why not wednesday 05252011

for us who do not watch films regularly, this is pretty new:

why not watch a movie? and why not watch the book of eli?

why watch it? because at the start i was saying "ganda ng visuals a," and by the end of it my tears were clouding the "magandang visuals". the movie ministered to me, and really, how many movies can do that? if there is any movie that is worth your precious time, it's the book of eli. im happy we picked it for our very-seldom-movie-watching times.

i admit that this is pretty late, since ive been hearing from friends and the interweb that this movie is great. i also admit that if i chose to view it as film critic, id find loopholes and id ask questions. but as i said, it ministered both to me and to gail. it served its purpose. 

the past days, God has been reminding me about what's precious and what is not. in the movie, it's the Book. in my life, it should be the Book. i was reminded of what and who i should embrace every day. im now brought to the process of filtering through my heart, removing materialistic desires and replacing them with the purpose similar to eli's, all with God's help. *sigh* no better feeling than falling in love with God all over again.

I've been thinking of changing my mind, It never stays the same for long. But of all the things I know for sure, You're the only certain one, You are the one I want.

--brooke fraser, arithmetic

  

God is at their side; 

with God's help they make it. 

This, Jacob, is what happens 

to God-seekers, God-questers.
-Ps 24:5-6, the Message

reading and writing

i think im drained of my pretend writing skills. can i just pretend that i have my pretend writing skills back? no? yesterday, i finished reading the art of racing in the rain (refer here for kwento), just so i can get inspired to write again. but here we be. let's yawn together at this boring and lifeless entry. i won't try harder anymore and will just proceed telling you about finishing this novel in tears:

it was beautiful, poignant, a feast for the senses. haha o di ba parang totoong book review. seriously, read it. it's for every dreamer who struggles and gets discouraged. im so tempted to insert a justin bieber motto, but i wont because you already know what im going to say. :p next on my list:

recommended by carla. it's a love book, something im not too excited about, because im more for the young adult stories. but lets see. as my dad would tell me, if you dont like the book, bitawan mo. you wont stop if its worth your time. k daddy. hehe.

ps: i hope to get my pretend swag back. must be the grownup stuff we're dealing with. :| 

justin bieber (and i) in manila

kaya pala ako medyo bad mood today, kasi subsconsciously i feel bad about justin baby's concert later. :p di kasi ako manonood, and some of my friends *ehem* carla and tanja and charet are going.

found out he's in edsa shang. isang kembot lang ang pagitan namin right this very moment oh-em-bieb. meet ko na lang muna sya, kape kape ganun. tapos pray ko sya. haha!

parang i want to camp out in moa. if i cry (and i might), baka pagbawalan na ko ni gail makinig at manood ng justin songs. kung sino ka mang one less lonely girl mamaya, *exhale sa ilong and tiger eyes*, wala lang, have fun.

this is hardcore, i cant belieb it. kung maaga aga ko lang narealize na nasa rurok na pala ako ng pagkafan, bumili ako ng ticket. dineny ko pa kasi. haha!

better than ice cream

today didnt start right. ill leave it at this: our country is one of the worst places to be a driver (and to be a passenger.) so when i noticed that i left my good mood somewhere on my way to the office, i thought of things that could lighten me up. of course the first thing that came to mind is praying, and trust me, it did work. better than ice cream yes. anything that brings you closer to God is better than ice cream.

with that, id like to bring you over to high street on easter sunday, where Church Simplified had an interactive art installation/exhibit (what's it called?) entitled Walkway. It showed what Jesus went through to save you, and me too. It is an experience, to say the least. The artists behind it are extremely blessed with talent, and the response and participation of the people who went there proved it. the exhibit was so effective in communicating Christ's love. i was blown away, ang galing talaga.

as my chef friend said on facebook yesterday, salvation is not something that should be taken lightly. it is, actually, the heaviest weight God carried. the cross is both my weakness and my strength. i cry easily whenever im reminded of it, and at the same time it's my band-aid for whatever bad thing happens to me. i hope next year they'll put it up again. better than ice cream, promise.

we have more photos, but im only posting some of them (without explanations/captions) because i dont want to spoil the experience for you next year. :) thanks to gailee for the photography service. haha!

"the journey to the cross began long before..."

thanks Church Simplified!

PS: You can experience it all online! Click THIS to start.

love is the philosophy.

we all get discouraged.
we all get offended.
we all offend others.
we all become impatient.
we all lose compassion.

but as long as there's something to go back to, as long as you know you can forgive, you will be forgiven, you can love and you will be loved, you can be on your way to redemption, to vindication. and you'll know you won't go back.

i recently went through something. what it is i cant say, but this part i can share: i very much wanted to take things into my own hands. in fact, i did. but not for long, because God loves me and He would never let me do things on my own. i should've gone the right way, but i didn't because i'd get hurt and i didn't want to lose my respect for myself. i had the excuses ready in case God would convict me. but alas, no card was drawn when He brought me to my knees and revolutionized my heart.

you know that time when you think you couldnt do it but you were able to? that. God enabled me so well that i knew it wasnt from my own abilities. it was all because God loves me. every fear and judgment was quenched and i was able to even extend love. God loved me first so i can love others.

you may not understand this entry well because it sounds like a diary entry, but the one thing that i wish you'd get is this: God loves you. cliche, but its the truest statement you can ever hear.

You will know Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. -eph 3:19

the Cross at Church Simplified's exhibit (next blog entry)

PS: my why not wednesday, by the way, is this: i did something i used to do before = wrote a news article. if id grade myself, itll be a 7 out of 10. not bad, but not news/blog worthy. thats why its only a PS. ;)