drummer. She told us that Jonathan didn’t notice my Ate’s presence even though the place is so small that only blind people can have mistakes for not identifying everybody in the room. However, we didn’t take it as a big deal. Anyway, everything’s fine with us. We just don’t know about them. After waiting for a long period of the release of my Ate’s renewed driver’s license, we peacefully agreed to go home because obviously, we’re all tired after the long day out.
• The sad part of this day, I wasn’t able to come to DAR Christian Fellowship. I don’t know what happened to them. I just hope that Bro. Romy did relay my message that I will not be able to come.

Friday, November 3, 2006: CALLING FAMILIES

• Ate and I went to Barrientos’s house. I drove and we stayed there. Surprisingly, the Gallana family was also there. They had a lunch out there. When we arrived, they were just about to go home.
• Ate and I had dinner with Sis. Elena (the matriarch), Maan and Jen. I love the ‘Dinuguan’. I’m very choosy on eating it especially if I don’t know who made it. I also love the commercialized ‘Sisig’ that Sis. Elena was selling. Jennifer showed us some of her pictures during her pictorials in John Robert Powers (JRP) taken by no less than the socialite professional photographer Dominic James. The pictures are great. Jen looks gorgeous and elegant.

Saturday, November 4, 2006: SURFED THE WORLD

• I had a business meeting with RJ. I proposed another business opportunity to him of which I hope he would gladly accept. Then, I had my regular haircut back at Bench Fix- Sta. Lucia, and not in Robinson’s Metro East because my stylist there is absent when I went there. Then I hurried going home.
• I went home early because it was raining. I just did the usual routine of surfing the net and getting updates from different sites. I was very happy to explore Daphne Osena-Paez’s photo album site in Flicker.com. I enjoyed looking at her pictures and reading her stories. Daphne is such an admirable woman for me. Honestly, I want a wife like her, if possible. She’s very smart yet very candid, beautiful yet very simple, elegant yet very low-profile, very independent, yet very submissive to her husband, very career-focused but very family-oriented, and a lot more outstanding traits that are very unique. How I wish I could be Patrick Paez and marry someone like her.

Whew!
That was a great sembreak.

Life has many things to offer.
Thank God I’m alive.

Part One: Sembreak Fever

Thank God! I relatively had the busiest and most sensible semestral break in my whole life. (O.A.?! Hehehe..) Instead of having the ordinary indoor routine that I had before like sleeping, eating, surfing the net, watching TV and DVDs; and of course, sleeping, eating, surfing the net and watching TV and DVDs. (Actually it’s cyclical, but it’s not obvious on my part. Hehehe…) I believe God heard my fervent prayers; or maybe He read my previous blog entry and realized that I badly needed one. (Hehehe...) It has been pre-programmed long before the semestral break starts. (I noticed this part after reflecting on the things that I’ve done. Hehehe)

But hey, this time, I assured myself that it would be a different one. And it SHOULD be different this time. I wanted to have a dynamic outdoor routine. (Wow! Flexible?!) Hence, I had to strategically fix my schedules and appointments so that everything will be organized and balanced. (Hehehe.. That’s the real show business, in other words the‘Star Complex’.)

Here is a quick yet extensive preview of what I did last semestral break:

WEEK ONE: THE BREATHING PERIOD

Sunday, October 22, 2006: AN ANSWERED PRAYER

• Our whole family went to the regular Sunday Service at Robinsons Novaliches. I just can’t imagine how thankful I was for an answered prayer---the semestral break. I can still remember how I felt during the Praise and Worship part. I lifted my both hands as high as I can just to show to God how grateful I am for answering my-pretty-obvious-prayer-request.
• I was so happy that I bought the book that I really wanted to read and that intrigued me with its subject. I bought FREAKONOMICS by Levitt and Dubner. I will talk more about this in a separate blog entry.
• Then we went home to prepare for our next Sunday Service at Cornerstone Christian Church-San Mateo. I was ultra-excited to have our Praise and Worship practice (1:30pm-3:00pm) and the Ministers’ Bible Study (3:00pm-4:00pm). I was so blessed and enjoyed hearing the Preaching/Message part because I know that I don’t have to worry about any recitations or assigned cases that we need to digest for the next day. Whew! For me, it literally felt like ‘Heaven on Earth’. (As in!)

Monday, October 23, 2006: THE GENESIS

• I woke up late. (As usual! Hehehe…) Before the semestral break starts, I already planned to restore my ‘Work-Out’ routines like lifting weights and do some crunches in our home-based fitness gym. (Actually, it’s a room filled with different fitness equipment that my Mom bought through the Home TV Shopping. They’re getting rusty; and cobwebs covered most of them. So I should clean them first before I can use them. But my body wanted to rest more, so I decided to have a brunch (breakfast and lunch) first, then I’ll get back to it. Unfortunately, I forgot to clean and use them because I was hooked on watching a noontime variety show. (Of course, Eat Bulaga’s Bulagaan time! Hehehe…) In short, I decided to do those tasks the next day.
• Evening time came, I strategically (Take note of the word: strategically… Hehehe..) fixed my schedules and appointments for the whole week. I’m such an O.C.! Then, I prepared the (line-up) songs for the Midweek Service.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006: SIBLINGS DAY-OUT

• Last Sunday (October 22, 2006) for some uncertain reasons, My sister, Maan and Jen planned to go out and check out for some new tiangges/ bargains. They invited me to join them. Of course, the main purpose was to have a bonding with the whole star-studded cast (long lost friends), but for some usual reasons, we ended up having a ‘siblings-day out’. My Ate, Maan , Jen, Owa, and I went to Market! Market!
• Upon arriving at Market! Market!, we went directly to the food court/food district. (Hmm…Wow! Newly coined term. Hehehe..) It was lunch time then so instinctively we need to look for a place where we can eat. We opted to buy our food from one of the ‘lutong bahay’ stalls there. We chose Aling Nene’s for that matter. Jen highly recommended it. We had Sinigang sa Miso (Tanigue) and barbeques from Ineng’s Barbeque (Daughter of Aling Nene) with several cups of rice. We’re admitted to be fish-haters. I don’t eat fish generally speaking. I choose different kinds of fish to eat like tuna and all boneless fish. But that time was so different, we were able to eat the Sinigang sa Miso even if there are chops of Tanigue with it. Super delicious.
• Then we started roaming around and checking out the bargains/tiangges. I bought a sling bag/messenger bag and some accessories. They too have their own share of shopping items. Then we watched World Trade Center. I’ll talk more about it as a separate blog entry.
• Then my Dad sent a text message to my Ate telling us to go home early because we still have to attend the Midweek Service. My Ate is our church pianist/keyboardist; and I’m the assigned worship leader at that time. So we hurried going home. We left Market! Market! at 7:00pm; and we arrived at the church by 8:00pm. Imagine a 30-minute ride from Fort Bonifacio to San Mateo, Rizal. Amazing!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006:
ENROLMENT HORROR/STRESS OUTLET

• I woke up early. (Something different! Hehehe..) I needed to pass my paper for my Legal research subject. It’s reaction/proposal paper about the best way to amend the 1987 Constitution. I went to school at around 9:00 am. (Wow! I can’t believe this. I’m in the school at 9:00 am? I usually wake up at 9:00am. How can it be? Hehehe…) Then, after I passed my paper to our beadle. I rushed to the Dean’s office to start the whole bureaucratic enrolment procedure. I hate bureaucracy. (I’ll talk more about this in a separate blog entry) But thank God! It’s a miracle. There were no long and uneasy queues. I went through the enrolment process without the need to line-up because there was none. Maybe I came too early, that’s why. The only sad part was when I need the signature of our Dean for the approval of my scholarship. They said that Dean arrives in the afternoon, so I get to have my scholarship done in the afternoon. I just left the scholarship form and decided to go home. They’re wasting my time. This is not included in my schedule: to wait for the Dean’s arrival. Anyway, I can continue it some other time.
• Then I went to my Mom’s office and told her about the whole bureaucratic process of enrolment and the horror that it brings. Moreover, I told her that I get to have the discount for my tuition fee only that I need to secure Dean’s signature in my form. Then, to calm myself I get to go back reading the book that I bought, FREAKONOMICS while waiting for my Mom. We waited for my sister, and then we went home.

Thursday, October 26, 2006:
MIDWEEK AGAIN. (THREE MIDWEEKS IN A ROW?!)

• I went to DAR Christian Fellowship at 11:45am for their regular Thursday Service. The assigned speaker was Ptr. Jun Cam-Cam from the Victory Christian Fellowship (Main). He talked about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I was extremely blessed for God anointed the whole preaching. Then, he discussed about the anniversary of DAR Christian Fellowship. He told us that he had a meeting with former Senator Tessie Aquino-Oreta. He informed us that she already accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior; and is now a Born-Again/Christian. He told us that she will be our speaker to our upcoming DAR Christian Fellowship Anniversary. We’re really excited about that. Thank God. Now, there is a clear and miraculous permeation of God’s Word in our government through our Christian political leaders.

Friday , October 27, 2006:
A SHORT WEDDING, A SHORT WAKE AND A LONG DAY

• Ate Chel and Kuya Richard had their court wedding. Maan and I were gate-crushers then because we only came at the wedding reception. At least we're not late! We saw Ptr. Bill Cadiang, our former pastor in our former church. Thank God. He took the initiative to greet us (Go, Ate Mhel, Maan and me) inspite and despite of what happened among us. It's so nice to see them again. I believe that this short wedding of Ate Chel and Kuya Richard paved the way for us (Pastor and the groups who transferred to other churches) to cross each other's paths, shake hands with him, and let forgiveness heal our longest longing.
• I checked my emails the other day. I read Jaja’s message about the death of Hutch’s Dad. I was surprised upon receiving that news. I buzzed at Andrei through the Yahoo Messenger. I asked what happened to Hutch’s Dad. He confirmed that Hutch’s Dad is already dead due to heat stroke. So some of the Pasteurites came to the wake of Hutch’s Dad. It was really sad though we filled the place with a touch reality and laughter.
• Then the whole group went to Tropical Hut at Concepcion, Marikina City because the Tropical Hut in Ampid was already closed at that time. We shared different stories that lightened up the whole evening. We went home laughing and laughing because of different jokes and rumors that has been spreading through a tread in our Yahoo Groups. I’ll talk more about it in a separate blog entry.

Saturday, October 28, 2006:
GENERAL CLEANING DAY

• Tons of photocopied cases are cluttered in my room. I barely recognize my personal things because of those stress-embedded papers. So I decided to clean and organize my things. I threw all the papers that has nothing to do with my previous and present status as a law student.

Whew!

Watch out for the Part Two: Sembreak Fever. More stories. More life!

Thanks. God bless.