When FAITH is tested during APEC

I don't want to make sawsaw sa issue ng mga nahirapan sa traffic during APEC. But gedlerd, hassle na hassle kami during those times. Not that we had to walk hundreds of miles just  to get home. Di ko alam if ours were big deal or not. But sige big deal siguro, if we missed our flight to Singapore. Ang babaw?!?

Early September we booked our flight to Singapore, not thinking na our flight might be cancelled.  Come APEC month, naglabasan na ang mga cancelled flights and fortunately ours were not one of those. So tuloy ang family trip.

November 17, 8:15 pm was the details of our flight. Ang yabang ko, at parang di ko nakikita sa news na ang daming nang naglakad because of road closure 16th palang of November. We left Ortigas at 4:00 PM, believing that we will reach terminal 3 at 6:30 pm.

Maling mali ako mga bakla! Meralco Ave., pa lang, traffic na. C5 papunta sa BGC, ang bagal nang movement ng traffic. San san na kami dinala ni WAZE, reroute ng reroute, looking for clear roads. Until dinala kami ni WAZE sa Ayala, gusto niya kaming dumaan sa EDSA. Sana naniwala na lang ako sa news at hindi kay WAZE, dahil closed ang EDSA until Arnaiz. We had to take Buendia, labas Skyway. Que horror! Sarado ang Skyway!

At ang ang traffic paikot sa Resorts World malala! I left the car and walked ahead to see what was causing the standstill. Wala lang, alternate route talaga yung nadaanan namin siguro papunta sa MOA. 7:00 pm na, we decided to call Cebupac to verify whether our flight is delayed. Kamote! On time pa, I was hoping na delayed. 


7:45 nung nakaikot na kami sa Resorts World, kaso ang pa u-turn sa entrance ng Terminal 3 build up nanaman ang traffic at stand still na rin. 7:50 na at take note 8:15 ang flight. All those times, we were praying, na sana umabot kami sa flight. Tested talaga to the highest level ang faith ko. We were sad na kasi excited kami for this trip.

Naglakad kami ng bagets para mauna nang mag check in. Iniwan namin si Papa A. When we were checking in I informed them that my hubby is still stuck in traffic and requested them that he still be accepted for late check in, and that was 8:00 pm na. I called him on his cellphone where he was na, and he said dun pa rin, kung san namin siya iniwan.

Goodness, our faith talaga was crumbling, I know we will be left by the airplane. Sabi ko kay hubby, Papa, wala na 8:15 na iwan na tayo ng plane. He said no, I will still try to check in. So by 8:30 he arrived,  he went straight to the check in counter while I paid his travel tax. After checking in, he walked fast, almost running na to the immigration. Nauna si hubby para ma security x-ray ang aming handcarry. Kami ni bagets, naiwan sa immigration, but the officer there was very kind. No questions asked. Tatak lang ng tatak.

We then hurried to the security x-ray, nalimutan ko na ang tanim bala, dere-deretso lang kami. After that we saw hubby sitted on the airport cart na, we rode the cart and told the driver sa Gate 112 po.  We arrived the gate and just in time, the passengers have just fallen in line to board the plane. Sabay talaga kami ni hubby napa "Thank you Lord!"

In short, umabot kami sa flight. We reached the boarding gate at 8:45, to think that our flight was 8:15. 

I said that I believe in miracles. I claimed that my faith is intact. But during those times, I almost gave up believing in miracles.  The little blessing of just being able to get into that flight, even way past the flight schedule, made me witness a small miracle and left my faith as intact as before. I just had to believe in God's will and I know that it was His will that we ride that plane to have our family trip.

I know ang babaw lang nito compared to what others have experienced na in keeping their faith. But this simple miracle proved again that God really is bigger that any of the challenges that we encounter everyday if we just believe in His will.

Sorry, I just had to share this first before I tell my stories during our Singapore/Legoland trip. Abangan!

Have you had "Eggs for Breakfast"?

Twelve Saturdays ago, I was too lazy to cook breakfast that I asked my boys where do they want to eat breakfast. Siempre default namin ay Mcdo, na walang kamatayan because of  my son.

Nakakapagod na kumain sa mga fast food na yun at yun rin ang makakain mo. Aminin yan mga muthers.

And because I have been wanting to come back to this unassuming resto, naisip ko bakit kaya di na lang kami dito na lang kumain. San ba yan? Walang iba kung di sa Eggs for Breakfast, located in Villa Cecilia Subdivision, along Sumulong Hi-way, Bgy. Mambugan.

Here is what we ate for breakfast:

Buttermilk Pancakes with eggs and bacon (P225). This is what I had.

Eggs Benedict (P285) - This is what hubby ordered.

French Toast with berries  (P190) - ang order ng bagets

The bagets had fresh cold milk for his drinks at P50 while I had my latte for P90. The hubby chose hot calamansi for P30.

When you step out of the restaurant, the  picture above is what will greet you, a garden where you can host a wedding. Ganda lang.

Prices are very affordable. The taste, average, but is compensated with the way the food was plated. The ambiance of the resto inside, cozy, outside quiet and calming.

If you have time, or going to Antipolo Church via Sumulong Hi-way, try to have your breakfast here for a change. Lapit lang from the hi-way. Pag pasok ng subdivision, tumbok lang, yun na ang compound nila. Or you could just ask the guard sa may gate kung nasan ang "Eggs for Breakfast".

Lessons from the feast of Christ the King

Happy feast day Christ the King!

We heard the 2nd Mass in the morning in our parish.  It was not our parish priest who said the mass but a guest priest who I see every now and then, whenever our parish priest has something else to do.

We particularly like this priest kasi ang bait bait niya sa bata. He likes kids and believes that the number of kids that hear mass in a parish determines the life of the parish.

Kung bata pa lang marunong nang magsimba, hanggang paglaki at magkaroon ng sariling pamilya, yan ang mai papasa nila sa kanilang mga anak. Hindi mamamatay ang simbahan sa parokya.

Anyways, his sermon, hit me straight to my heart. AS in sapul kung sapul. It was actually about being able to forgive people who hurt us in the past. He started his sermon with this story:


A former drug addict, was talking to a priest and telling his life story on how he became dependent on drugs and finally coming into terms with God.

The young man said that when he was a little boy, his father used to hurt him for no apparent reason. He hurt him for the slightest mistakes he committed, he slaps him, bang his head on the wall, insult him and say he is not worth his life. This continued until he was a teenager and for him to get over the situation, he turned to drugs. He was rescued by an organization and taught him about Christ and His works, and he slowly healed from his past.

Until one day, he heard that his father had a stroke and can no longer fend for himself. The young man went home and took care of his father. He fed him, help him take a bath and put on clothes. 

In short, his father is fully dependent on him.  This is the time when all the past came rushing back to him. How his father hurt him physically, emotionally and psychologically.  He wanted to retaliate and push his father's face into the plate, knowing that his father can no longer hurt him back.

But instead of doing so, he just continued to take care of his father, unconditionally. The young man asked the priest, "Father, why is it hard for me to hurt my father, the way that he hurt me when I was young?" The priest said, "It is because God lives in your heart. And when God lives in you, you can no longer feel the need to get back at the person who hurt you." "You see, God is bigger than any of our sins, He is bigger that any of our challenges and problems. Accepting Him in your life, freed you from all past hurts, anger and resentment."

Mga muthers, diba tagos na tagos? Father even asked us, how many of us are living in anger? How many of us are not talking to our parents? Is there a brother or sister of ours that we have not talked for so long? Meron ba tayong kapit bahay na nakaalitan? Because if you answered yes, then you are a sad person. Napakalungkot mong tao because Jesus is not in your life. Punong-puno ka ng galit at paghihiganti.

 My tears were already falling, kasi sapul. Sapul sa lahat ng sinabi nya. Pasimple ko tiningnan ang katabi ko, nag pupunas ng mata, ang kaharap ko nag pupunas din ng mata, ang asawa ko pasimpleng nag pupunas ng mata. Ang anak ko, inaantok, hehehe.

Everything came back to me. Lahat sila na nakasakit sa akin. My tears were non-stop kasi relate na relate ako and I was not ready to let go of that thing in the past. Then I realized baka sad person nga ako kasi ayaw kong mag-let go.

And I prayed, prayed hard that little by little, I will be able to let go of it all. I know that when that time comes, it already means that God is already in my life. He is bigger that any of the things that I have experienced in the past.

Two lessons learned from yesterday's sermon. The first one i can relate so much, the 2nd one, I can relate a little. And here are those:

1. God is the bigger picture. He is bigger that any of the biggest problems and challenges combined and number

2.  Being a King means serving others, it does not mean you are the one being served.

I will blog my views on the second one in my succeeding posts.

It's November! Ang Bilis!

Oh my good Lord! San na napunta ang araw? Honestly, I can't cope up with how fast the days are flying. As in flying talaga, Kagigising ko lang, matutulog na ulit ako.

Pero guys, paulit ulit na nga ang ginagawa ko araw-araw, routine kung routine, and yet, bilis na bilis ako sa mga pangyayari.

Good Lord, wait up, nadadapa na ko sa kakahabol ng araw.

51 days to go at Christmas na!!! Have'nt done any gift shopping. Wala pa decorations office and house namin. Di pa ko na kakapag polish ng mga recordings and reports ko here and our business, and then eto, patapus na ang 2015.

Parang kelan lang, sabi ko hello 2015, sa isang kisap mata, goodbye 2015, hello 2016 na!

Shoot! Hinay hinay! Dami ko gusto iblog di ko mahanapan ng oras. Kamusta naman ako?

Hayyy! Hintayy!