A cool Sunday.

Last Sunday was a blast 'coz I went to my sister's company event "Kenny's Open '08" at the Rockwell Tent. There were lots of activities, booths, sponsors, celebs and Kenny Rogers healthy food of course! Yum! *drooling*

Kenny Rogers Roasters have launched several healthy gourmet dishes. Aside from the yummy foods, there were lots of fun filled activities such as the different exercise classes powered by Fitness First, Gymboree and Little Tikes. Shop and suit up with awesome Adidas gear at amazing prices. Overflowing Coke Light and other Coke products. There were also one-on-one health and diet consultations with dietitians and nutritionists (but I didn't want to consult..go figure.) Oh oh and oh... We exclusively meet and greet the event's emcees! Amanda Griffin! Wahh.. I super love her since she became Candymag covergirl. Pretty pretty pretty Amanda! We took pictures with her, of course. Too bad Marc Nelson and his Amazing Race partner Rovilson Fernandez were busy talking to someone so we didn't have a pic with him... err them. (ok lang, meron na naman akong solo pic with him (Marc Nelson)...kahit super dati pa yun.) Better luck next time? Wish there will be an event like this again. Haha!

My mom, bro and I went crazy ordering "free" Kenny dishes at the counter. I ordered one of their new dishes: Pesto Pasta. And for my drinks? Mango Smoothies... *drooling again* After eating my luscious meal, I saw familiar faces. Uy si Will Devaughn, Dione of PBB and Kian Kazemi! Of course, I told my sister "Picture, picture!" Nyahaha! Kinapalan ko na mukha ko. Yup may pic ako with them. With the 2 guys lang, at nasa gitna nila ako. Wah! Ang tatangkad nila.. Here's the pic:


Oh d'ba? Parang close kami. Hehe!

Anyway.. Before leaving the event we ordered again for take-out! As we got home, guess what's our food for dinner? Kenny Rogers Roasted Chicken and Baby Back Ribs with side dishessss! *drooling for the last time*

Foodtrip!

I forgot to blog about last Sunday's homily. Probably because I was busy yesterday? Hmm I guess not. It just slipped my mind. Oh well. Fr. Robleza spoke about the importance of showing little of sacrifice in our daily lives. Showing a little appreciation to a stranger who has helped you in some way. (The driver in a vehicle that made you pass to cross the street, the lady from the elevator, cashier, bagger boy in the grocery, etc.)

Do good deeds to others. Repent for your sins. Cleanse your conscience. We should all be spiritually ready for Lent.

Be thankful for your problems

I just got from a surreal beach trip yesterday and I still managed to go to mass at 8pm. I was so tired and sleepy but it was Sunday and I can't afford to miss Fr. Robleza's homily.. and of course, give thanks to Him 'coz we had so much fun and got home safely.

Fr. Robleza started a story when he went in Italy alone. He shared how lonely it was but good thing there were Filipinos in the neighborhood. Though there were pinoys, there were times when he felt so lonely from the place where he stayed. After some time he went back to the Philippines. He said to himself that whenever he has visitors and stayed in his house, he promised to spare his time to entertain them. As much as possible, let them feel that they are very welcome and ensure that they'll have fun staying in your place. He didn't want his visitors to experience the loneliness he felt from his Italy vacation.

Then, he explained yesterday gospel. Sinasabi na kung may mga problema, magpasalamat ka. Binibigyan ka ng Diyos ng problema para maramdaman at ipinapaunawa sa'yo ang mga taong nakakaranas din ng mga problema. Kung wala kang problema, d'ba masaya at malakas ka. Kung meron naman, na-aappreciate mo ang ibang tao. Meron kang problema pero you'll find happiness with the people you love.. a loved one, your friends, family... :)

Kung wala kang problema, ihahantulad ka sa isang ampalaya.
Kung meron naman, ihahantulad ka naman sa isang pinakbet. Maraming kasamang gulay tulad ng sitaw, kalabasa, talong.. Maraming sahog, makulay ang buhay!

Pero hindi ba't mas masaya kung ikaw ay isang masayang ampalaya na kasama sa sangkap ng pinakbet? :)

3 Lessons in Life

Just got home from mass and yes, Fr. Robleza was the priest again. :)

The homily is kinda short today. He briefly explained 3 lessons that everyone must know and follow.

#1: Gumawa tayo ng "little promise" sa ating sarili and at kailangan nating tuparin yun kahit sa isang araw lang.

For example, quit smoking.. just kidding! Sabi ko nga "little" lang. Say 2 sticks per day (not the usual 1 pack per day) OR since summer is fast approaching, you have to lose weight to wear that bikini / swim suit (Haha! Pinapatamaan talaga ako oh!) So, what do you have to do? You have to avoid eating chocolates.. Nakakataba yan. Aim to lose an inch of your waist per week. (Para pagdating ng summer, patpat ka na.. LOL!) If you have accomplished the said "little promise", tendency is you will be confident and fulfilling. Tipong wow nakayanan ko! Sige try ko ule bukas.. and eventually will be an everyday basis or if not, this would happen often.


#2: Dapat meron kang paninindigan.

#3 Maging mapagkumbaba. Father tells to be humble always (almost every week). Well, it's because we really have to be humble. Learn to accept the fact that we have strengths and definitely, weaknesses. Tao lang din tayo, nagkakamali. Always put your feet on the ground.

Listening builds relationships

Last night, I went to mass with my mom. Luckily, si Fr. Robleza. He delivered another wonderful and inspiring homily. :)

He started with a story about the missionaries he encountered during a convention. He said that the missionaries there has thier own signal for the numbers 1-5. They use addition of colors, example:
red + green = 1
blue + pink + yellow = 5
gray+ yellow orange + brown = 3

It really doesn't matter how many the color combination was, it's the answer that matters the most. It's like their way of coding it. So, Fr. Armand tested us if we could decode it. He gave us several color combination and yet we still don't know how to it works. Sabi tuloy ni father, "Ano ba yan 'di nyo pa rin gets?" Wah! "Bakit hindi ko pa rin ma-gets?"

So he gave us a hint saying, these missionaries uses a certain body language to decode the answer.. So father tested us again.

Father: green + blue = ? (we noticed that he uses his fingers to symbolize the number)
All: 2!
Father: black + baby pink + metallic green = ?
All: 5!

Haha! I didn't notice that.. So he said "Kita nyo na.. Kung hindi pa ako nag-hint 'di nyo pa mage-gets." Haha! So he explained why we didn't decode the answer easily.

Expert says, people delivers 7% content, 38% feelings and 55% body language...
**or something like that.

Listen to one another, and you could gain trust. Kaya nga nung bata tayo, anong madalas sabihin ng mga magulang natin? "Makining ka, anak." If we commit mistake, what will our parents say? "Ikaw kasi hindi ka nakinig sa akin/amin."

We listen through our hearts. Listen with your spirit. Listening builds relationships.

Happy people knows how to listen. Angry people don't want to listen. Mahirap makinig kung 'di ka makikinig. Kung galit ka sa isang tao, di'ba ayaw mong pakinggan mga sinasabi nya?


In listening, a person should be:
1. Humble
2. Caring
3. Patient

You listen to an individual because you trust her/him.

When we listen to one another, we can easily hear Him in our lives. :)

Value Added Motivation

I went to mass last night and good thing si Fr. Robleza ule ang priest. I always look forward to his sermon during the homily. The best talaga mga preachings nya eh!

So last night, he discussed three things. First, value added motivation. Second, trust. Third, be careful on what you are saying to your love ones.

He described why Filipinos are so kind. So kind that we don't want to hurt the feelings of others, especially our love ones. When we are invited to a party, we usually reply "Titignan ko". Even though we couldn't really attend the event, we always say to the host/hostess "Try ko ah". He tells us that it's better to disappoint a friend than to regain his trust. I agreed to him without a doubt. It's better to be honest and say that you are not coming than letting someone expect that you are coming. Right?

If you are a dad and your son invites you to watch their program tomorrow, your son would say, "Dad, punta ka sa program namin bukas ah." Dad replied with "Titignan ko anak". To a kid, "Titignan ko" is a YES and he would, of course, expect his Dad tomorrow. The next day, Dad didn't showed up. At dinner, son didn't join in the table. Dad approaches his son and asks "Oh bakit 'di ka kakain anak?" The boy replied, "Bakit 'di ka pumunta sa program namin?" See how affected the kid was? Ganon din tayo. Malamang sa susunod, hindi na natin iimbitahin yung mga taong ganon. Kasi malamang hindi na naman siya makakapunta d'ba? Kung baga, ayaw na nating umasa.

Another citation was about the relationship with a loved one. When a guy asks a girl if she wants to go out tonight, what do girls usually reply? "Ikaw." Haha.. Ganon ako eh! Ang galing talaga ni Father! Nakakatawa ngang isipin kung ano ba talaga yung ibig sabihin ng "Ikaw."? Oo ba o hindi? Ikaw. Hahaha!

Father points out na sana claro yung sinasabi natin. Lalo na sa mga mahal natin sa buhay. Kasi kung hindi, it would lead to misunderstandings. Worst, in fights.


Another lesson learned. Can't wait for next week. I hope si father ule. Last week kasi hindi siya eh.

Okay... Back to work. :)

Gift conflict

Last night, I went to mass in Don Bosco Church with my bro. Good thing that my favorite priest, Fr. Armand Robleza, led the mass. He preaches well and I really love to listen to his sermons during Homily. Yesterday's sermon was ok and funny... as always naman.
disaster

He started greating us a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Then, he started making kwento.. I wanna share it, so here goes..

There's this married couple. The husband is a CEO of a bank as his wife is a self-employed housewife. Every Christmas, the couple would always exchange gifts every morning of Christmas day, Dec.25. T'was a week before Christmas and so the hubby wondered what would she give to his wifey. At work, he asked for some advice to his secretary.

Hubby: Mag-suggest ka nga kung ano pwede ko ibigay kay misis.
Secretary: Sir, diamond jewelery. Necklace.. bracelets.. anything.
Hubby: Wag na yun. Last year yun na binigay ko eh, Ano pa?
Secretary: Hmm.. Kitchen stuffs, sir. Alam ko po mahilig sa magluto misis nyo.
Hubby: Ayoko nga, nung dating binigyan ko sya ang sabi nya wala daw akong alam sa kusina.. It's her kitchen at wag daw akong makialam.. Give me another suggestion.
Secretary: Sir, Lingerie!
Hubby: That's a good one. Ok, di 'ko alam sizes nya eh, tutal kilala mo naman misis ko, hanapan mo ng paraan para makuha size nya. Bayaran mo na lang using my bank account. Ok?
Secretary: Ok!
Hubby: Ay teka, since you're good in these things. Give me another gift suggestion for our parish priest. He's been kind to us since sya nagkasal sa amin and I think he deserve something. Something that would make him relax, etc.. Spa? Ok kaya yun?
Secretary: Nah..How about an all expense paid vacation trip to a wonderful and quiet place where he could really relax... How 'bout in Palawan, Sir?
Hubby: Good one! Sige, book him a vacation package. Ikaw na bahala sa lahat ah. I'll leave this all to you.

Christmas day comes and his hubby left his gift to her wifey in her lamp table para pagising nya, una nyang makikita yung gift. Pag-gising ni wifey, she opened the paper bag and got so surprised. She woke her hubby and said "Salamat sa gift, sweetheart!" Hubby replied, "You're welcome dear, ano nagustuhan mo ba?" Wifey replied, "Oo naman sweetie! Pero.... sino kasama ko sa Palawan?"


*NYAK!*