a conversation with an agnostic

Last Friday, I was busy working and minding my own business when my greek manager, whose workstation is in front of me and who by the way happens to be very very cute (hehe adlib lang), suddenly asked me if I had one wish, just one wish, what would it be? From the top of my head, well I said of course I would want to win the lottery so that I won’t have to work anymore. Id just travel to all the places that I want to go to and just like work for some non-profit organization like UNICEF or something. And I don’t know where the conversation went that we were then talking about God and cruelty and would I have someone killed for 10 million dollars and all those philosophical stuff. I was having a hard time explaining why I wouldnt have someone killed for money because he was rebutting everything I said! He is an agnostic and he doesn’t believe in God. And there I was, stammering about what I said about Jesus!! In the end,  what I said were just babblings and I know it showed. It was a disaster. Where was all the unction I had before for sharing and preaching the Word? The moment was so unexpected and that is so not the question to ask me while I am totally engrossed on studying the Karpensky and Vostochny-Makarovskoye subsalt and supra-salt reserves in Volga for my report.

 

Until now, I am actually thinking about it. Come to think of it, what should have been my answer? I mean, yeah, Im in a place where people don’t know God. Where people don’t actually acknowledge a God. They don’t know the Bible and they don’t know Jesus and Sunday and Christmas is just another regular day for them. I tried to explain to Chris that I believe in God and the Bible because I experience God and the Bible in my life. But he just chalked it up as a theory I believe in because of my religion and cultural upbringing. He doesn’t believe and hasn’t read the Bible, why would he believe me? I couldn’t use it as a basis because for him, it was just a book.  How would these people know that I have something different? How would they distinguish me as someone who has Jesus and that Im not just a good-natured person?

 

Grabeh. My life Lord. The Russians are demanding to see this Jesus in my life. Not in my words. But in my every-single-living-breathing action in life.

 

And I see so much the gap between my life and the life Jesus lived. I still have a long way to go, Dad. GRAACCEE!!!!! I call on you one million times!!

a wonderful morning!! aszin!!

I woke up to the sound of a very heavy downpour outside. It was so dismal; thunder and lightning ang show. I prayed to God na i-stop ang rain coz, pretty me, I seem to have taken with me to Moscow my bad habit of not bringing an umbrella even if bagyo. Well, Ive lost countless payongs in my life and I don’t like payongs that much. Hehe. Anyways, as I said, I prayed to the Lord to make Him stop the rain coz I don’t have a payong (yet) and I don’t wanna be soaking wet going to the office on a Monday. After that, I snoozed my alarm and napped for 15 minutes, talking to God na He did it for Elijah, why not do it for me.

 

Aba, when I woke up, hahahaha, the heavy rain honest to goodness stopped! Aszin in 15 to 20 minutes, th weather outside was like from really gray skies (with the ulan2x) to the sun shining and breaking forth!! I was like…OKAY..Hahahaha.. I told the Lord, “God, it is sooooo good to have you as a father!” Laliman kag He stops the rain just for me (hahaha..im serious..I know He stopped it just for me). Amazing. Papa ko na bai. What a way to be greeted on a Monday morning!!

 

Happy week everybody!! Abounding blessings!

One sunny sunday

I finally, finally got the guts to explore parts of the city on my own! It was sooo sunny outside, my itchy feet could no longer bear my inability to read and speak russian. Haha. So I went out of my flat and wandered around alone. I got as far as Kremlin and the Museum of Christ the Savior Cathedral. (sorry I wasn’t in the mood for appreciating art so I didn’t try to get inside these places. Hehe. Just wanted to get out of my flat, enjoy the sun and take some pictures)

wala lang..now i know..hehe.

Some wala-lang-chikka from my day to day experiences here in Moscow. Just stalling time coz I don’t want to start working pa.

 

1.       Hahaha.. its funny because they SO don’t speak english. When they (my clients) talk to me, its like pulling teeth. Its just plain excruciating hearing them pause 15 seconds before saying something in english. I really should learn the russian language if Im going to stay long.

2.       In my first week, I was really wondering why russians, regardless of age, fashion sense and gender, are always aszin always carrying plastic bags with them. When I ride the metro (subway), I even count people who carry the plastic bags and most of the time, its usually 70-80% of the people in the train car Im riding in. hehe. Now I know why. The shops/groceries seldom give plastic bags when you buy something from them. Its bring your own plastic “пакѐт” here or else you’ll carry your food in your arms or they’ll give you a trash bag to put your goodies in :p haha.

3.       Russians are pretty straightforward and impatient people. So no offense-offense jud or they will eat you up alive and won’t even care.

4.       They’re not like us pinoys who think of others’ welfare or feelings first. Walay Atenista dari (men and women for others!). Its each man for himself.

5.       Russians are very very praning about security. I think it has something to do with their spy-spy chorvala. Buildings have access cards at ALL entrances (gates,floors,offices,rooms). Even in my flat, theres a sensor at the main entrance, 2 locks in my floor and 3 locks in my flat. Hahaha.. when I go out everyday, have to allot 5 minutes for locking and unlocking all the doors and gates. And ang keys are not ordinary, theyre the ancient ones where you have to feel the lock pa if it will catch.

6.       Ive also learned to love the Metro na. I could understand the operator announce the stations already. The picture below is the Moscow metro system..all those circles are stations. scary noh?

 

                                                         

 

7.       [these are for my fellow auditor-friends] Hay na! now I know what it feels like to be a senior :p it sucks when your staff is reaally helpless and you have to teach him everything and then you have a lot of other responsibilities to fulfill. Patience is a virtue I need very much. I repent from all my binuang when I was just a staff. Hahaha.

8.       People drink beer/vodka/kvas/any liquor anywhere. aszin anywhere! especially on Thursdays and Fridays. People sitting on the sidewalks or riding the metro, basta everywhere, are  drinking. Drinking is like yosi breaks lang here!

9.       Food is very. very! expensive here. aszin. what I eat for lunch here (salads,veggies,fruits) is equivalent to me eating out in Italianni’s Greenbelt already.

10.    Ive finally discovered the malls.. hihihih.. I am so excited!! European brands galore. Mango and Zara are just retail here. like SM! Cant wait for sweldo time. Hehehe..

m goin to Riga, Latvia

Start:	Sep 13, '07 06:00a
End:	Sep 20, '07