Bacolod trip

just rearranging albums. This was last April 1, 2007. hay love sleepy Bacolod. Will go back next year and go to Sipalay!!!

my last day in the office

pictures from my official emancipation from pwc....and yeah, for the blurred pictures, sorry pasmado eh.its the thought that counts.

batch despedida

MMG Batch November 2005. Soms Thai Resto. Weird food. Magic Sing. Showdown ni Eunice and Poppers sa videoke. Score? varying from 01% to 65%. Future OFWs. Boyfriends: Diego, Ivan and ABDUL (peace popin!). Aaaaawww.. I will surely miss you guys, aszin!!

family day

last family day with pwc, jollibee and friends *sob*. and last videoke session with the bugoks.

they dont know any better...

My day started off with me and my sister being totally clueless and laughing our heads off as we were standing in line to get a police clearance to supplement my visa requirements. I mean.. haha.. what was funnier than having lots of people gawking at you while your mug shot (complete with your name on a board and a serious criminal-look face) was being taken? Eheheh.. we looked kalibangon in our pictures from holding in our laughter. Anyways, being the uninformed people that we are, we continually asked the security guard for instructions on how to expedite the processing. Then he simply told us with a straight face, "Bigyan nyo nalang ako ng bente para mabigay na sainyo yan mamaya". Ok. So we told him no thanks and we resorted to standing in line inside the police station so we could pay the legal "rushjob" fee. When our turn came up, I asked the step#2 lady behind the counter how much a "rushjob" is, she just said "kahit magkano gusto nyo, bahala na kayo.." I asked her again like 2 times and that’s what she answered. HUH??! We were totally confused so we gave her a hundred (for me and my sis) as that was what the other people gave her. Then we were told to wait. When my sister and I started talking about it, we pieced things together and realized that the "rushjob" fee is actually the lagay or bribe. Ohmigosh. I felt used and was angry with the lady for taking advantage of our ignorance. I then thought about how much they get everyday from this lagay (which actually looks legal since the lady was receiving it from behind the counter, and she is in charge of step#2) and how many people were led to believe that these were legal (but then again, maybe people know it and they just ignore it). It was a blatant display of corruption and it was actually my first encounter during the day.

I left my sister in the police station somewhat disgusted about what happened and went to the NBI to get another clearance. When I stepped into the taxi, the driver sped away and just demanded that I pay 200 pesos flat, instead of the flag down rate. Since I was on a rush, I begrudgingly agreed with the price and reasoned that it was near the usual rate anyway. With the traffic from Makati to Carriedo, I think the actual rate would have been 170 or 180. The driver was able to effectively mooch 20 or 30 bucks from me.

When I got inside the NBI and while I was, again, standing in line to have something checked, I tuned in to my surroundings and overheard some people behind me ranting about something. It was a man talking to people behind me and complaining about why some people were let inside the bureau wearing tsinelas when a certain guard refused him entry because he was wearing sandals. I turned my head behind me just in time as the man took a picture (yeah. a polaroid picture) of my “flip-flopped” foot (yup. I was wearing rubber flip-flops). Okay??! I looked at him and saw that he was wearing socks with his leather tsinelas like a Japanese guy. In defense to my flip-flops, I told him that there were a lot of people wearing flip-flops and it was actually not prohibited. It turned out that the security guard just deceived men (as there were other guys who were wearing socks and flip-flops) so that they will buy the socks from him! Talk about a thriving business.

On my way home, I thought about the happenings during the day and resolved that the people involved were just plain lazy and without morals. Don’t wanna work hard. Just want the easy money. Trying to mooch off money from innocent individuals. But then again, more than these issues, could it be that these people, these unsaved Filipinos just don’t know any better? We could not totally blame them for acting like that because that’s what they see happening in the nation. Corruption, poverty and a feeling of hopelessness stemmed from the fact that they don’t know Jesus. It is hard enough for a Christian to live life in this world but it must be harder to make ends meet when you don’t know the God who can back you up. Hopelessness will really make people do desperate things. This is not to justify and tolerate the doings of Mr. Guards, Taxi driver and step#2 Lady. In fact, the next time I ride a taxi which does not use the flag down rate, that driver will surely get a sermon from me about hard work. I just pray that we Christians will continue praying harder for revival because we really, really need the Hope of Glory in our hope-starved Land. Oh Lord Jesus, we so need you.

surrendering

“Jesus died for me.”  Yup, we know this very well. The meaning of this has somehow been lost on us as we go on with our daily lives. It has become some sort of cliché, some sort of familiar statement that has something to do with the foundations of Christianity.

 

Do we truly understand the magnitude of such claim? That this means that our lives were BOUGHT at the price of Jesus’ life? GIPALIT; GIBAYRAN.  This life- this body, soul and spirit that we have -no longer belongs to us. The rightful owner is already JESUS. Who then are we to say na unfair kaayo, or i don’t want to, or unyanakaysakitmangud when God wants us to surrender something?

 

HELLO. Reality check. Ngano man tawon ta mag-struggle2x nga d mani atoa nga kinabuhi oi? Sometimes bitaw, we are just plain spoiled. Mga feelers kaayo. Good thing God has much much love and patience with us. Kay If I were God, I would’ve struck myself with lightning a long time ago kay dugayan kaayo, daghan arte.

 

If we could just get it that our lives are not our own, we would not be struggling too much when the Lord asks something from us- which reminds me, I have to buy myself a hammer so I could daily hit my head with this truth.

 

Enough na drama nako Lord uy. I have decided in cold blood that you can bring it on. If you want it, hala sige, kuwaa na! I know You are worth it.

end of my vacation leave..back to reality :p

Start:

Jun 11, '07 1:00p

cebu trippin..