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<channel>
	<title>// Quarter Life Monologues &#187; Leaps of Faith</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.guitarchic.net/category/leaps-of-faith/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.guitarchic.net</link>
	<description>Sporadic thoughts on life, love, faith, and destinations at 25</description>
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		<title>Hello Hillsong, Finally</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2009/01/28/hello-hillsong-finally/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2009/01/28/hello-hillsong-finally/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:58:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Defining Moments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sydney]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/?p=558</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[[Backtracked: Oh yay I have posts in my drafts folder, look! Why I didn't publish this at the time I wrote it, I don't know. So yeah, here's something I wrote sometime in November when I was in Sydney. Hee.]
God does have a flair for drama. He paints the Makati skies with a breath-taking sunset [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>[<strong>Backtracked:</strong> Oh yay I have posts in my drafts folder, look! Why I didn't publish this at the time I wrote it, I don't know. So yeah, here's something I wrote sometime in November when I was in Sydney. Hee.]</p>
<p>God does have a flair for drama. He paints the Makati skies with a breath-taking sunset just when you start complaining about how awful your boss or your day is. He shows you a 500-peso bill stuck in the backpocket of your jeans, just when you realize that sweldo is still several days away and you don&#8217;t have enough lunch money for the week.</p>
<p>And then He answers prayers just when you start thinking that He&#8217;s already closed all doors.</p>
<p>In the past four years, I&#8217;ve gone through all sorts of phases in this quest &#8212; from excitement, anticipation,  and &#8220;this is it&#8221; moments; to frustration and discouragement; even to the point of giving up.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc_03451.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-561" title="Hillsong Church, Sydney" src="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc_03451.jpg" alt="" width="420" /></a></p>
<p>But hey, Hillsong happened to me last night [November 16, that is]. And if you followed <a href="http://riz.blogspot.com">my</a> <a href="http://gchic.tabulas.com">blogs</a> from day one, you&#8217;d know how much this means to me.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc_0398.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-560" title="Sisterhood Hillsong" src="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc_0398.jpg" alt="" width="420" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>How great, how great is our God,</em> indeed.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">[Until we meet again, Hills. See ya soon.]</p>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
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		<title>Hillsong Conference 2008 Yay!</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2008/05/13/hillsong-conference-2008-yay/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2008/05/13/hillsong-conference-2008-yay/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 07:17:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Defining Moments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Just Making Kwento]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/?p=439</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With my new apartment now officially the worst thing that&#8217;s ever happened to the history of apartment-hopping (no Globe Visibility signal in my room, landlord&#8217;s PLDT connection gone blpht, cable connections not compatible with the TV, not to mention the leak that drown our stuff on the first day but don&#8217;t let me rant about [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With my new apartment now officially the worst thing that&#8217;s ever happened to the history of apartment-hopping (no <a href="http://www.pinkseo.net/category/globe-visibility/" target="_blank">Globe Visibility</a> signal in my room, landlord&#8217;s PLDT connection gone blpht, cable connections not compatible with the TV, not to mention the leak that drown our stuff on the first day but don&#8217;t let me rant about that one), I nominate last week as the newest candidate to my worst weeks ever.</p>
<p>But that is, until yesterday, when THIS was delivered to me. Waah. :)</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/hillsong-tickets-2008.jpg" target="_blank"><img title="Hillsong Conference 2008" src="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/hillsong-tickets-2008-thumb.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Yup, that&#8217;s right. There&#8217;s my ticket to <a href="http://www.hillsongconference.com">one whole week of Hillsong bliss</a> at the Acer Arena, happening on July 7-11 of this year.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But of course, I&#8217;m still not even halfway through making it. It&#8217;s just that teh boyfriend and I registered for the early-bird promo around November last year, so I&#8217;ve been getting all these mails since the start of the year &#8212; (1) confirmation letter of my registration and full-payment, (2) support document for my visa application, and (3) just yesterday, the ticket to the Hillsong Nights which comes free to those who registered.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Just the sight of my ticket, and my very own seat (well, at least the seat number), has kept me elated until now. So.. up next, Australian visa application. I just hope my fingerprints starts to cooperate already. Uggh, the fingerprints? That&#8217;s another story.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Come to think of it, whatever happens within the next 60 days &#8212; I know for sure that in the long run, I can smile and be happy with the fact that I got this far. :)</p>
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		<slash:comments>23</slash:comments>
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		<title>Missing Dad, Eleven Months Now</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2008/02/27/smile-though-your-heart-is-aching/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2008/02/27/smile-though-your-heart-is-aching/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Emo Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Missing Dad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soundtrip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2008/02/27/smile-though-your-heart-is-aching/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Among the gazillions of memories that my Dad left us with, these two photos are probably the ones that will forever be etched in my head: the black-and-white photo from the last sermon he gave in church, and the color-ed one (with that eternal smile) from a medical-dental mission from way back.

For the past eleven [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Among the gazillions of memories that my Dad left us with, these two photos are probably the ones that will forever be etched in my head: the black-and-white photo from the last sermon he gave in church, and the color-ed one (with <em>that eternal smile</em>) from a medical-dental mission from way back.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/miss-you-daddy.jpg" /></p>
<p>For the past eleven months since <a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/04/04/i-love-you-daddy/" target="_blank">Daddy&#8217;s death</a>, I&#8217;ve gotten so used to seeing these two pictures around &#8212; on my Mom&#8217;s office wall, in our living room, on a mural in church &#8212; that I&#8217;d sometimes find myself automatically saying &#8220;<em>Hi Daddy, how are you?</em>&#8221; everytime I pass through them.</p>
<p>Then again, there are times, such as last Sunday (or NOW), when staring at his pictures would make me cry uncontrollably again. There are just no words to describe how much I miss Daddy. Sometimes it would feel as if the pain of his death is being relieved in my heart over again like it just happened.</p>
<p>I didn&#8217;t realize until earlier today that it&#8217;s been almost a year already since Dad left to be with the Lord. A lot of things has happened ever since, and there was not a time when I didn&#8217;t wonder how different things would have been if he was still around. How I would have made better decisions if I got to have a piece of his wisdom, or how it would have been happier to celebrate special days and victories with him, or how trials would have been easier to bear if I could talk to him, get a piece of his mind, or probably laugh my sorrows away with him.</p>
<p>I guess these are some of the things I will always remember about Daddy. He always had a way of staying calm even though he&#8217;s got a gunk of problems to think about. He had this ability to trust God wholly in spite of all the discouragements that this world is made of; and to smile even through trying times.</p>
<p><em>Smile though your heart is aching</em>, Daddy would often sing &#8212; while taking a bath, or while driving, or once when I was so brokenhearted from breaking up with my first boyfriend. I guess he knew that these lines would never fail to bring the smile back on my face. Coincidentally, Daddy also sang portions of this song during his last sermon in church, unaware that it was going to be one of the last memories he&#8217;d be leaving us with forever.</p>
<p>The song&#8217;s been playing over and over in my head the past few days. It also happened to play on the stereo while Mom and I were in the car the other day, and as tears started falling down my cheeks, Mom sent reassuring smiles my way as if to say that it&#8217;s okay to cry.</p>
<p>The irony of this song is, the manner by which it tells you to NOT cry makes you cry EVEN MORE. Pfft.</p>
<p>But I needed it then. And I sure do need it now. Even though it&#8217;s making me CRY MORE than SMILE, I&#8217;m okay, because there&#8217;s something so refreshing about being able to cry things out, while holding on to the simple truth that in this cruel world, <em>God will always give you reasons to smile. </em>And what do you know, hearing Daddy&#8217;s faint voice from a distance as if he&#8217;s singing the song to me makes the thought even sweeter. <em>His memories shall always live by.</em></p>
<p>So hey, I&#8217;m gona grab some Kleenex now and cry some more. :) Meanwhile, here&#8217;s the song &#8212; click to play &#8212; just in case you need to hear it too. (Lyrics after the jump.)</p>
<p><em>Smile, whats the use of crying?</em><br />
<em>You&#8217;ll find that life is still worthwhile<br />
If you just smile</em></p>
<p><br />
<strong>Smile by Nat King Cole</strong> | <a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/01-smile.mp3" target="_blank">Download</a></p>
<p><span id="more-404"></span></p>
<p align="center"> <strong>SMILE<br />
Nat King Cole</strong></p>
<p align="center">&nbsp;</p>
<p align="center">Smile though your heart is aching<br />
Smile even though its breaking<br />
When there are clouds in the sky, youll get by<br />
If you smile through your fear and sorrow<br />
Smile and maybe tomorrow<br />
Youll see the sun come shining through for you</p>
<p align="center">Light up your face with gladness<br />
Hide every trace of sadness<br />
Although a tear may be ever so near<br />
Thats the time you must keep on trying<br />
Smile, whats the use of crying?<br />
You&#8217;ll find that life is still worthwhile<br />
If you just smile</p>
<p align="center">Thats the time you must keep on trying<br />
Smile, whats the use of crying?<br />
You&#8217;ll find that life is still worthwhile<br />
If you just smile</p>
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		<slash:comments>10</slash:comments>
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		<title>My Grown-up Christmas List</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/12/28/my-grown-up-christmas-list/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/12/28/my-grown-up-christmas-list/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Emo Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/12/28/my-grown-up-christmas-list/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So how&#8217;s your Christmas? :)
Mine was fast, I almost didn&#8217;t notice it. (I mean, I only noticed it now that I&#8217;m back in the office like a zombie after the pseudo Christmas break &#8212; I swear, I go like, &#8220;man that was fast&#8221; every now and then). It was different, to say the least, as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So how&#8217;s your Christmas? :)</p>
<p>Mine was fast, I almost didn&#8217;t notice it. (I mean, I only noticed it now that I&#8217;m back in the office like a zombie after the pseudo Christmas break &#8212; I swear, I go like, &#8220;man that was fast&#8221; every now and then). It was different, to say the least, as it was our first Christmas <a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/04/04/i-love-you-daddy/">without Dad</a>. Like I said before, <a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/06/18/missing-dad-on-fathers-day/" target="_blank">there will always be that empty seat</a>, and I will always miss my Dad especially in occasions such as this. There&#8217;s a combination of sadness and joy <a href="http://nyeneks.multiply.com/photos/album/40/Christmas_and_New_Year_with_the_Sanchezs" target="_blank">remembering last Christmas</a>, yes, but I&#8217;m thankful because I feel as if there&#8217;s some sort of a force-field around me this Christmas season, protecting me from any depressive attacks due to excessively missing my Dad, thus making this Christmas tear-less for me. God is good.</p>
<p>Anyway. I know it&#8217;s three days too late to be making yet again another Christmas list, but whatdaheck, Christmas happens only once, you can never have enough lists. So even though Christmas has come and gone already, here&#8217;s an addition to my beyond-budget <a href="http://www.pinkseo.info" target="_blank">Christmas wishlist</a> (which I probably won&#8217;t be able to get myself UNTIL next Christmas, haha). Not that I&#8217;m complaining, really. I&#8217;m happy enough completing my shopping list, and giving away gifts for everyone. There&#8217;s much greater joy in that. :)</p>
<p>But of course, beyond the material things, one needs to have wishes that are.. intangible.</p>
<p>So this Christmas, I wish..</p>
<p>..to have a sense of direction, to decipher the road signs being sent my way and take the right turns and course of action without wasting time;</p>
<p>..to have the courage to do what should be done &#8212; to get out of my comfort zone if need be, or to have the patience to stay if it&#8217;s not yet time to go;</p>
<p>..to have peace of mind even in times when I can&#8217;t see what&#8217;s at the end of the road;</p>
<p>..to be more trusting and less pessimistic, to talk less and listen more, to plan less and act more;</p>
<p>..to have more time doing the things I love, at my own pace, at my own time.</p>
<p>..to be mindful of the more important things in this life &#8212; investments, relationships, family, the people I love, God;</p>
<p>..to be able to support more missionaries, holistic ministries and outreaches, both financially and in prayers;</p>
<p>..to have a fruitful coming year, after all I&#8217;ll be turning 25;</p>
<p>..to spend more time with my family.</p>
<p>..to go places.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m talking in riddles again, I know. But, well, these are my heart&#8217;s desires. I pray God desires these for me too. ;)</p>
<p>As an end to this post, here&#8217;s a song that I always love playing even when it&#8217;s not December (composed by Kuya Reeve, a dear friend, and sung by Sheila Juan, one of my girlfriends from college), which I post now because December&#8217;s almost over, and I don&#8217;t want to wait another 12 months before I could have a chance to share it with you guys. Hehe.</p>
<p>Now if I would dedicate this song to anyone, I&#8217;d dedicate it to those whose hearts are full of hope. I wish you find joy and love this Christmas in the simplest of things. :) Enjoy the rest of the holidays, everyone! :)</p>
<p>Lyrics after the jump.</p>
<p><br />
December Dawn by Reeve | <a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/december-dawn.mp3">Download MP3</a>.</p>
<p><span id="more-367"></span></p>
<p><strong>DECEMBER DAWN</strong><br />
Original composition by Kuya Reeve<br />
Sung by Sheila Juan</p>
<p>Counting the days<br />
The cool wind on my face<br />
With the scent of December dawn<br />
With feelings are reborn</p>
<p>What might have been<br />
All those pictures of unfinished dreams<br />
Take me back to all those years<br />
of Christmasses without you near</p>
<p>Looking up at the bright morning star<br />
I know that this year<br />
<em>I&#8217;ll be where you are</em><br />
With a change of heart<br />
Our love will start</p>
<p>Uncertainties fade<br />
A special christmas we&#8217;ll make</p>
<p>Cause no gift would be more perfect<br />
More perfect than you<br />
<em>You&#8217;re the only wish i pray for</em><br />
I pray would come true<br />
I cant wait to wake up<br />
to a new December dawn<br />
<strong><em>With you by my side<br />
from this Christmas on.</em></strong></p>
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		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Buhbye July, I&#8217;ll See You Again Soon</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/08/02/buhbye-july-ill-see-you-again-soon/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/08/02/buhbye-july-ill-see-you-again-soon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Aug 2007 07:24:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Emo Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/08/02/buhbye-july-ill-see-you-again-soon/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The past month flew by in a bliss I almost didn&#8217;t notice it (probably because I was too busy floating). But before I say hello to August, let me just say that July has successfully climbed the charts as my, by far, most favorite month of the year. (Or, possibly, of my entire 24 years [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The past month flew by in a bliss I almost didn&#8217;t notice it (probably because I was too busy floating). But before I say hello to August, let me just say that July has successfully climbed the charts as my, by far, most favorite month of the year. (Or, possibly, of my entire 24 years of existence.) </p>
<p>July came and went, and <em>I&#8217;m never the same</em>. </p>
<p>And it made me smile to realize that some of the most important milestones in my life happened in the month of July &#8212; coincidence or planned, I wouldn&#8217;t know for sure. But I always believe in God being mindful of the details and timelines in our lives, and how they mesh together with everyone else&#8217;s. So yeah, perhaps He&#8217;s got His hand on this after all. :)</p>
<p>It was July last year when my parents allowed me to <a href="http://tabulas.com/~guitarchic/1252870.html">move out of the house</a> and experience full-blown &#8220;adult&#8221; independence for the first time. I can still remember how it felt being a spoiled little girl stepping out of her cage, a bit nervous, a bit unsure, a bit too careful, but excited just the same. It has been a year, and what do you know, I can actually say now with conviction that <em>I&#8217;ve grown</em> to a large extent, and in a lot of aspects too (sadly, not in height, sorry naman). But still. :P</p>
<p>Apparently, the annual <a href="http://www.hillsongconference.com">Hillsong Conference</a> happens every July too. And I wouldn&#8217;t re-tell my Hillsong dream anymore in detail, and how I feel about it every time July comes by, as I did the <a href="http://www.tabulas.com/~guitarchic/1241079.html">previous</a> <a href="http://tabulas.com/~guitarchic/939184.html">years</a>. But just a rundown, I had my passport fixed about three years ago because of <em>that</em> Sydney dream, but ever since, something always comes up and stops me from flying to Oz. My passport expires in less than two years. I have 11 months til the <a href="http://www2.hillsong.com/conferences/hillsong/default.asp?pid=425">next Hillsong Conference</a>. The desire to go there is still here, intensifying each year that passes. Get the picture? :) </p>
<p>I wish <a href="http://pachuchay.livejournal.com/">Trish</a> can read this now. She would always comment on my Hillsong drama and tell me she&#8217;d &#8220;<em>see me there in Sydney next year</em>&#8220;. She never got tired saying that every year. This year could be the right time to say it again. 11 months. <em>I can wait.</em></p>
<p>On another note, I usually hate transitioning from one month to another &#8216;coz to a lot of us it means month-end reports, deadlines, and bills to be paid. I hate to see July go, but I&#8217;m excited to tear down another leaf off my calendar because it only means I could be getting closer and closer to The Dream. ;)</p>
<p>Well, bye July, for now. Hello, August, what do you have in store for us?</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Love Letter</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/21/love-letter-on-my-24th-birthday/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/21/love-letter-on-my-24th-birthday/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 May 2007 11:46:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Defining Moments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emo Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Missing Dad]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/21/love-letter-on-my-24th-birthday/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Daddy,
Hi! I didn&#8217;t cry today! Proud of me? :) Er, except for that one time when Ninong Dave prayed over lunch, and, well, I&#8217;m sure you heard his prayer (thanking God for another year, and for all those people He brought into my life, and all the blessings, and well, the rest I won&#8217;t [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dear Daddy,</p>
<p>Hi! I didn&#8217;t cry today! Proud of me? :) Er, except for that one time when <a href="http://davidus.multiply.com" target="_blank">Ninong Dave</a> prayed over lunch, and, well, I&#8217;m sure you heard his prayer (thanking God for another year, and for all those people He brought into my life, and all the blessings, and well, the rest I won&#8217;t blog anymore because they&#8217;re un-bloggable and of course you already know them hehe). Did you see how all of us were giggling while we prayed? Was God laughing too when He was listening to us? :D So okay, I cried a bit there. But I don&#8217;t think that should even be considered as &#8220;crying&#8221; because I was just teary-eyed. You saw how I was able to hold the tears back and dry my eyes before everyone else opened theirs? Pretty clever huh. :)</p>
<p>I miss you, Daddy, today most especially. This morning, I woke up and found my mobile  blinking with 27 text messages, waiting to be opened. 27, Daddy, 27!! You see how many people remembered? Not counting pa those who texted before I fell sleep the night before, and those who texted and called during the day! I am soo loved. But as I went through the texts and replied to each of them one after the other, I couldn&#8217;t help but wish I received a text message from you too. I can imagine it now. It would just be the usual, and you&#8217;d still be sending it even though you were just in the other room, or even when you already personally greeted me. It would simply say &#8220;<em>hapy bday nak! luv u!</em>&#8220;. But it would mean the world to me.</p>
<p><span id="more-241"></span></p>
<p>Did you see when <a href="http://twitter.com/guitarchic/statuses/54521382" target="_blank">I made that wish</a> that it would rain on my birthday? It did! It rained, Daddy! God must really love me, huh? :) And the rain was just right too. It wasn&#8217;t just drizzling, and it wasn&#8217;t stormy either &#8212; it was just enough to send us back indoors and sit by the glass window and watch the raindrops fall down from the sky to the leaves, to the grass, to the window sill. And when the sun started to shine again, the sky was painted with lovely hues of pink and orange, as if it was designed especially for me. You would have enjoyed a day of rest and relaxation at Fontana with us, Dad! And the food, and the coffee (on a rainy day), and the street badminton session, and the pink clouds.</p>
<p>Were you mad that I drove your car when Mom was sleeping? Did you watch me? Were you scared that I would smash it right to the wall or to another car? I know you didn&#8217;t want us to drive your car Daddy, hehe, sorry! But you see, I got it back in one piece! Not a single scratch, promise! All parts still intact. :) Don&#8217;t worry, Dad, I&#8217;m a grown up now. Of course I&#8217;m still your little girl, I&#8217;ll always be, but I&#8217;m 24 now. Your car&#8217;s safe with me. And don&#8217;t worry, it&#8217;s still Mom&#8217;s. But.. can I borrow it once in a while? :) The other car&#8217;s NOT so fun to drive around with anymore eh. :P</p>
<p>God&#8217;s blessed me with a wonderful life, Daddy. And He has done it wonderfully through you and Mom. Thanks for being the best Dad all 23 years of my life, and even until now. We&#8217;re back in Caloocan now, and I&#8217;m on your side of the bed, beside Mom. She&#8217;s sleeping already, and it&#8217;s raining again. She&#8217;s amazing, Daddy. She&#8217;s doing her best to be strong for me, for us. I don&#8217;t want her to see me cry anymore. Specially not on my birthday. She wants me to be happy today, more than anything.</p>
<p>But I can&#8217;t hold back the tears anymore, Daddy. I miss you. It breaks my heart that I won&#8217;t get to spend my birthdays with you ever again. I wish I could go back to those days when life was simpler. When you were there to tell me bedtime stories and tuck me in at night, and drive me to school in the mornings, and buy me ice cream on my birthdays, and ground me when I get home late, or scold me when I mess up, and tell me you love me and that you&#8217;re proud of me even when I make mistakes. I&#8217;m scared to be 24 without you, Daddy.</p>
<p>But I know that even if you&#8217;re up there already, you&#8217;re looking down on me and watching me whenever you can. And I know that if you could, you&#8217;d give me a big hug right now, and wipe my tears away, and tell me everything&#8217;s going to be alright. And you&#8217;d whisper to me, &#8220;<em>Be still, sweetie, and know that He is God. Just love Him well and everything will be well..</em>&#8221;</p>
<p>Thank you, Daddy. I&#8217;m 24 now but I&#8217;m still your little girl. Watch me, Daddy. I&#8217;m going to make you proud of me.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/04/04/i-love-you-daddy/">I love you</a>.</p>
<p>♥, Riz</p>
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		<title>6 Weird Things &amp; 5 Happy Thoughts</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/19/five-blessings-six-weird-things/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/19/five-blessings-six-weird-things/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 May 2007 04:58:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blog Memes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/19/five-blessings-six-weird-things/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been tagged, so I&#8217;m hitching a ride in the bandwagon as I try to hit these two blog memes with one stone, este, post.
So okay, I know I&#8217;m weird, but do you really have to make me highlight my weirdness by tagging me, Marc? Hehe. And Joni, I know this is long overdue already, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve been tagged, so I&#8217;m hitching a ride in the bandwagon as I try to hit these two blog <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme" target="_blank">memes</a> with one stone, este, post.</p>
<p>So okay, I know I&#8217;m weird, but do you really have to make me highlight my weirdness by tagging me, <a href="http://marcvillanueva.com/" target="_blank">Marc</a>? Hehe. And <a href="http://www.taintedsong.com">Joni</a>, I know this is long overdue already<a href="www.taintedsong.com/2007/05/10/count-your-blessings/" target="_blank"></a>, but last night I had a grand time <a href="http://www.taintedsong.com/2007/05/10/count-your-blessings/" target="_blank">counting blessings</a> and thinking about the great things that are happening in my life right now, so hehe, let me do this, late as it may be.</p>
<p><span id="more-240"></span><br />
<u>Blog Meme #1 from <a href="http://www.marcvillanueva.com" target="_blank">Marc</a>. Here are <a href="http://marcvillanueva.com/?p=111" target="_blank">six weird things</a> about me:</u></p>
<p>1. <strong>I consume packets of coffee creamer, without the coffee</strong>.  I don&#8217;t know how it began but long before I started drinking coffee, I make <em>papak </em>coffee creamer straight from the pack (or sachet, or whatever you call that). Soon, I discovered that it tastes even better with Mcdo&#8217;s caramel sundae (gaah, now I&#8217;m craving). Then I started experimenting and eating coffee creamer with pandesal, and peanut butter sandwich, and oreos, and chocolate cake, and bananas,  and the list goes on. Funny thing is, when it comes to coffee, I like it black. :P</p>
<p>2. <strong>I wet my feet before I go to bed.</strong> Every night, after the usual bedtime rituals (taking a bath, brushing my teeth, etc), I&#8217;d wash my feet last. I would deliberately refrain from drying them off with a towel, and I&#8217;d simply go to bed with my feet wet, allowing it to dry as I sleep. Wala lang. Malamig lang sa paa. :)</p>
<p>3. <strong>I cry over my hamsters. </strong>When my first hamster died, (some stooopid cat bit him in the head), I cried hysterically and demanded my Mom to raise him from the dead and cried some more because she couldn&#8217;t. I was 10 years old then. I had several hamsters since then, and everytime something bad has happened, I would cry. Just last month, Chuchu and Chichi&#8217;s cage was attacked by a big house rat (that&#8217;s why I haven&#8217;t been blogging about <a href="http://www.guitarchic.net/category/hamster-chronicles/" target="_blank">the hamsters</a> lately). :( Chuchu got a big cut on his one limb, and even though he&#8217;s still alive and well now, the wound still hasn&#8217;t healed yet and will most likely leave a permanent scar and deformity to his fragile body. :( The first time I saw Chuchu with that ugly cut, I went crying like crazy. I thought he was gona die. :( I even called up <em>a friend </em>and cried some more as if it would solve the problem. Gaah. I always get too emotionally attached to my pets. :(</p>
<p>4. <strong>I used to hate pink.</strong> When I was a kid, my favorite color was blue. Even when I turned 18, my debut&#8217;s motif was blue. Growing up, I had one (just one!) pink dress, but mostly, my clothes were all blue and green and black and white. I think there must have been a time when I would wear floral-printed dresses when I was a kid, but for the most part of my childhood, I wore jeans, and shorts, and sneakers, and large, baggy shirts. And none of those were pink. Now, I just can&#8217;t imagine a world without this prettyful color. Pink is love. ♥</p>
<p>5. <strong>I grind my teeth when I&#8217;m asleep. </strong>Some doctors say there&#8217;s some <a href="http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/2464.html" target="_blank">psychological and biological explanation to this</a>, and some <a href="http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/ate/oralhealth/207725.html" target="_blank">don&#8217;t even know why this happens</a> but that there&#8217;s nothing really serious about it. It&#8217;s more of like, an in-born thing (Mom says I&#8217;ve been doing it since I was a kid). What bothered me lang was when my dentist told me that by unconsciously grinding my teeth, I become stressed in my sleep too. Which probably affects my sleeping habits, and my tolerance to stress &#8212; I get stressed easily because I don&#8217;t get a full rest at night. But hey, to whoever you are whom I&#8217;m gona be <em>sleeping beside with </em>for the rest of my life *yihee*, worry not. This ain&#8217;t anything like snoring. I assure you, you will still be able to sleep peacefully at night. ;)</p>
<p>6. <strong>I&#8217;m not a fan of MACs</strong>. So okay, it&#8217;s powerful and it&#8217;s everything a geek would dream of, but er, not me. My brother is a MAC user, so more or less, I&#8217;ve experienced playing with it already, but I always seem to get lost. Oftentimes, I&#8217;m more comfortable sticking with what I&#8217;ve gotten used to already. So say, if I were to choose between a MACbook, and a <a href="http://www.sonystyle.com.hk/ss/vaio/product/vgn_c25g_p_s/index.html" target="_blank">pink Sony Vaio</a> (that&#8217;s Vista compatible), I&#8217;d probably choose the later (even though I once said that <a href="http://www.pinkseo.info/2007/04/15/meet-ice/" target="_blank">Vista sucks</a>) &#8212; just because it&#8217;s pink. And I wouldn&#8217;t mind going through all the trouble of <a href="http://www.pinkseo.info/2007/04/26/vista-to-xp-and-then-some/" target="_blank">downgrading its OS to XP</a> all over again. So there you have it. Either I&#8217;m NOT really a geek, or I&#8217;m a <em>weird </em>geek. But, yeah, all geeks are weird. So.. I duno. I&#8217;m confused already. (Then again, if there happens to be a PINK macbook, I&#8217;d definitely have second thoughts.)</p>
<p>Oh, and would I totally ruin this whole meme thing if I add another weirdness in the list? :P</p>
<p>7. <strong>Whenever I&#8217;m using parentheses, I feel like those parts that are enclosed in parentheses are invisible to everyone else and I&#8217;m the only one who can see them. </strong>I mean really. Try to observe my <a href="http://twitter.com/guitarchic/favorites" target="_blank">twitter faves</a>. See what I mean? :P Oh, and sometimes, when I chat, I use parentheses a lot too. It&#8217;s as if these special characters give me the courage to say what&#8217;s on my mind. So say, if we were chatting, and I typed &#8220;(I love you too)&#8221;, you&#8217;re not supposed to respond, because as far as I&#8217;m concerned, you didn&#8217;t see that part. (Okay, I&#8217;m sounding weirder by the minute, I have to stop.)</p>
<p>Ok. You&#8217;re turn, <a href="http://www.brinknotes.org/" target="_blank">Jeric</a>, <a href="http://tabulas.com/~spoiledgeek" target="_blank">Camz</a>, <a href="http://mikey.i.ph" target="_blank">Mikey</a>, <a href="http://just-iced.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Bheng</a>, <a href="http://www.scribesmeister.info/" target="_blank">Sarah</a>, <a href="http://reah.info" target="_blank">Reah</a> (and <a href="http://www.taintedsong.com" target="_blank">Joni</a>? Have you done this na?)</p>
<p>Thinking about all these weirdness and imperfections make me feel good about myself. I mean, seriously. It is when you&#8217;re in your weirdest state that you feel you are most loved. Coz there you see those people who stand by you, and accept you as you are. And I&#8217;m sure you know, and that you&#8217;ve felt it also at one point in your life, that there&#8217;s this certain warmth and peace that comes with knowing that you&#8217;re an <em>imperfect person loved perfectly.</em></p>
<p align="center">♥ ♥ ♥</p>
<p>So hey. I got a lot of happy thoughts, and this is pretty long already so I&#8217;ll just quickly enumerate them.</p>
<p><u>Blog Meme #2 from <a href="http://www.taintedsong.com" target="_blank">Joni</a>. Here&#8217;s me, <a href="taintedsong.com/2007/05/10/count-your-blessings/" target="_blank">counting my blessings</a>:</u></p>
<p>1. A whole year of milestones and defining moments that I will carry with through time. Beautiful experiences happened this year, not necessarily without pain, but beautiful nonetheless. But I think this deserves a separate post. :)</p>
<p>2. Being blessed with the best Mom in the world. And having been raised by the best Dad, who, even when he&#8217;s already gone, is still changing lives and making a difference through the legacy that he left us with. And growing up with two macho brothers who always care (kahit minsan hindi halata, hehe).</p>
<p>3. Love-hate relationship with my job that makes it even more challenging and worth it. And knowing that I have a <a href="http://twitter.com/guitarchic/statuses/69468972" target="_blank">whole bunch of lovely lovely officemates</a> backing me up, making me survive each day in spite of the odds.</p>
<p>4. That even though this world is full of people you can&#8217;t trust, you are assured that when everything else crumbles down on you, you have a set of friends (the ones who have been there althroughout and have stood the test of time) who&#8217;s always ready to back you up.</p>
<p>5. Love. Love everywhere. What more can I ask? ♥</p>
<p>Your turn to count your blessings, <a href="http://tabulas.com/~hellobebe" target="_blank">Marian</a>, <a href="http://romzkeepomski.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Romz</a>, <a href="http://www.jaypeeonline.net" target="_blank">Jaypee</a>, and well, ALL OF YOU!! Now is the time to count blessings, people. Go go go. :)</p>
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		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
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		<title>It&#8217;s Hap-py-slip!</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/10/its-hap-py-slip/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/10/its-hap-py-slip/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2007 19:06:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Caffeinated Thoughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Just Making Kwento]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/10/its-hap-py-slip/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tonight, my friends and I were having our usual talk over coffee (and siopao, and mais con hielo, and whatever finger food was available) with Pastor Dave  (who happens to be my Ninong too) and his lovely wife, Ninang Nory. Being about 20 years older than we are, I sometimes feel as if they&#8217;re [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Tonight, my friends and I were having our usual talk over coffee (and siopao, and mais con hielo, and whatever finger food was available) with <a href="http://davidus.multiply.com" target="_blank">Pastor Dave</a>  (who happens to be my Ninong too) and his lovely wife, Ninang Nory. Being about 20 years older than we are, I sometimes feel as if they&#8217;re in a constant lookout for ways to &#8220;connect&#8221; with our generation. And I have to say, as far as the generation gap is concerned, they are pretty much successful bridging it in. They&#8217;re definitely the coolest forty*bleep* yearolds in the planet.</p>
<p>There are, however, some bloopers here and there. And here&#8217;s the winning moment tonight:</p>
<blockquote><p>Pastor Dave: &#8220;What&#8217;s that site you were talking about again..? Uh, <strong>pantyhose.com</strong>?&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>The rest of us, staring at him, confused.</p>
<blockquote><p>Pastor Dave: &#8220;The one with those videos you were all laughing about..?&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>And then it dawned on <a href="http://tabulas.com/~normeee" target="_blank">her</a>.</p>
<blockquote><p>Normi: &#8220;Ohhh you mean <a href="http://www.happyslip.com">happyslip.com</a>!!<br />
All: Oooohhhh!!</p></blockquote>
<p>It was, of course, followed by an endless round of laughter. Pantyhose.com pala ha. :P</p>
<p>I guess there&#8217;s still generation gap, after all. :)</p>
<p>The night went on like that. But on top of all the laughter were insightful views about life, and relationships, and faith, and God, and family, and making the right choices, and just about anything under the sun. From as serious as spirituality and Bible doctrines to as trivial as pantyhose.com, er, happyslip.com, we all had our triple dose of self-reflections and realizations (more like reminders) that somehow fueled us up to face the world again.</p>
<p>My happy thoughts for the day: Faith. Friends. Laughter. And love everywhere. I&#8217;m stuffed. ♥</p>
<p>Oh, and Ninong Dave, if you&#8217;re reading this, it&#8217;s hap-py-slip, ok? :)</p>
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		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
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		<title>Happily Ever After</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/06/happily-ever-after/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/06/happily-ever-after/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 06 May 2007 20:55:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Emo Posts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kodak Moments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Missing Dad]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2007/05/06/a-love-story/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As if reading old blog posts was not enough, I found myself reading random pages from my old journals too. And then I found this one journal entry I wrote 2 years ago, on May 1, 2005. It was my Mom and Dad&#8217;s 31st anniversary then, and apparently, it was a few days after Dad [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As if <a href="http://twitter.com/guitarchic/statuses/50719262" target="_blank">reading old blog posts</a> was not enough, I found myself reading random pages from my old journals too. And then I found this one journal entry I wrote 2 years ago, on May 1, 2005. It was my Mom and Dad&#8217;s 31st anniversary then, and apparently, it was a few days after Dad was released from the hospital following his heart surgery.</p>
<blockquote><p>Thirty one years of being together, whoa. I can only imagine their joy now that their love was able to survive a series of trials, and tears, and fears, and tests. Today was indeed a time to celebrate as their 31-year-old vow &#8212; the one which says, &#8220;for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health..&#8221; &#8212; was made real right before their and everyone else&#8217;s eyes.</p>
<p>Dad&#8217;s heart surgery (and our fear that we could lose him anytime) is surely a part of a plan grander than anything we could think of. Perhaps, God, the Great Author of love and romance, planned to make this year&#8217;s anniversary more memorable, sweeter even.</p>
<p>Someday, if God wills, I&#8217;ll get to make that vow too.. and perhaps, a time will come when God will make that vow real before my eyes as well.. And if that happens, I shall look back to Mommy and Daddy&#8217;s love story, knowing full well that God has been the One writing the script and orchestrating the plot.</p>
<p>Someday, I&#8217;ll have my own love story to tell too.</p></blockquote>
<p>There goes your 21 year old Rhiz. (Eek!) A lot has changed since then, of course (I must have become bitter and cynical along the way hehe), but one cannot deny that in a world where breakups, and failed marriages, and broken families are staple, you still hope of a love story worth telling your grandchildren of.</p>
<p><span id="more-233"></span>Last May 1, no matter how we tried to be happy (coz that&#8217;s what Daddy would have wanted) , I know there&#8217;s a deep longing in our hearts, wishing that Daddy was still here, and he and Mom would still be celebrating their anniversary as always.</p>
<p>Mommy and Daddy didn&#8217;t take a lot of pictures. The few ones they have, however, will always remind me, us, that inspite of all the differences and obstacles that married couples have to face, fairytales still do happen.</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.guitarchic.net/images/momdad1.jpg" /><br />
Christmas 2005</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.guitarchic.net/images/momdad2.jpg" /><br />
Our church&#8217;s medical and dental mission, 2006</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.guitarchic.net/images/momdad3.jpg" /><br />
Lola&#8217;s birthday, February 2007</p>
<p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.guitarchic.net/images/momdad4.jpg" /><br />
Christmas 2006</p>
<p>Last May 1 would have marked my Mom and Dad&#8217;s 33rd year together. They would have continued serving the Lord together, and making a difference in other people&#8217;s lives, and growing old with each other. But God has something else in mind, after all, His ways are always higher than ours.</p>
<p>Dad&#8217;s death was not the end of their love story. Just as his legacy, their love story lives on too. Now, their 33-year-old vow &#8212; that part which says, &#8220;<em>for better or worse, til death do us part</em>&#8221; &#8212; was made real right before our eyes over again.</p>
<p>There goes my Mom and Dad&#8217;s <em>happily ever after</em>.</p>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>You Came and Stabbed my Teddy Bear</title>
		<link>http://www.guitarchic.net/2006/11/02/you-came-and-stabbed-my-teddy-bear/</link>
		<comments>http://www.guitarchic.net/2006/11/02/you-came-and-stabbed-my-teddy-bear/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Nov 2006 09:19:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>riz</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Just Making Kwento]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kodak Moments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leaps of Faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.guitarchic.net/2006/11/02/you-came-and-stabbed-my-teddy-bear/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I thought of blogging bout this but my frustration got the best of me. So hey, just read his blog. I&#8217;m not mourning about it anymore. I realize there must be a bright side to this somewhere. Life is too short to be spent whining. By the way, thanks, Marc, for telling the story for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I thought of blogging bout <a href="http://www.macalua.com/2006/11/02/adsense-check-fraud-on-the-rise/">this</a> but my frustration got the best of me. So hey, just read <a href="http://www.macalua.com/2006/11/02/adsense-check-fraud-on-the-rise/">his blog</a>. I&#8217;m not mourning about it anymore. I realize there must be a bright side to this somewhere. Life is too short to be spent whining. By the way, thanks, Marc, for telling the story for me. ;)
<p align="center">* * *</p>
<p>On another note, I&#8217;m not sure if this is the best time to do this. I know I&#8217;ve always projected myself to be this tough-chic-slash-hard-core-guitarist-wannabe who doesn&#8217;t have a care in the world but, well, so much for an overstatement. I&#8217;m coming out in the open. </p>
<p><u>Confession #1.</u> <br />I had four straight nights of greasy Burger Mcdo Happy Meals just to get all four <a href="http://www.strawberryshortcake.com">Strawberry Shortcake</a> characters the past week. I am such a loser. But I luuuurve them. (Why o why didn&#8217;t we have these toys back our time? Pfft.) Right now, the friggin dolls are sitting comfortably on my office desk, hoarding all sorts of (positive and negative) attention. Congrats naman. :P</p>
<p align="center"><img style="border: 1px solid #FFFFFF" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/bluedgirl/happymealblog.jpg"><br /><font size=1>So hey, meet the gang. Angel Cake, Orange Blossom, Ginger Snap, and Strawberry Shortcake. No touching, please. They&#8217;re ALL MINE. Wahaha. :P</font></p>
<p><u>Confession #2.</u> <br />My mom has been feeding me all sorts of cough medications and vitamins the past few days. She&#8217;s been texting me, nagging me, and reminding me every so often to take my meds. Lately, however, she&#8217;s starting to worry why I still haven&#8217;t made it to recovery. What she doesn&#8217;t know is, her little spoiled brat of a daughter is feasting on endorphins when the cat is away. So hey, if I die at the age of 24, it&#8217;s all my fault. My parents did their best. :P</p>
<p align="center"><img style="border: 1px solid #FFFFFF" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/bluedgirl/highonmeds.jpg"><br /><font size=1>High on antibiotics.<br />And double doses of endorphins.<br />And triple doses of YOU.</font></p>
<p><u>Confession #3.</u> <br />At night, I sleep with a bear. Ohh and I don&#8217;t just squish her, I don&#8217;t just talk to her. Sometimes, I take her out to shopping and buy her clothes too. And she has a bank account (haha, riiiight). I really intend to keep this one a secret but today is a day of honesty. </p>
<p align="center"><img style="border: 1px solid #FFFFFF" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/bluedgirl/vanie1.jpg"></p>
<p>So guys, meet Vanie (yes, she&#8217;s/it&#8217;s a girl, mind you), the absorber of all my stress at the end of the day. She keeps me sane, she makes me laugh. She&#8217;s the closest thing I have to a family especially when the roommates are bitching on me (haha).</p>
<p> So imagine my fright when I found my baby in bloodshed on the eve of All Saints Day. Trick or treat?? </p>
<p align="center"><img style="border: 1px solid #FFFFFF" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v103/bluedgirl/vanie2.jpg"></p>
<p>At this point I&#8217;d like to thank my psycho roommates for proving once again how annoyingly sweet they are. You raaaak girlfriends. I&#8217;m soooo touched. And because of that I give you loadsful of sour candies, my very own virus, and a filthy dirty room courtesy of yours trully. May you cough all year round. LOL :P</p>
<p>Then again, I know these lovely ladies mean well (??!!). So thanks be to them, for remembering me this All Saints Day. Besides, I had my revenge. Bwahaha. :P</p>
<p>
<p align="center">* * *</p>
<p>Ayt, confession&#8217;s over. Halloween, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day passed in a blur, I almost didn&#8217;t notice it. (*conscience* Coz you&#8217;re glued to <a href="http://www.tv.com/one-tree-hill/show/16942/summary.html">One Tree Hill</a> almost every chance you get, silly.)</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve never really enjoyed Trick or Treats, and Halloween parties, and going to the cemetery whenever this season comes by. This year, just like the past years, my family spent the whole day at home, pigging out. And watching One Tree Hill (I got them hooked too haha). And discussing scary stories and what the Bible says about them. Of course we remembered Lolo, but mostly, we just spent quality time together as a family.</p>
<p>If I had it my way, I&#8217;d rather we celebrate Thanksgiving Day whenever November comes (how come Filipinos don&#8217;t have Thanksgivings?). You know, have a whole day devoted to thanking God for the blessings, the unexpected people He allowed to come our way, and other beautiful beautiful things. After all, it&#8217;s almost the end of the year, and what better way to usher the Christmas season than simply being thankful. After all, God has been so good, and faithful, inspite of us. </p>
<p>Right. I never thought I&#8217;d see <i>Novembers</i> this way again&#8211;full of faith, and hope, and love. *ngiti hanggang tenga* (Yooonnn. Showbiz!)</p>
<p>Hay. Napagod ako magblog (at ngumiti). Next time ulit. :p</p>
<p>PS. A lot of things are happening <a href="http://sunflowergurl.multiply.com">over there</a>.</p>
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