desc Walking in Fields of Grace: May 2005

Saturday, May 28, 2005

A Fun-filled Saturday

We woke up as early as 5:30AM on a Saturday morning, thankful to be welcomed by the fine weather and clear skies. My parents, my aunt, my cousins and I prepared ourselves as well as the things that we need to bring for our outing. Unfortunately, my sister can't come with us (tsk, tsk..). After everything's set, we boarded the jeep that we hired and left our house at around 7AM.

It was just a 40-minute ride going to the resort. We arrived at Volets Resort in Dasmariñas, Cavite before 8AM. It was still closed. (hehehe...) But there were already others who were waiting outside the main entrance. It opened at exactly 8AM.

It's good that we were one of the first few who arrived that's why we're able to get a good place. We chose the table located at the second floor with a good view of the pools. After fixing our things and changing to our swim clothes, my aunt, cousins and I took some pictures around the resort first. While papa and mama volunteered to grill the fishes we brought for lunch.

Auntie Linda, Jhing, Me & Bhing


At the Resort's Entrance


Papa & Mama (how sweet! heheh...)

My cousins were all so excited to swim and so without wasting any more time, we tried the big pool near our place. Good enough for me, it's only upto 5 ft. deep 'cause I don't think I can go deeper than that (hehehe...) The water feels so relaxing since it's neither cold nor hot. The temperature is just enough to give a soothing feeling. Papa was kind enough to teach us to swim. Somehow, I think we learned something. We also had fun just splashing water at one another. (hehehe...)

Swimming at the big pool

After swimming for some time, I asked my dad and my cousin, "buboy" if they wanted to try the slides. I was actually surprised at myself for asking this because for one, I'm quite afraid of heights and second, I haven't tried slides before. But guess what? They agreed and so we all took the stairs going to the second highest slide with more curves. Before I knew it, we were already in the line. Since I was still feeling nervous, I asked my cousin to go first. He went well and it seemed that it's not that scary. So I decided to go next. I was right! It wasn't scary afterall. In fact, I enjoyed it and so I decided to try it one more time...well, actually I tried it 3 times. (hehehe...) I was just glad that I was able to face my fear and overcome it. Same thing in life, sometimes we just have to face our fears and eventually we'll realize they're not that scary after all.

The Green slide

Then it was lunch time. We had a wonderful lunch together and after that, we took a rest for a while. I decided to take a walk around the resort and took some pictures as well. When I went up a stair, I saw another big pool there. But it was not just an ordinary pool because it has artificial waves! Really cool! So I went back to our place and called my cousins. We all tried that pool and we surely had fun with the splashing waves. Some waves were quite high and we could hear almost everybody in unison with an "ahhhh!" or "whooow!". hehehe... My cousins and I really enjoyed the waves.

Splashing with the waves


The pool with artificial waves

At the other end of this same pool was a man-made falls. It was also a nice view and I could see some people just allowing themselves to bathe under these falls. Of course, we tried it too and even took some pictures there. We all loved the soothing effect of the waters because as they fell on our backs with a slight pressure, it feels like we're having a relaxing back massage. Really, really cool!

At the Waterfalls

More eating, swimming and fun we had for the rest of the afternoon. And just to add to my wins for the day, I also braved the highest slide! Though still feeling quite nervous, I just did it and found it more enjoyable than the first one. I tried it twice but actually I wanted to go for some more if only the line was not that long. Well, maybe next time.

View from the top


The Red slide

My aunt and my cousin Jing will be going back to the province (Kalibo, Aklan) this week. My aunt told us that it's our turn to visit them in the province next year and we'll have our outing in Boracay. Wow! Can't wait!

Got to pack our stuff and get ready to leave by 3PM since my dad still had to pass by the church at 5. But before we left the resort, we had our group picture taken. We surely enjoyed our day and we all had a wonderful time together as a family. What a great blessing!


Monday, May 23, 2005

He put the song in my heart

As a child, I grew up attending Sunday school in Church. Every meeting, I was always excited and looking forward to learn new action songs.

One of my favorite songs then, (which is still a favorite until now) is from the Kid’s Praise album entitled, “Jesus put the song in my heart”. (If you know Psalty – “that big blue singing songbook!”, then you probably can relate with me. Hehehe…) Well, I like that song not only for its upbeat tune, but most especially for its lyrics. Let me sing to you the chorus part (as if you can hear it, hehehe…)

Jesus put the song in my heart
He turned my life around
He gave me a treasure
The heart of a servant
Jesus put the song in my heart
A joyful melody
That sings of His wonderful love

He gave me His love
He sent me a song
And He put the song in my heart, yeah…

I also like the action for this song but unfortunately, I can’t show it here. Hehehe…

So what’s the significance of this song, you might ask.

I think it was about three weeks ago when our senior pastor announced the need for musicians, song leaders and backup singers for our Music Ministry. For me, it was just like an ordinary announcement. I said to myself that all I could do is to pray that many people would be touched to serve the Lord through music.

I never thought that I would be one of those that the Lord will touch. It was like a lightning that struck me. I suddenly felt that God is calling me into this ministry. But I was hesitant to respond to the calling.

Though I know I can sing (somehow), I’m still not that confident and I’m afraid that I might not be able to cope up with the standards of our Praise & Worship team. Even if I had invitations before to join the said ministry, I always say no and just tell them that I’ll just sing in Kid’s Sunday school (at least, the kids won’t mind if you get out of tune..hehehe!). But seriously, it was a struggle for me.

But then I remembered that song I use to sing as a kid. I realized that it was God who has put that desire in my heart to sing for Him. Yes, I may not be as good as others but more than the wonderful voice, God is really looking at the heart - the heart of a servant.

I was reminded of these words said to me before: “God does not call the equipped, but He equips the called.” I know I just had to obey and trust God to do the polishing. Besides, how can I say “no” to Him?

After a week, guess what??? I took a leap of faith and joined the Music Ministry! In fact, I already attended my first practice last Saturday. I was glad because they made me feel so welcome to join.

I was just surprised to see the first song in our line-up list! (Was it a coincidence?) But I think it perfectly describes what’s inside my heart. You might probably know this song…

We lift our voices
We lift our hands
We lift our lives
Up to You
We are an offering

Lord, use our voices
Lord, use our hands
Lord, use our lives
They areYours
We are an offering

I guess that's just really what I wanted to do...to offer God whatever I can, be it my voice, my hands, my life…

So if you’ve got the talent or even if you don’t, but you have the heart to serve the Lord, just do it for His Glory!

I guess, words will never be enough to describe the gladness that I felt when I heed His call. I definitely enjoyed my first practice with our Music Ministry and I’m looking forward to more practices and backup singing soon!


My first Music Ministry practice

Friday, May 20, 2005

It's how you take it

I felt that I had a productive day yesterday as I left the office. Have played around the Service Editor GUI, setup sample services, successfully run the scripts and loaded them in the SIM card. I also enjoyed validating the services I created through the mobile simulator. hehehe...totally cool!

In the afternoon, I had to re-create the same services I created through the GUI, but this time using a scripting language. Uh-oh...need some coding here (reminds me of SPUD! Oh no!). I was reading the documentation of the scripting language for about 2 hours already but still can't write even just a single line of code. (how pathetic!)

I decided to take a break first so I bought ice cream (Pistachio flavor... yummy!) from Fiorgelato (a newly-opened store at the ground floor here in our building). Anet also gave me a sandwich (so sweet of her...thanks Anet!). Well, somehow I think eating helped. hehehe... I finally figured out how to write the script little by little, thank Heavens! As expected, I got some errors when I compiled it the first time. (hmmm...) I just kept on trying and referring to the documentation most of the time. After some more compilation attempts, I was able to fix the errors and finally got it working! Yehey! It was just several minutes before I left the office.

I had to leave early since it's our badminton night. We (Dadi Joey, Mommy Weng, Axel and Tabel) managed to arrive at West Drive Badminton Center (Kapitolyo) by 7pm. I figured I still have time to dress up and eat since our court reservation was at 7:30pm. As we were walking towards our assigned court after changing to our play clothes, I noticed someone playing in a court near ours. Out of curiosity I asked Tabel, "Bata ba yon?" She also noticed this small guy (about my shoulders high) in a blue shirt. Then she said, "Hindi...maliit lang sya." Hmmm...I just thought it's fascinating to watch him play.

I had sandwich and Gatorade first since I was hungry (again!). The four of them started playing already as I was doing my warm-up exercise. I didn't have much to do while waiting for my turn to play so I just practiced picking up the shuttlecock using my racket. Haven't perfected it that well yet, but the effort is paying off somehow. hehehe... After several minutes, I just decided to sit on the bench and watch those who were playing from the other courts.

Remember the small guy I mentioned earlier? I watched their group play. They were also playing doubles. As I watched him, I was amazed at how he executes his shots. He moved with so much ease and strikes the shuttlecock with his racket like an expert. Now I really believe, "height doesn't matter". hehehe...

Then I saw this young girl whom this small guy was playing with. She's just about the same height as mine, only a little slimmer. I find her energetic and it seems she was really enjoying their game. Then suddenly, I noticed something at the time when she was doing her service. Since the shuttlecock was on the floor, she picked it up using her right hand while she was also holding her racket on the same hand. I was puzzled and I asked myself why didn't she use her other hand?

This made me glance at her left hand and I found out that it was wrapped with some sort of a bandage cloth! I was not sure what happened to it, but I think it's really not in a good shape. I felt sorry for her. But then as I continued to watch her play, it seems that she was not affected by her hand's condition at all. Just like the small guy, she also plays very well!

Yes, it may be an idle time for me as I wait for my turn to play. But it also became a time for me to contemplate and realize things as I observe the people around me.

I've read in a book before, it was said (though not in it's exact words), "It's not what happens to you that matters. It's how you take it." I believe these words to be true.

Sometimes in life we get to experience a lot of smashes, drops and drive shots thrown at us. Sometimes we could return those shots like a pro but at other times we just got hit, even right on our face! Yes, those blows do hurt us and cause us a lot of pain. But what's gonna happen next? Should we just sit in a corner, pity ourselves and think that there's no more hope for us? Or would we allow ourselves to heal of our hurts, rise again and move on in life, gaining much strength and confidence from the lessons we have learned from those experiences?

That small guy could've just stayed at home and pity himself for not having a normal height. The girl with a disabled hand could just as well isolate herself and think that she will never be good enough for losing that part of her body. Yes, these same situation could happen to anybody. But as for these people, they did not allow those unfortunate circumstances to hinder them from becoming the best person that they could be and from experiencing life to the full. They have chosen to respond differently, and they've definitely made the right choice!

It's true, you don't always have control over your circumstances, but you do have control over your response to it. - "It's how you take it!" (",)

Thursday, May 12, 2005

An early weekend for me

Got permission to take a leave tomorrow. Thanks to my team lead and to Nicolas (our Technology Director).

Hopefully, my sister will be at home tonight and I won't be alone anymore. Bad news is, she can't take a leave from her work yet. It's also her second week at her new job. They have a show tomorrow evening and she can't miss it (she works as a writer/segment producer for ZOE Channel 11).

In that case, I'll be going to the province alone tomorrow. (sigh...) But that's ok. It's just a 3-hour travel anyway.

On the happy side, I'm just thankful to be able to receive my first salary here today (yipee!). Got it in check since I don't have an ATM account yet. But somehow, I miss going to Sanry's. hehehe...

I'm also glad to see Beng here as she started her work yesterday. Welcome aboard Beng! At least, there are 4 ladies here now. Hope they would hire more women. (",)

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

When tears fell like rain...

I’m home alone. I could only hear the sound of the mp3s I’m playing and the heavy rain pouring outside…

Yesterday after lunch, I received a call from my cousin in the province. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing... She called to inform me that our lola already passed away...just several minutes before she called me. I couldn’t utter a single word. But I tried my best to remain calm and asked if they wanted me to do anything to help. She didn’t ask for anything. She just wanted me to know.

I faced my computer and just stared at the monitor after we spoke. I couldn’t concentrate anymore. I remembered everything about my lola…how she took care of me and my sister when we were young...how she would tell everyone how proud she is because of us…how she would cry everytime she sees us when we visit her in the provice…how she would kiss us and hug us…I remembered her words of wisdom…I even remembered she would always say to me, how blessed is the man that I’ll choose to marry…all of these things just flashed back in my mind.

I just felt that I was about to cry right there. I didn’t want them to see me crying so I immediately ran to the wash room, locked myself inside the cubicle and cried my heart out. Good thing, there was nobody there that time. I didn’t notice anymore how long I stayed there.

When I returned to my place, I sent a YM to Mommy Weng. Tabel also sent me a message when she found out about it. Eventhough they’re quite far, I felt their sympathy and support. I’m really glad because they are always there for me especially during this time. I met them during merienda time and stayed at the Enterworks pantry. I was glad to see most of the EPhil folks there eating merienda together. They all asked me how I was doing in my new work. I told them quite a lot about my experience at OCS. I was able to smile and laugh again as I tell them my story. Somehow, I forgot about the sad news I received.

My team lead also heard about the sad news, and he asked me if I wanted to go home already. I said I’m ok and I’ll just finish up what I was doing. He was also asking me when I will take a leave. I didn’t know what to answer. It’s just my second week and I was really not sure if I’m already entitled to such. I told him I’ll just talk to our HR manager.

I went home early last night and I didn’t go to our badminton training. I felt so weary and I don’t think I would have the strength (and the mood) to play.

My parents left for the province early this morning and my sister is staying in Manila tonight. So I’m here, alone in my room and I felt like crying again.

But everytime I feel this way, I just try to remember the words of this very touching song, which I’m currently playing right now. It says…

The kisses of God
Are kisses of goodness and loving kindness
Kisses of faithfulness
That never once was broken

The kisses of God
Is like a tender wind in the morning
Wipe not just the tears
But the small and big fears away

He kissed me a thousand times
For every tear that fell
And there were a thousand of them
And He kissed each of them

He’s always there when I feel I’m alone
And He lifted me when I fell
Yes, He’s the God of a thousand kisses
His love endures forevermore…

Indeed, He’s the God of a Thousand Kisses who wipes away my every tear and never leaves my side. I know He’s with me right now…during this time when I feel so alone.

I would surely miss my lola. But I know she's with Him already...and she’s happy. No more pain, no more suffering, no more tears to shed…

My crying has stopped and my tears wiped away...just as the sound of the heavy rain outside slowly fades.

Monday, May 09, 2005

It’s Mom’s Day!

I woke up on a beautiful Sunday morning and greeted my mom with a “Happy Mother’s Day, Ma!” She’s already preparing breakfast. Then I heard my dad asked my mom what she would like for lunch. (Papa is the cook in the house. Hehehe…) I immediately entered the conversation even if I was a bit sleepy. I said, “Lunch tayo sa mall mamaya after Church.” They were both surprised, but happy to hear my suggestion.

We attended Church at 9:30AM. I have no teaching schedule for Kid’s Sunday School yet, so I was able to attend the service. I was touched by what the Worship leader shared before she sang. Here’s the little story she shared (in my own words):

One day, the father told his son, “Son, let’s go out for lunch. You can order whatever you want, and we’ll get it.” The child was very happy! He said, “Wow, Dad! That’s great! Can we go now?” The father replied, “Sure! Let’s go to your favorite restaurant.”

When they were already at the restaurant, the child ordered all of his favorite dishes…chicken, spaghetti, french fries, ice cream… name it! Then while the child was already eating, his father asked, “Son, can I have some of your fries?” His son was silent for a moment, as if thinking. Then the son finally said, “Ok dad, but you can get only one.” The father was surprised at his son’s reply but decided to take just a piece of french fries. After some time as they were eating, the father probably liked some more of the fries so he reached to get some more. As he was doing so, his son noticed it and when the father’s hand almost gets hold of the fries, the son slapped his father’s hand! The father was shocked and dismayed at his son’s behavior.


It’s a sad story, actually. I felt guilty after hearing that little story. It’s true…sometimes we behave just like the son in the story does. God owns everything and He provides for our every need. But sometimes, when He asks us for something… could be our time, our talents, our service, money, possessions, etc. we just don’t want to give it to Him. We deprive Him of what He has given us and what actually belongs to Him in the first place. It made me think, “What if God decided to just get all of the things that we have right now?” I hope we would not wait for that to happen. I’m really glad that He’s a loving Father, who is very patient with us and understands us even if we’re stubborn most of the time. I hope that through this story, we’ll be reminded to give God the best that we could give. After all, He always gives us the best.

Just before our Pastor (who happened to be my dad, scheduled to preach that Sunday) gave his sermon, he called for all the moms in the congregation to stand in front. The Youth ministry prepared something for the moms. One of them read a beautiful Tagalog poem entitled, “Ang Anghel ng aming bahay”. It was quite a long poem, there were some funny parts, but it’s really touching especially in the end. After that, they gave a little token to all the moms – a cute coin purse (that mom’s can use when they go to market) and a little bookmark. Finally, our Pastor prayed for them.

The service ended at around a little past 11. After having some conversation with friends, we all headed to Southmall. There were quite a lot of people dining since it’s already lunchtime when we arrived. But I don’t even have to ask them where they want to eat. Both my parents liked the food from Chowking, so we had our lunch there. They both ordered braised beef, my sister had chicken and I got beef chao-fan w/ dumplings. Our meal can’t be complete without the pork/beef siomai, kangkong w/ bagoong (my favorite! yummy…) and of course, halo-halo w/ ice cream (cool!). We had a wonderful time over lunch.

As we were strolling in the mall, we passed by Storyland. We got curious because there were a lot of moms there. We found out that they have a special treat for moms. So my mom registered and picked a piece of paper from the bowl. She got some vitamin-C as prize. Probably that’s for me because I still have colds. Huhuh…

After picking mama’s prize, we went inside the arcade and I bought some tokens. I challenged my sister to a car race. It was a tight race, but I managed to get ahead during the last remaining seconds. I won! Hehehe.. I then challenged my dad. He was ahead at first, but I was able to get pass him in the middle of the race. I maintained my lead but unfortunately, I miscalculated my last turn so I slightly bumped on the side of the track. That gave my dad the chance he’s been waiting for. So there, he won by just a few milli-second. Hehehe…but that’s ok.

I challenged my dad and sister again. This time, basketball. Dropped our tokens, pressed the Start button and we begin! We had one minute to shoot as many as we can. I really miss playing this! And just as I expected, my dad got the highest score with 57. I was second, having 44 points and my sister last, with 31 points. It was a nice game!

We were waiting for the air hockey to be free but it looks like the kids playing don’t want to give others a chance. Oh well, that’s fine. Unfortunately, my mom doesn’t want to play any of those we tried. So I just exchanged a bunch of 1 peso coins and my mom played in the Jungle Jam - it’s the one where you drop 1 peso coins so that the coins inside would be pushed out. The main goal is to release or drop as many coins off the little platform. You’ll get tickets in exchange. We all tried playing it and with our joint effort, we managed to get almost a hundred tickets! Yipeeee!

It was already 2:30pm and my sister had to leave already since she has work at 5pm. My dad wanted to go home already. He’s worried because our dogs haven’t eaten yet, also because he’s already sleepy. But my mom and I didn’t want to go home yet because it was so hot outside. So, I asked them if they want to watch a movie. My mom said yes but papa said he’ll just fell asleep inside the movie house. I told him it’s ok. =)

So we went to the cinema and I bought tickets for “Kingdom of Heaven”. We still had to wait for 30 minutes for the next screening. Good thing, there’s a coffee shop (Coffee Experience) near the cinema so we just sat there and I bought them coffee. I had a choco fudge chiller. Tastes ok, but Starbucks frap still tastes a lot better.

My dad’s already asleep even during the trailer part (tsk, tsk…) and he slept during the first half of the movie. At least he saw the spectacular fight scenes. Orlando Bloom played his role well, but I still like him better as Legolas in LOTR. My mom said she didn’t quite understand the movie. My dad told me he didn’t understand the movie either. Hmmm… I wonder why?! Hehehe…

And that’s how we spent Mom’s Day. I was just glad to be able to go out with my family again. We haven’t done that for quite some time already. Even if my mom didn’t say it, I know she’s happy. As for me, I’m just happy to see them happy. =)

Saturday, May 07, 2005

My First Week at OCS

I apologize for this long entry. It's worth a week's journal rolled into a single entry. hehehe... Just read it if you have lots of free time. =)
___________________________________________________________

Whew! I can't believe it, but I've actually survived my first week at OCS - Oberthur Card Systems - yup, that's the new company where I'm working now. I can say it's been a great week for me. I feel so welcome in my new office. Well, it actually looks like an Enterworks extension with Dadi Joey, Alvin, Mikko and Anet around. hehehe...I was supposed to start last Monday. Thanks to GMA, I had one more day to rest.


Tuesday
I had to wake up at 6AM to get ready and arrive before 8:30AM in the office. I need to make some adjustments since I get used to arriving at the office at 10AM. I had to wear something formal, too. On my way, I was feeling a bit nervous entering my new workplace. I also had to get used to riding the elevator longer since I'm now getting off at the 26th floor! (I hope there would be no fire-drills in the near future. heheh)

But since it's my first day, I need to pass by 27th floor first where the HR office is. It was 8:25AM on my watch and I was really in a hurry. Only to find out that there was no one yet in the reception area. And I can't come in since I don't have a proximity card yet. huhuhuh... I waited for 15 minutes outside, pacing to and fro or going to the washroom and back to glass door again. Finally, the receptionist arrived.

I still had to wait for the HR Manager. She arrived at around 9:30AM. There's another guy who's also starting on the same day. The HR manager asked both of us to fill up several forms for the HR records, payroll and HMO. When we're finally done filling out the forms, she gave us an orientation about the policies of the company. She also introduced us to the people on the 27th floor. I'm glad to see there one of my professors back in college...and he still remembers me. Cool!

The HR manager then led us to the 26th floor where the R & D department is located. She endorsed us to Alvin to provide us our machines. My team lead was kind enough to assist me in setting up my machine. He doesn't want to be called "sir" so I simple call him Axel. Alvin also introduced me to the intranet where the technical documents can be found. I'll be needing those to familiarize myself with the projects. I spent the rest of my afternoon reading some documents from the intranet, mostly software requirements specifications.

I left the office at 5:30. (early! hehehe) I passed by Enterworks to join them for merienda and get some stuff from Ms. Miget.

Wednesday
My mom made sure I get up before 6AM. Hmm...I'm starting to get used to it. So there, I arrived in the office at 8:30AM. Axel was already there when I arrived. We had breakfast in our little pantry. There were no iced tea or lemonade but we had Starbucks coffee. Nice!
After a little chat over breakfast, it's now time for me to install several software I'll be needing. Axel assisted me also during the installation of the 3 softwares needed for simulation and testing.

I had lunch with Dadi Joey, Alvin, Mommy Weng and Tabel at the 2nd floor of SCB bldg. Then I passed by Enterworks to give them the copy of the pictures from last friday's gimmiks.

When I went back to the office, I just realized it was cold in my place. brrr... and I have no jacket. =( I had to endure the cold while doing the test data that Axel asked me to create. I needed to come up with 50 names and aliases for my test data, so I searched for a site that automatically generates names. I successfully found one and it made my task so much easier. But as I was searching for websites I happened to come across this site which allows you to discover the hidden meanings behind your names. Here's the link: http://www.bostonuk.com/names/default.asp. I was curious to know the hidden meaning behind my name so I immediately typed it in. Here's what I've found:

Dorothy
Gift of God : Greek

Sensitive, friendly and kind you look for peace and beauty
in your environment and relationships.
People like to be around you because of your charm and generosity
and because you always generate a happy atmosphere.
You have a fairly traditional approach to life and have
a strong attachment to home, family and loved ones.
With your creative imagination you have potential
to be successful in the arts.

Wow! That's amazing! Go try and see what your name means. Let me know ok?

I was just glad to be able to finish the test data creation before I went home.

Thursday
I left the house a little earlier than usual. Unfortunately, there was no shuttle available. I waited for 45 minutes before one finally arrived. When we're already in Alabang, it was so traffic! I just closed my eyes and attempted to sleep so as not to constantly look at my watch and grow impatient. When I woke up, we’re already at Amorsolo. Lo and behold! There were a lot of LTO officers waiting for us. Talk about not-so-good days! Our driver told the LTO officers that he’s working for CAP and his passengers are clients attending a seminar while others are claimants. The LTO officers asked us if we’re really going to CAP. Some answered yes, but since I don’t want to lie I just pretended I was still asleep. There was quite a long talk before the officers finally decided to let us go. Yup, we might have escaped them but all of us had to get off in front of CAP bldg. Great! I had to walk from there going to Rufino, and it was already 8:30! I was already late. =(

Oh well, I know I can’t do anything about that so I just had to accept the fact that I was 15 minutes late. Then, I just had to let go of that bad feeling. I promised myself I’ll leave the house earlier the following day.

My team lead was not in the office yet when I arrived. Somehow I was relieved. (hehehe…) When he came, he asked me to read the software requirements specs of one of the projects. To make me understand it better, he also handed me a Nokia phone (don’t know the model, but it’s a nice one) so that I could have a user experience of the application.

In the afternoon, I had to swap phones with my other team mate. He gave me a Panasonic phone instead (not sure what model either). I actually liked it better than the Nokia. At about 4pm, Noel, one of our French boss who’s a technical guy, called me for a meeting together Mikko, the manager of another project. He told me that I’d be assigned in Mikko’s project and he also gave me an overview of the said project. It was actually quite big and complicated. After the short meeting, Mikko handed me the software requirement specs (SRS) so that I could familiarize myself better. He was also kind enough to provide me with the office supplies like notebook, pen, highlighter, stapler and binder. Thanks Mikks!

I left the office before 7pm since we still have our cell group meeting, which was supposedly last Monday.

Friday
Guess what? I was already in Makati at 7:45! I kept my promise. Hehehe… I was the third person to arrive in the office. I had breakfast first while checking my emails. After some time, Noel entered our room and he greeted me with a handshake. He always does that in the morning. I’ve found out from him that it was their custom in France.

I was reading the SRS for almost the entire day. Fortunately, I saw a PowerPoint presentation from the intranet and somehow it helped me visualize the project. The documentation was really not that good and it was quite hard for me to understand some of the things written there. I’ve told Mikko regarding that and he said he would just explain it to me little by little next week. I said, “That would be really great!” I think I’d really have a headache if I continue reading that document without somebody explaining it to me. I’m just glad my team mates were all so supportive and very willing to help me understand.

I left the office at around 6pm since I still need to pass by Enterworks for my exit interview. When I got there, I had a chat with Ate Ning because she wanted to know how I was doing with my new job. I think it took us some time to exchange stories. When I finally said I needed to talk with Ms. Miget, I noticed that she’s just about to leave. Uh-oh… Anyways, I still had some chat with Ms. Miget before she left. She told me to just return again on Monday.

I just waited for Mommy Weng and Tabel to finish up their tasks. We’d be going to Mama Sand’s (an ex-Enterworks employee, too.) house in Marikina to have a little celebration for passing her thesis. Yehey! Rene’s also with us, but unfortunately Joy said she can’t come since their family is heading to Tagaytay the following day.

Dadi Joey was already waiting for us at the parking area. We rode at Tabel’s car and passed by the Sebastian’s house at Kapitolyo to pick up the kids – Juwan and Jin.

We didn’t encounter much traffic so we arrived at Marikina at around 8pm. It’s nice to see Karl again (Mama Sand’s one and only son). He’s grown to be a healthy and intelligent boy. Just like when we visited their house last December, we stayed again at the roof-top area. They have a lovely house and I like the view from there. But this time, the weather is quite humid unlike last Christmas season, when we even have to wear jackets. We had pizza, chicken (and rice), and donuts (which taste like gonuts-donuts). I was really starving since I didn’t have merienda in the afternoon, so I ate quite a lot (I admit that. Hehehe…).

After resting for some time, Mama Sands brought out the Magic Sing – yep, it’s videoke time! Dadi Joey gave the first song number. I didn’t know he’s a fan of Westlife. He knows almost all of their songs! I’m not sure who sang next. I think it’s Mama Sands who’s a good singer, being the owner of the Magic Sing (hehehe...) but actually, she came from a musically-inclined family that’s why. We’re taking note of who scores the highest, and try to beat it to make it more fun.

They’re asking me to sing, but I refused since I still have colds and cough. I think I was not good at making excuses or maybe they’re just so supportive of me they said I can still sing. Rene even told me that since I have the talent, I should share it. (Hmmm… makes me think if I really have a talent like that. Hehehe) Okay, just to be fair… I finally sang. I was able to sing 3 songs inspite of it all, before we called it a night. Dadi Joey was teasing me and said that I should sing on our Christmas party. Oh please…I only sing in the shower. Hehehe =)

It was a fun night, really. Tabel was the clown of the night, as always. I just can’t forget her very own rendition of “Hiram”. Rene also gave us the pleasure by singing even just one song. Mommy Weng was the top scorer of the night, with a 97! Now, she will never be ashamed to sing anymore. Go Mommy!

Tabel was kind enough to take the Sebatian family to their residence in Kapitolyo. She said she’d also drive me to my cousin’s house in Manila. But before that, we still have to pass by the office to get her laptop since she still had to upload something in Perforce. It was already 1AM when we reached the Enterworks office. I got a chance to see Augs, who’s currently assigned in the night-shift for PS.

I arrived at my cousin’s house at 1:30AM. Both my cousin and sister were already asleep. Just fixed myself, said my prayers and thanked God for the wonderful week that I’ve had before I finally tuck myself in bed. I just thought of my new job… well, it looks really interesting and challenging. I just hope I could meet their expectations. It may sound cliché but I’ll say it anyway…I know I just got to "do my best, and let God do the rest." =)

Monday, May 02, 2005

Songs of Love...

When I first heard the song “Because of You” I thought, “Hmm…that’s a beautiful song!” So I immediately searched for an mp3 as well as a copy of the lyrics. As I was looking closely at the lyrics, I said to myself, “If I would be dedicating this song to someone that would be to no one else but God”. The words of that song really speak of how my life became different when He came.

I’ve heard another love song several times over the radio. I found out that the title of the song is “Thank you for your love” and sung by a group called Dimsum. It was just “a’ight” for me (as Randy Jackson would say). But last Sunday, I was surprised because my friend sang it in church when she rendered a special number. She just changed some of the words and it turned out to be a beautiful love song to the Lord. Let me share it with you…


THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE

My life was a constant uphill climb
Never got it right
Each one I loved
Went through a change of heart

You came
And my world turned upside down
You sung a different tune
Can't let go
It keeps playing on my mind

REFRAIN 1:
Now there's a reason
To wake up each day
A reason to shake my blues away
Now I am whole, a blessed soul
I wanna thank you for your love
Thank you, thank you for your love

Confused, my heart was in a daze
Learned to live with pain
I loved in haste
Then watched it go to waste

You came
And brought music to my soul
Inspired me to the very core
You touched me where
No one has been before

REFRAIN 2:
Now there's a reason
To wake up each day
I thank the Lord
For leading now my way
Now I am whole, a blessed soul
I wanna thank you for your love
Thank you, thank you for your love

I saw the world in shades
Of black and gray
Turning blue w/ every passing day
Just when I thought
That maybe all was lost
My life took a new turn
And it's all because, it's because...

-REPEAT REFRAIN 2-

...No looking back, no more pain
No more dark clouds, no more rain
Thank you, Thank you for your love

Isn’t that sweet? =) If you want to have a copy of the mp3, just let me know.


"Now there’s a reason to wake up each day…" Ooppss.. sorry, LSS! Hehehe… =)