Happy New Year!

Dearest Monette,

I know year 2007 has been a wonderful year for you and your family. You really have to thank God for that! Few days to go, you'll wake up and it's 2009. I know you have a lot of dreams to achieve, I know you have great desires inside your little heart that you want to accomplish and I'm sure that you can accomplish those tasks by God's help. You have to remember to work one step at a time. Monette, you know that our good Lord has planned out your life. You have to trust Him. Trust Him with all your heart!! It's normal to be confused but again, you have to trust Him! He's omniscient and omnipotent so trust Him!

Love,

Monette

(The purpose of NEW YEAR is to have a NEW YOU. Hay, thank God for the blessing of life. I had a great 2007 and I know next year will be the best year of my life, my family's life, life of those people who are close in my heart, life of those people who surround me. Please Lord, teach me how to live. I wanna live right.)

This coming 2009, I know, I know...it's gonna be a GREAT, WONDERFUL, FRUITFUL YEAR for all of us. Salubungin naten ang bagong taon ng MASAYA, MAPAYAPA at MAPAGPALA. Spread the Love and Faith all year long. God bless us all!!!

Pasko sa Pinas

Never in my whole life I've experience celebrating Christmas in other country. Basta pasko, I want it here, here in our land. Dito sa Pinas. Yea, Pasko sa Pinas!!

Siguro dahil sa ibang bansa, walang Puto-bumbong, walang Bibingka, walang Christmas tree, dahil hindi masyado pinapansin ang pasko pero sa atin, basta BER month, PASKO na! hehe

I'm happy coz I can celebrate Christmas with my loved ones. It's a blessing and it's a decision I made as well. Just wanna share some things I've done this Yuletide season.

NIGHT MARKET

Sa Baclaran. Marc went shopping, kaming lahat sabit lang. Syempre, bonding to the highest level!! Namiss kong kumain ng Quail eggs, so we ate. At ang suka ni manong, yummy!! Hehe (Sorry, medyo mahilig sa street food e)

JP, Marc and me while eating kwek-kwek

At habang namimili kami. I heard a voice saying E-KYUT-MI, E-KYUT-MI. Parang galing sa baba ang boses so I looked down. There I saw this cute and masipag na kid.

My heart was touched. Wow ang sipag-sipag ng batang ito. Madaling araw na pero siya tinutulungan niya ang kanyang papa na magtinda. I asked his father how old is his son, he said, two years old. Natuwa kaming lahat. Hehe, Grabe, malayo ang mararating mo kid!!!

Ngayong Pasko sa Pinas...let me greet you with some friends of mine with the Christmas Tree as our background, hehe

White Christmas sa Snow World

With Marir Grace and Jianicka sa Intramuros

Bev, Mark, Meng, yours truly and Doc Rj sa EK

May ganyan ba sa labas??

Happy Christmas people

It was magical!

Narinig niyo na ba yung kasabihan na kung ano ang ginawa mo sa pagpasok ng taon, yun ang gagawin mo sa buong taon? PARANG GUSTO KO NG MANIWALA, hehehe

I started 2008 (January) by attending a friend's wedding. All in all, I had four friends who got married this year but attended only three of them. Now, it's December and I'm closing the year by attending another wedding. I've witnessed creative weddings this year but never had a chance to see a beach wedding.

Finally!! Joy, JhayR and I travelled all the way to Batangas and witnessed the day a lovely couple exchanged their vows, not in church, not in a garden but in a beach.

Yey!! I've witnessed a beach wedding!! And it was magical!!

More photos soon

JOY: Ate, pa-picture tayo, ikaw na lang maghawak ng flower kasi naka tube ako e, baka makita, leki-leki ko!

MON: Hahaha, Joy, tingin sa flower.

JHAYR: 1, 2, 3 (Click)

Joy and I at the beach

I heart ART

I l0ooove ART!!!

I know you're gonna ask me how much I love art??? Well, I'll answer it by telling you a long story...kidding

When I was a kid, I used to draw people and nature. Yup, yun ang favorite ko!! I remember visiting my uncle artist who used to inspire me about art stuff and kept telling me to draw and draw. He was also my number one critic! Though he didn't pursue ART as his career, he's still passionate about it! He paints portraits of people (visitors, travelers and guests) as a sideline inside a luxury ship. He gets dollarsss for that and we're all amazed everytime he brags about it. Hahaha, He's my example of a person who earns from his passion.

When I was in Kindergarden. I received an award. Not the most diligent or studious or most behaved in class but BEST IN ART. When I reached elementary, I realized the reason I got that award was because I knew how to draw people unlike my classmates who used to draw shapes, as in shapes!! Hahaha

I this artpiece

Medyo nanahimik ang ART world ko until I reached High School. I love drawing assignments and drawing projects. I didn't compete in art contest, (Ahm, meron ata isa lang pero talo) coz I know a lot of students were better than me. I had a classmate who was really good at ngayon yata e artist na siya. Congrats!

Then I reached college. I met and was surrounded by great artists. They became my friends and some, I had a crush on. Uyyyy, Ehem! Ehem!! I even received a painting as a gift from someone special before who is a great friend now.

I don't know why I like and love art. I'm a painting fanatic and maybe because I see beyond the paints. I admire how artists give their focus, their hearts, their ALL into their artpiece. "Yung tipong yung dugo na nila yung gagamitin nilang red paint." Grabe!! I adore each of them, I love the way they show their passion and love for their paintings. Grabe!! And one more thing, they know how to express themselves using their canvas, paints, brushes, creativity and imagination. I'm a verbal person pero sila, di na kailangan mag-ingay, just looking and listening to their paintings, I get a glimpse of who they are. Grabe talaga!!

Mg this artpiece

I am blessed coz I know great artists and some of them are my close friends. Naks!!! Isa kayo sa mga dahilan kung bakit napaka kulay ng ating mundo!!! Mabuhay kayong mga artists!!!

Bonding with an artist / friend

I am grateful, kahit hindi ako nabibilang sa mga tinatawag na artist, at least I have an artist name. (Libre ang mangarap!) hahaha

ART,

Claude Monet (Pseudonym) Hehe

Just a question...

I have no story today but I have a question

What's gonna be your initial reaction if you accidentally receive a bundle of flowers (let's say a bouquet of flowers) during a wedding? And take note, you are the bridesmaid?

Ako??? I'll shout with the highest pitch I could...OH NO!!! NOT ME PLEASE!!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHA, This is my initial reaction during a game in Mona's and Ian's wedding.

KAMPAI...

An Undivided Heart

Nakabasa ka na ba ng card na tumpak sa mga gusto mong sabihin? O kaya naman, libro na tama sa puso mo yung mensahe? Yea, yea, yea. I know you have experienced that. Good thing I browsed christiantoday.com and found a very great poem written by Crystal C. Godfrey. I love love love it! She had written words that I wanted to say. She had scribbled passages that I really adore. For some readers, it's just a poem but for me, this is my prayer.

Lord, put in me a new spirit
Remove my heart of stone
And give to me a heart of flesh
That trusts in You alone
Oh, That I may fear Your name
Each day right from the start
Oh, Lord, please give to me
An undivided heart.

I want a gaze that never waivers
Or loses sight of the goal
To keep it's focus on obeying You
With mind and body and soul
Help me to walk in submission to Christ
In whole and not in part
Oh, Lord, please give to me
An undivided heart.

I want Your joy to be my greatest strength
Your salvation my impassioned praise
Your holiness to be my way of living
For all the rest of my days
Keep me steadfast in doing Your work
And following the course that You chart
Oh, Lord, please give to me
An undivided heart.

Teach me to daily die to self
And to spend much time in prayer
That I may be discerning of those around me
And treat them with genuine care
I want to be totally true to You
To wear your righteousness as my mark
Oh, Lord, please give to me
An undivided heart.

I want to live the time You've given me
Committed fully to Your purpose and call
Lord, consume me with Your awesome presence
Cause me on my knees to fall
And bow to Your desire for my life
Let no circumstance keep us apart
Oh, Lord, please give to me
An undivided heart.

This is what I pray. May God answer my prayer

BOOK-SAK Presyo talaga!

It’s our last chance to grab our favorite books at the lowest prices ever! On December 12-14, there is a Christmas Clearance Sale at National Bookstore Market! Market! Playzone. We won’t find better deals on this year’s top-selling titles dahil BOOK-SAK presyo talaga! We can get books for as low as Php20. (Source: Email I recieved from Laking National)

I think Anvil Publishing has this Christmas Sale also for book lovers. I saw them at Intramuros.

Instead of singing let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...I wanna sing, let it sale, let it sale, let it sale!!!

Enjoy the Sale Season este Christmas Season!! Hahaha

Pictures talk, you just have to listen.

Are you a photo fanatic? If you are, what's your favorite subject?

Salamat sa DG cams and mobile cams, we can now manage to take photos of anything. People, nature, etc, etc. Parehas ba tayong mahilig sa pictures? Aamin ka ba? hahaha, I remember the funny text message I received before. It's about the three nationalities inside an art museum. The two nationalities adored the art piece. They said words like, "Fantastic and Marvelous!" And a Filipino uttered, "Ganda! Picture tayo pang Friendster!" Hahaha

Yes, it's us. Pinoys love pictures. We love pictures I just wanna share with you the photos I captured during Spring Season in Tokyo last year. I miss these!!! Huhuhu

Habang naglalakad sa isang park sa Tokyo. Nakakita ako ng SAKURA sa ground also known as Cherry Blossoms. Since mainit ang araw, I was very sure at that time na kayang-kaya kong i-capture ang aking shaddow. Yes!!! I did it, yun nga lang, dala ko pala ang aking knapsack so instead of a gorgeous photo, it ended up...eto. Well, ganda pa rin. Kanya-kanyang perspective lang yan! Hehehe

Nakakita ako ng isang spot na perfect for me to capture Sakura. I told my mom and my brother to smile habang ina-anggulo ko talaga yung shot. I love love love this shot. Perfect for a mother and son, may halo talagang drama. It says so much! I asked Marc to take a picture of me however he didn't get the shot that I wanted. Okay lang, sila na lang (",)

Marc and I went to Sea Paradise. Manila Ocean Park version sa Pilipinas. Again, I saw this spot and told him to look up and there, another great shot! Ang sarap tignan ng shot na 'to maybe because I was there and everytime I see this, I always remember the relaxing place.

It's my desire to take pictures of people (that includes me!) and others like nature that are worth taking pictures with coz I believe that pictures are memories that will never fade.

Teka, memories ba nagfi-fade?? Hmmm, ibang usapan yan! Magpi-pray na lang ako...Lord, sana po, may magbenta ng DSLR or SLR na sobrang mura. Tsaka sana po good steward siya at pwedeng two or three gives pa. Sana din po, tamaan ang dapat tamaan! Hahaha