picture pictures!

here are some pics from the REBAP summer camp last April 5-7 held in UP Los Banos, Laguna.



group pic...


1 cup of rice each...


after the session

500 metres walk a day...some exercise!

the green team!

what's with this well?

friends all the way from Abu Dhabi, UAE

a strange tree and umbrella.

uhmm...the gwapings???

my mystery dancing partner....guess who???

i like to call them manly men of God.

flip flops on the go!

camps theme:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Galatians 5:22-23

free butterfly

a beautiful shot of a butterfly... (courtesy of joash)

the little prince

It has been a long time since I have read a really nice book. I let myself be drawn into the busy and fast paced environment that I forgot that there is one hobby that I should indulge in because it's good for me...and that is reading.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a surprisingly nice book. I think I will not get tired of reading it over and over again. It's a delicate story. It could have been taken in so many ways and so many different perspectives. Yet you can't help but giggle at the personifications of each star and who is on them. You can't help but bite your lip to keep from crying at the end. You can't help spending time afterwards to think about what the story meant in a whole. The Little Prince transcends the innocence of children to becoming an almost etheral being. He acquired more insight into human nature in his considerably short stay on planet earth than most humans could ever hope for in a lifetime. He encountered greed, humility, love, loss and even friendship, yet he never loss his quench for knowledge nor his devotion to his home, his beloved rose and all it has.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." That quote from the fox is very much true. Sometimes we give importance to the things that our eyes can see, and neglect the intangible things which is far more important in our lives.
Another thing that I like about the book is the perspective about friendship. "One only understands the things that one tames", said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me..." Friendship is not just something we can easily get or ask for, like a toy from our parents or whatever, we have to work hard for it. We have to know that person, spend time together, communicate and most importantly accept that person for who they are.
This book is indeed not just for kids, but it is actually meant for adults. It contains lessons that most of us are forgetting these days...

everywhere

Want to hear a little fact?

The Lord has got your back

He’s got you everyday

And His love will never fade

You never have to run

You never have to hide

Even if you can’t see Him,

He’s still inside.



Everywhere you look, He’s standing right there

Even when you think, He just doesn’t care

Everywhere you look, He’s standing right there

Even when you think, He’s not being quite fair.

Everywhere you look, He’s standing right there.

Everywhere….



Sometimes He doesn’t give you what you had in mind,

Sometimes you don’t like what you find.

But He has something in store for you,

Just trust Him, He knows what to do.

christmas party, old spag house and single's fellowship

i would have to say that this week has been tremendously busy for me. It is overwhelming. 'tis the season to be busy tra la la la la la la la la! i felt like a lot of things had happened...lots of thinking...mixed emotions...december is actually my favorite month obviously because of christmas. the time where families, friends and long distant relatives get together for reunion and not to mention the beautiful lights displayed in houses and different establishments (im actually fond of lights and sparkly things). there's also the christmas parties in companies which sometimes has a particular theme. like what we had last december 19 in our company, "qantas goes chinese" (dont ask me why we had this theme). suprisingly, it turned out pretty fine. almost all of us, including the guests were dressed in chinese costumes. everybody had a great time, with the special numbers that the new staff presented. it's tradition that when you are new with the company you will have to perform something for the christmas party. (im thankful that i did that already like 2 years ago...it will never happen again!).

i'm here with my supervisor and friend aileen. oh yes our chinese blouse is almost the same! just the colors are different. our manager mayin bought this at singapore when she was there for a training. i was surprised when she got home and gave me the blouse. it was exciting because it's the first time that i got to owned a priced and authentic chinese blouse or "chiongsan" as they call it (not sure with the spelling though). this is something that i can still use when i go out with family and friends. just need to pair it with a nice pair of jeans and a gold flat shoes then i'm set!

the next day after our "chinese" christmas party was our dinner at the old spaghetti house somewhere in makati with our ALO's and colleagues from the airport.
<<ricardo or "ricky" as i call him is on the left and on the right is cameron, the "new guy". unlike our "previous ALO", ricky left manila not just as our colleague, but also as our friend. he's so efficient with his work and still manage to maintain friendship with us. and guess who he looks like??? never a dull moment with him for he talks too much...(kidding!) i hope that we'll also have the same working relationship with cameron. anyway, he also seems to be a nice guy too. i guess we'll just have to wait and see after three months.

and there was the single's fellowship at the hofmaier's house. this is one of the things that i look forward to every december. a time to be with my friends at church who shares the same faith that i have in Christ Jesus. it was a night of mingling, catching up and of course eating! 'twas really nice to see everybody again.

im sitting here with 3 special and talented individuals. joash: a fine arts student. who's really into arts...(duh?!) he's so good with drawings and photo editing. likes taking picture of everybody and of course of himself. next one is hannah: also a fine arts student. really good drawings and paintings (saw her works and it's amazing!). one cool gal with a distinct taste in fashion. we share the same love for "bargain hunting" at divisoria. and lastly, is none another than, hapi: the girl who has inspired me to go on the "southbeach diet". however, we are now the main violator of that diet because of the holiday season...hehe. but as soon as the holidays are over we're back to phase one, aren't we hapi? :) we can do it again!


the fellowship wouldn't be the same without games and singing. i just forgot the title of this game. but it's like putting the star on top of the tree and you do that when you are blindfolded (hello?! it would be too easy to put the star without blindfolds???!) i love it when we play this kinds of games...the feeling of being a kid again with nothing to think about but to play the whole day... i miss those days. "all work and no play, makes jack a dull boy."

...and of course, the best thing to end the night would be a group picture (a trademark of our get together)... hope to see more new faces on our next meetings, Lord willing.

...so that's it...that is december 2006! another memorable month for me. what's in store for year 2007 is still unknown to me...but it is a comfort that beyond the uncertainty in this world is the certainty that God cares, He is in control.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

the best song that describes ME

Who Am I?

Written by Mark Hall
Music by Casting Crowns
Song based on Psalms 52 and 139 and Ephesians 2

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You're

Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours

Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me

I am Yours
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
'Cause I am Yours
I am Yours

mi familia

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my babies

so you think they're the same.... think again...



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what's in a name?

names are very important.

we all have one, and to a certain extent, we can control how that name is used.

my full name is quite long, and for me is a bit old fashioned, so I just shorten it to "cecile". that's what it says on my name plate at work.

only a few people use my full name - of course that would be my family. especially my mom when she's angry at me. people who know me from primary school actually still use my first name in full, so if someone calls me "maria cecilia", then i know that they knew me then. at college and at work, people called me "cecile" or "ces". close friends call me something else altogether. so based on what you call me, i can pretty much get a clue as to where you met me, or how long you've known me.

so, i guess i'm pretty happy with my name.

i have here a list of names that i could think of with their meanings. of course i'll begin with my name:

cecilia / cecile - in latin, means "the blind one"...also means inspired.
ivy - origin greek and english. a climbing evergreen ornamental plant.
natalie - origin french, born at christmas,
juanita - (my mom's name) origin spanish. form of Joanne. God is gracious.
jeremias - (my dad's name) origin hebrew. exalted of the Lord.
paulo - origin african. place of rest.
origin english. little rock.
origin greek. form of paul. small.
cressida - origin greek. gold
carlo - origin french. strong.
isidro - origin spanish. gifted with many ideas.
andrew - origin latin. manly.
jacob - origin hebrew. held by the heel.
hannah - origin hebrew. grace of God.
stephen - origin greek. crown.
isabella - origin hebrew. devoted to God.
sophia - origin greek. wisdom.
rebecca - origin hebrew. captivating; knotted cord.
marguerite - origin greek. child of light.

oh well, the list would go on forever... but it's just nice to know the meaning of our names.

blueskies on a monday morning

it's monday...a fresh start...a beautiful day...the skies are blue! and i praise the Lord for His mercies.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalms 103:1-5

...may God be my help this week...

slowly but surely

yehey! slowly i've been learning some things about html and how to actually apply them here in my blog. it's really fun, though it's quite hard knowing that i'm not really good when it comes to the "html things". honestly, i don't understand the codes. i just copied it. hehe. anyway, at least i've been able to post some links, like my friends and some good sites. i'm just thrilled especially that we have dsl connection now. surfing the net is a lot faster than before. hopefully this will be the start of a more updated blogsite...

pheeew!

i'm a living time bomb, waiting to explode any moment from now. that is of course, just my way of describing this day. it's been a day of pressure and stress at work. which has been i should say, two days in a row already. one was yesterday and of course today. i'm just really glad that it's over!

today i have been reminded of the following:
>trials will come our way anytime, it is inevitable.
>patience is indeed a virtue.
>a true friend will be there for you, no matter what.
>in customer service, remember to de-personalise. (very helpful if the customer is already being grumpy)
>in everything, be thankful. (even in a day like this, God is still in control!)

so that's about it.... i'm ready to hit the bed! good thing it's my off tomorrow. ZZzzzzzzz......

kids kids kids!

here are some of the kids at church during our sunday school. taken during our activity time.

bananas and ice creams

junkfoods out! bananas are in! i don't what happen but this has been the trend in the office for the past few weeks. everybody just having bananas for lunch, for snack and for dinner. and not only that, the ice creams just keep on coming everyday. it's like someone's always having their birthday.

i think this banana craze all started when Andrew, our new engineer came. we've noticed that everytime he goes to the office he always brings with him a bunch of bananas. my colleagues actually thought that it was a good way to go on a diet, and so, the banana craze began.

talking with Andrew, i was able to find out that he is watching his cholesterol so he is indeed on a diet (that's pretty much one of the reasons behind the bananas). he's a pretty nice guy and a good father too. by the way, he's got triplets which is so cool! and their names are nice, namely: caleb (means: capable), noah (means: rest) and ethan (means: enduring). i've been really into meaning of names lately. so i guess i'll post something about it next time.

anyway, i've seen other blogs lately and theirs are very nice. i think mine is kinda boring. i guess i'm just to lazy to study about html. hope to find something that is already made so i could just copy and paste...darn!

quotes for the day

A dear old Quaker lady, distinguished for her youthful appearance, was asked what she used to preserve her appearance. She replied sweetly, 'I use for the lips, truth; for the voice, prayer; for the eyes, pity; for the hand, charity; for the figure, uprightness;and for the heart, love.
- Jerry Fleishman

Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth.
- C.S. Lewis

Whatever man loves, that is his god. For he carries it in his heart; he goes about with it night and day; he sleeps and wakes with it, be it what it may
- wealth or self, pleasure or renown.
- Martin Luther

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

---

what's been happening?

“A customer can forgive an accident, what they can’t forgive is a sloppy response.” That is the last thing I remember from our emergency procedures training the other day. We are being trained on how to act and respond in case of an emergency, which other airlines don’t have. Come to think of it accidents do happen, it is inevitable. We can never tell when it will happen, but it pays to be prepared.

I’m sitting here in our newly open cafeteria. My mom and dad finally decided to put up a small business for the family. That is why they’ve been really busy for the past few weeks. And since I’m off today I decided to help out. I’m also glad because we already have regular customers who stop by to buy our homemade viands. This is indeed God’s blessing to us; I hope and pray that God will be glorified in this small business.

God has been good to us and is always good. We have four applicants for membership at church. It’s indeed a delight and encouragement for us to hear their testimonies on how God changed them through His words and how they’ve been brought from darkness into light by God’s saving grace through Christ Jesus. May God continue to add those who are being saved in His church.

what's up?

...it's been quite some time since i posted something here. i must say, i'm really not a good blogger. everytime i try to write something the thoughts just fly away. so, i'll just write what's on my mind this very moment.

...we have just recovered from typhoon "milenyo". it just passed manila in a very short span of time, but it left tremendous disaster in our country. power supply was cut for like a week. everybody is busy fetching water in what we called a "poso". it was actually like going back to basic, when the only light you will see at night are those from the stars outside and from the lit candles. i have come to realize that there are things in life which sadly, i take for granted. like electricity and water. i'm really humbled by this calamity. and once again it reminded me of how God, in His Sovereignty is in control of everything, even in times of calamities. who are we to question Him?

...God's faithfulness and mercy are new every morning. He never neglects His people.

another LSS (last song syndrome)

Changing Happy
By: jadon lavik; lavikmusic ascap, Chris Karn: asphaltpalms ascap

I’ve always found that happiness hides
Just around the corner just out of my reach
And the moment its found the next that it’s missing
And I need to change my own definition la da da da, da da da da da

Cause nothing’s ever quite all that it seems
And I am not convinced that anybody is ever living the dream
And expectations kill as reality plays this show of your life
It’s a whole different scene

Yeah, I’m changing what it means to be happy, what it means
Yeah, back to the way I know that it should be,
Close to you is where I need to be

No matter how hard we push or how hard we pull
There’s just a little bit more ‘til we’re full
Cause we’ve all tried to cover sadness and sorrow
With temporary things that never seem to last

Yeah, I’m changing what it means to be happy, what it means
Yeah, back to the way I know that it should be

So explain to me why we fill up empty with empty and at the end of the day
We’re confused by the longing

change it back, change it back, change it back, oh change it back,
change it back, change it back, change it back, change it back,

Yeah, I’m changing what it means to be happy, what it means
Yeah, back to the way I know that it should be
The way that it should be

Yeah, I’m changing what it means to be happy
What it means to be happy, to be happy, truly happy
Close to you is where I need to be mm mm….

Change it back, da da da
Change it back

sleepyheads

got this from a friend... so cute!

the perfect fit

when it comes to buying things for myself, i usually dont have a problem. i always try to plan shopping so as not to overspend. i have this thing of separating my "needs" and "wants" because i dont want to be out of control when im at the mall. thankfully i always end up buying the things that i really "need".

and if there is one thing that i need right now, it would be a pair of jeans. the one i have is kinda worn out and is a little big for me already, since i have shed a few pounds. yehey! wipee! :) i went to the mall this afternoon to buy one, but unfortunatley, nothing seems to fit me perfectly. for me, it's always hard to find the right kind of jeans. im kind of meticulous when it comes to this area. i dont want to buy a pair of jeans because it's the latest fad or trend. i look for comfort and ease. signature? name labels? im not very particular with this as well. as long as it fits perfectly it's fine with me.

oh well, it's not everyday that i have this thought about a pair of jeans... just now really, might as well write it.