Festival of Praise

We got free tickets to a Festival of Praise celebration featuring a well-known Christian singer and song-writer Steve Kuban, the Kaloob Singers of Day by Day as well as the Angklung and Pimi Ensemble. It was held at Folk Arts Theater last Monday night.

We arrived there at around 5pm (an hour before the concert starts). There were already a lot of people lined up at the entrance.


Tita Nancy took some shots of us as we’re waiting in line.

just can’t wait to get inside

the moms modelling the tickets

family picture? Hehehe…
The line started moving at exactly 6pm. As we entered the theater, I noticed that the ushers were all wearing Filipiniana costumes. They looked really good! They also handed everyone some souvernirs – a bracelet (called a “destiny bracelet”) and fan (containing informative facts about our country and Israel).

wearing my destiny bracelets
Each of the beads, pearl and the Cross has a particular representation. They say that this bracelet is not magic, nor a goodluck charm. It’s not for identification for the entire world to see. But simply to remind me that Jesus loves me and He prepared my destiny in heaven eternally. It is a simple reminder to me of the fact that I am a Christian no matter where I may be. I don’t usually wear bracelets but I think I would often wear this one, just like I’m wearing it now. =)

When we have chosen our seats, we noticed two thin bamboo sticks placed on each seat. We didn’t know its purpose at first, but then we realized it will be used during the praise and worship. I think it’s just a creative way of clapping. But more than that, Ms. Grace Gupana (the host) explained that it has a biblical representation as written in the book of Ezekiel.

Praising with our sticks
It was a different praise and worship experience for me. Though all the Tagalog songs we sang were somewhat familiar to me, what made them special were the great worship leaders and choir singing to the Lord from their hearts, as there were men and women wearing really beautiful and elegant Filipiniana costumes gracefully dancing! I wished I was one of them that time. Hehe… I just wasn’t able to take their pictures because I was so concentrated. =)

We’re also given flags designed to be a combination of our flag and that of Israel’s. Ms. Gupana also explained its significance. What I like best was when she said that just like Israel, our country is also a chosen nation. Just take a look at the title of our national anthem – “Lupang Hinirang”. She shared a lot of other informative facts that really amazed me. I’d like to share those in another blog entry just for that topic.

Philippines’ and Israel’s flags combined
We then sang a very touching song declaring that our One True God is the God of the Philippines. It gave me goosebumps…

Waving our flags as we sing “Diyos ng Pilipinas”
For me, it was also a night of fascination and sincere appreciation of our rich culture. I was so amazed to see and hear the children as they played the Angklung, Pimi, and a lot of our other indigenous musical instruments. The audience was cheering out loud especially when they played “Sitsiritsit-Alibangbang”, “Leron-Leron Sinta”, “Jesus loves me” and even an early Christmas treat “Jingle bells”.

They also played one of Steve Kuban’s famous song, “For The Lord Is My Tower”. They sounded really great using those instruments! I can see how Mr. Kuban appreciated the kids playing his song. It makes me all the more proud to be a Filipino. =)

Angklung and Pimi Ensemble
Then it was time for Steve Kuban to take the stage. I’ve known him for his famous songs that we usually sing in Church. It was only then I knew that he wasn’t an American but a Canadian. The kids made him dance the “Tinikling”. He did it without any hesitation, and he was so funny as he was dancing it. It looked like he enjoyed the dance just as we enjoyed watching him. hehehe…

Though he said he lacked sleep, he still took the stage away by performing at his best. He surprised us with his first song which was a Tagalog song, “Halina’t Purihin and Diyos”. Believe me, he memorized it by heart. Then it was followed by another one of his famous songs, “My Life is in You, Lord”. Everyone was in dancing mode!

Mr. Kuban singing a Tagalog song
We all declared victory with his song “For the Lord is my Tower”. He even taught us some choreography! I really enjoyed that part. =) All the more dancing followed when he played, “Lord I lift Your Name on High”, with a “Reggae” beat. He did the same song, this time in a “Samba” tune. And really, he played the keyboards sooooo well!

Angie and I went near the stage to take a closer shot of him. Just then he started singing another all-time favorite song of his, “The Seven Ways to Praise the Lord”. But it was the first time I heard it with a “Cha-cha” beat. Angie and I learned some Cha-cha steps as we immitated the dancers in front. Really cool!

At last, I’ve taken a closer shot of Mr. Steve Kuban. I really went at the edge of the stage just to take this shot. I was hoping though that the camera man wasn’t there. Hehehe…



Steve Kuban singing “7 Ways to Praise the Lord”
It looked like a long night of celebration, but we decided to leave at around 9 pm since we still have to travel back to Cavite. Though we wished we could hear more from Steve Kuban. Oh well, maybe on his next visit here. I’m sure he will be coming back again soon because I’ve seen how he loves our country so much.

I truly thank God for the wonderful opportunity to be there. More than taking pride in the richness of our culture and heritage, that experience made me realize that no matter what circumstances and difficulties our country is facing right now, there is still hope for us. And that hope can only be found in Him Who is the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Prince of Peace and our Almighty God. Yes, our hope can ONLY be found in Jesus.

“If My people, who are called by My Name
will humble themselves and pray
If they seek My face and turn from their wicked ways
I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins
And HEAL their land…”
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

r. u. C.?

It was the first time for our Praise and Worship team to be invited to perform in a youth concert. And it seemed that we’re all so excited about it. Though we didn’t have much time to prepare because of the short notice, we truly thank the Lord for His grace that is indeed sufficient.

The concert which was entitled, “r. u. C.?” was spearheaded by BJYM (Bacoor for Jesus Youth Movement). At first, we’re all wondering what the acronym stands for. Eventually, we’ve learned that it meant “R U Connected?” Basically, it asks the young people to check if they are connected with God. It posts the questions, “Where is God in your life?”…”On-line ka ba sa Kanya?”

The program was held at the covered court in Molino IV. We arrived there an hour earlier to see the setup and prepare the instruments. It was so nice to see a lot of young people from different churches in Bacoor participating in this event.

Mahangin po sa labas. Hehe...

While waiting with Jaz

Praying before the concert starts

Posing while Kuya Bob is tuning his guitar

We were the 3rd to perform out of the 4 bands that were invited. I liked the song performed by the second band named, “Psallo” (taken from the word Psalm). The song (in Filipino) was their original composition. Great musicians and vocalists as well.

the Psallo band

Needless to say, we’re all so nervous when our band was called. But we know that we’re going up front and perform not just to display our talents but to bring God’s message to the Youth of Bacoor.

The backup singers – Me, Ate Lucille & Angie

Thanks to Kuya Jeff for choosing 3 beautiful songs: “You are my Shelter”, “Thank You for the Cross” and “Shine”. I know that the audience surely appreciated those songs as much as we do. I could even see some of the young people wanting to do a “head-bang” while we’re performing (hehehe…). Yup! Those 3 songs are purely Christian Rock music.

Kuya Jeff on vocals, Mark on drums, James and Kuya Bob on guitars

As we exit the stage after our performance, the Psallo band congratulated us with a handshake implying that it was a “job well done!” Our churchmates who were watching also approached us and said that we performed like a pro. Whoah! Or maybe they are just biased. Hehe… But seriously, we didn’t expect to get that much compliment from the audience. For all the accolades we received, we know that the glory is NEVER ours. We give it to the One who truly deserves it – God.

Thankful smiles after the performance =)

Aside from the band performances, the event also included skateboarding game, Harlem exhibition and street dancing. Really cool!

kids dancing to the rock version of “Trading My Sorrows”

The event ended at around 7pm already. Though we’re quite exhausted from the whole Sunday affair, still nothing compares to the joy of serving the Lord as we offer our talents to Him and be used to reach the young people of Bacoor. Just as the organizers of the event firmly believed, we also know that the youth of Bacoor will truly stand up and make a difference for God’s glory and for the revival of our country.

yey! Nice concert! =D
And just before we finally left the venue, Pastor Romy approached us and invited our team to perform again on another youth concert scheduled on December 16. Wow! We’re just all so overwhelmed with this new opportunity. Of course we’ll not let the chance pass us by. For as long as we breathe, we’ll give our best to our Creator and King.

By the way, the upcoming concert is entitled, “Young R.O.C.K”. As for what the acronym stands for, I’ll reveal it when I post my entry here about it. =)

So happy together!

Once again, we give back all the praises and thanksgiving to the Lord for our successful performance. Until the next youth concert! See yah! (“,)

Kris-kringle Gift #1

We started our Kris-Kringle this week with Foreign Celebrities as codenames. I picked Winona Ryder as my codename (how I wish...hehe...) and my baby is Reese Witherspoon (hmm..another favorite of mine).

First gift should be "something that describes yourself". I somehow had a hard time thinking of something that would describe me. When I've finally given up, I just decided to give a Journal notebook, inspirational cards (from Papemelroti) and a metallic blue gel pen.

I was on leave when they did the exchanging of gifts last Tuesday. But when I came in this morning, I found my gift on top of my desk. It was a VCD copy of the movie "A Walk to Remember". Thanks Daddy Chris! =)

I was happy to get it as my first gift since that movie is also one of my favorites (though I love the book a lot better). My daddy said he has also learned to like those kind of films, mainly because his wife loves Nicholas Spark's novels. (nice!) I convinced him then to buy his wife two new books of Mr. Sparks namely, "True Believer" and "At First Sight". He said he would definitely buy those books this coming payday. (wow!how sweet ... =D)


For next week, it should be "something red and green". Hmmm... any suggestions? (",)

He's Home...

The last time I saw him was 6 months ago. It was during my lola's funeral. Tomorrow, I'll go back to the province to attend his wake. He must have missed lola terribly since she passed away. And so after 6 months, he decided to be with her.

Even if I didn't become as close to him as with my lola, I am very much grateful for every single moment I spent with him. I could well remember his gentle eyes, his soft voice, the way he would lovingly talk to us. I know my dad got most of his good qualities.

We would surely miss lolo. But we know he's truly happy now that he has reached his ultimate destination...
... HOME.

Sleep (or the lack of it), A New Mall, Rehearsals…

While the guys and gals left, Junlisa decided to stay in our house for a while as she will be visiting some friends within the village. The two of us were left at home since my sister went to work while papa and mama had rehearsal schedules in church.

Junlisa and I both took the chance to get some sleep. 3 hours for me wasn’t that sufficient but I had to wake up at around 12 to prepare our lunch. I cooked Adobo good enough for the two of us. We enjoyed the simple meal as we chatted. She left at around 2pm.

And yes, there is already an SM Mall near our village – SM Super Center Molino. I just walked from our village gate going to the mall (Yep, it was that near). I was really hoping to see a National Bookstore there since I needed to buy a gift for our “monito-monita”. Lo and behold! It was the first store that I saw when I entered the mall! Yey!

There were quite a lot of people, though. Probably just as curious as I am. Hehe… It was rather small but good enough for a neighboring mall. On the negative side, the traffic got worse. Well I guess that’s just expected.

I traversed the entire mall in just a few minutes. I’m sure my mom would love to see the hyper-mart (grocery) since we wouldn’t need to go to Southmall anymore. My dad would surely smile if he sees the Ace hardware near. My sister would be happy to see the cinemas and the amusement center. Aside from NBS, I was also glad to see there Toby’s Sports Arena, Surplus shop, House of Praise and a lot of major fast food. =)

And just as I was about to leave the mall, I heard South Border performing on stage. I spent sometime listening to them. I don't know the title of their opening song, but it sounds great. I was hoping they’d sing “Rainbow” since I haven’t heard them perform it live yet. And guess what?! It was the 3rd song they sang. Yey! And they’ve sang it really good!

I headed to church just as the crowd was already getting thicker inside the mall. I was still feeling sleepy but thank God for still being able to rehearse our song line-up.

After the rehearsal, Ate Lucille requested me and my sister to sleep at their house to keep her company. She said she missed Kuya Aries already and she doesn’t want to feel sad the whole night. So there, we had to put on our clowns costume to cheer her up. Hehehe…kidding! You know we can’t bear to see you sad, ate. We’re just here for you anytime. Or what are sisters for? =)

We all hit the sack early. Hayyy…finally, I got enough sleep. =)

Friday Night Swimming

Got an invitation from our brothers and sisters in our church at Manila. Not a church activity though, but a night swimming despedida party. It saddened me somehow to know that the Abella family would be leaving for the U.S. very soon. I remembered all the good times I’ve had with Tita Nida, Jen, Baby, and my students, Jude and Athan. I really don’t like saying “goodbyes” but I know it’s just inevitable. Instead feeling sad about it, I think it’s best to look at the positive side.

So we all spent Friday night at Circle Island Resort. Hmmm… I think it’s the 3rd time I’ll be featuring this resort here in my blog. Maybe I should already ask for an advertisement fee next time. Hehehe… Most of the guys and gals were able to reach our place safely. Though some of them got lost somewhere. Kuya Ariel reached Imus while Totsee and Mars didn’t easily find the resort. Oh well, they’ve finally found it anyway. Thank Heavens! =)

hayy…sobrang na-miss ko ang mga ito

my younger sisters =)
The nights are already becoming cold lately that’s why I didn’t really intend to go for a swim. I just helped prepare the food and took some pictures. But they seem to be having so much fun and besides, the water looked so inviting. I finally decided to take a dip. The moment I stepped in the water, I realized I made a wrong decision. I couldn’t imagine how they could swim in such cold water! Or maybe it’s just me. (Hehe…) Apparently, I didn’t last that long in the pool.

grabe…hindi sila giniginaw!
It’s basically eating, swimming and chatting - making up for lost time and staying updated about each other’s lives once again. It’s been 3 years already since my sister and I spent much time with them like this. We surely missed each other!

Most of the guys and gals got out of the pool at around 3 a.m. (But there were two of them left in the pool, as if savoring the “moment”. Uyyy…) When we finally felt sleeply, some of us took the chance to get some sleep. While the others seem to never get tired of talking and talking. (Hmmm…Sino kaya yon? Ang ingay promise! Hehe…)

We finally decided to pack-up at around 6 a.m. We just took some souvenir pictures around before leaving.

Early Morning Smiles

hindi halatang puyat. Hehe…

Uma, ikaw ba yan?! =P

Calendar Girls =D
Since our house is just near the resort, we all proceeded at home for breakfast. Papa and mama were also happy to see them all once again. The guys and gals were like their adopted sons and daughters, you know. They missed them, too. =)

havin’ breakfast
We all felt all the more sleepy after our hearty breakfast. John Jude even fell asleep in my room as he was watching us downloading the pictures in my PC.

totally unconscious…hehe…

souvenir pic with Jen
The guys and gals left at around 8:30 a.m. It was bye-bye time especially for Jen, Baby and John Jude. We’ll surely miss their family but we also know that it’s a dream come true for them. For us, they will always be a part of our church family and our love and prayers would go with them. I’m sure that wherever God leads, He will continue to use their family for His greater glory. (“,)

OCS girls on Canon Powershot S2 IS

After several weeks of contemplating about it, my team mate Ritche has finally bought his dream camera! It's the Canon Powershot S2 IS. He's so excited about it and so he brought it in the office one morning. He took shots on every person entering our room. I've never even had the chance to put down my bag. (tsk, tsk...hehe...)

Here are his shots on some of us girls here. It's good to see that there are more than 3 girls in the office already (yey!)

HP tonight! =D

It's been a long time since I watched a movie with my Ephil friends. But tonight, I'm watching HP4 with them! yey! The screening is scheduled quite late, though. Well, 9:45pm.

So I had to give up our badminton game tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. I don't know why, but my big brothers here in the office are making a drama out of it. When I told them I won't be able to join them for badminton, they said "Ay wag na...hindi na rin kami sasama." (Duh?! What's with you guys? Dala ko ba ang badminton court? - hehehe...taray?!) They're just super "kulit" and won't stop convincing me to join them. But I just can't afford to sleep at 1 a.m. and wake up at 5! That would make me feel like a zombie the whole day. Thank God finally, they've accepted the fact that whatever they say or do, I just won't be able to join them. hehe...

Okay I have to go now. I'll still be meeting my college friend Jonki for dinner. By the way, she's a certified HP addict! (trust me =D) Can't wait for HP! (",)

Afternoon Bonding

It seems that the coming Sundays will be busy for most of us as we will be preparing for our upcoming Church anniversary. I, for one, stayed with the kids in Sunday School for both morning services to rehearse them for their special number. Then right after lunch was music ministry rehearsal for the songs line-up, still for the anniversary. We ended at around 2pm.

I thought I could already go home and take some time to sleep since I was having a slight headache. But the moms still had to rehearse for their tambourine dance number. (Yup, you read that right) So we had to wait for my mom. But that’s okay. I enjoyed watching them anyway. I’m just amazed at how they could still manage to follow the fast dance steps. Kuya Aries and Tito Sandy were having fun immitating their dance steps. I was laughing the whole time and I thought I’d have a stomach ache from watching their crazy steps. Hehehe… They were totally hilarious! As for my headache, it didn’t leave me, though. Mark was kind enough to give me some head massage which helped somehow. (thanks bro!)

Though feeling “low-batt” after the rehearsals, the guys and gals thought of going to our house so we could all spend some bonding time with Kuya Aries. Some sort of despedida for him since he will be leaving again on Thursday. We passed by the mini-mart to grab some snacks to prepare at home. It was a simple meal that we’re all craving for – pancit canton (quite chili) sauteed in cabbage and baguio beans. My mom was surprised to see the bunch of pancit canton that we bought. It was a feast! Ate Olive, Angie, Tita Susan and I prepared the hearty meal while the rest of them grabbed the mic with some videoke songs. Even my dad and Pastor Archie rendered some Rey Valera and Basil Valdez songs. (Hmm…frustrated singers?)


The pancit canton was unbelievably delicious. I was so stuffed when I finished two servings and three slices of tasty bread. We all enjoyed the simple meal. I can see how Kuya Aries was enjoying and savoring his precious time with all of us. He said he will really, really miss us and the 9 months away from us would seem like forever (hay naku… ang drama talaga ni kuya. Hehehe…) But seriously, we’re all gonna miss him too, especially his jokes and his contagious laughter. =)

They left the house at around 7pm. They also left me with a lot of dishes to wash. Hehehe… That’s okay, my mom helped me anyway. She said it looked like her post birthday celebration. Yup, it was my mom’s birthday last Saturday but her celebration is scheduled next week. I thank God for blessing my mom with another year and I know she’ll be blessed with a lot more. She’s been a real blessing to our family. You’re the best, ma! Love you!

It seems we'll be having more bonding sessions in the coming Sunday afternoon rehearsals…hopefully, minus the headache…more food and a lot of fun. (“,)

Many Me

This is my first time to have so much pictures of me taken in just one day. I was so surprised when I saw them! The culprit? No other than my paparazzi team mate, Ritche. I don't know if I'm just super concentrated with my work (or with eating, probably...haha!) that I didn't notice him taking pictures. He said he's just trying out the "burst" function of his digicam. Here are some of the shots...

These are just 24 shots out of the 410 (imagine!), which occuppied 163MB of disk space in my PC. He said I'm lucky because his digicam ran out of batteries. If not, those shots could reach to a thousand! (oh my...) It looks like I might probably need to buy additional harddisk soon. (tsk, tsk...)

So there you go...another entry to my stolen shots collection. (",)

Back to Work

The long weekend is over and it's back to work again. I welcomed this morning with much enthusiasm (even if I still have a long weekend hangover somehow. hehe...) Left the house at around 7. Unfortunately, there was a long queue of passengers going to Makati when I reached the shuttle station. It took me 30 minutes to get a ride. The traffic was terrible when we reached Alabang. (waaaahhh...) To cut it short, I reached the office at around 9 already. =( Well, you just can't expect all mornings to be as good as you wish them to be.

As for my long weekend, I wasn't able to do everything I planned to do. But I'm still satisfied with how it turned out. Finally, I got the chance to fix my room. I spent the whole Friday cleaning, arranging, sorting, fixing and throwing away some unused stuff. I changed my bed cover, blankets, pillowcases as well as the curtains. I even arranged the clothes in my closet by color. hehe... You know I can be OC sometimes, especially if I'm given lots of time. =) Overall, I'm satisfied with the finish product. Even my parents were impressed when they came in my room to say good night. (nice!)

As for movie watching, I watched several Jackie Chan movies with my dad. I'm still fascinated with his martial arts stunts especially knowing that he himself executes them most of the time (without doubles). The practice with the kids went well. I could say they're really eager to learn the song and the steps. Though sometimes they can still be "pasaway". hehe...But what can you do? They're kids. =D It's just really fun to be with them.

Noticed the only thing I wasn't able to do? Yup. It's my take home work. (*sigh...*) But I guess that's okay. I found a critical bug this morning as I was working on it. Which means, I can't proceed with that yet. So I'll just skip that bulk of work first and proceed to the minor tasks. (yey!) Oh by the way, we have a new team member who came in this morning. Another girl in the Validation team! Finally, we have just outnumbered the guys. (yippeee!)

Another Long Weekend, Yey!!!

I can't believe it! It's another long weekend starting tomorrow, yey! Don't you wish it's always like this...you know, just 2 days of work and 5 days of rest and you get the same pay? hehehe...maybe, in our dreams. But then when I come to think of it, I realized I haven't accomplished much since yesterday. Hmm... Blame it to the previous long weekend hang-over. hehehe... Anyways, I just finished copying some of my work files on my flash drive. Yup, I'll attempt to work at home tomorrow. Hopefully, I'd be productive somehow.

And of course, I'm also hoping to fix various stuff in my room which still remains unsorted. It's been a pending task for almost a couple of months now. tsk, tsk... Hopefully still, I could have a chance to watch several movie CDs Tina lent me.

It's still music ministry practice on Saturday, as usual. Which reminds me, we have a meeting regarding our presentation for our up-coming Church Anniversary in December. Which reminds me further that I won't be able to attend church on Sunday since I'll be staying the whole time with the kids in Sunday School. I have to practice them for their song and dance presentation, too. I'm praying for patience even now. hehe...

Okay, I have to go now. Have a blessed looong weekend! See yah on Monday! (",)

Few (good) men and women =)

Got in the office around 8:35 this morning. There were only 5 of us in our room - 3 from our team (Anne, Arlene and me) and 2 from the applet team. I thought of going to the other side of our office and to my surprise, there were even lesser people there. There were only 3 of them from the SIMplicate team, just 1 person from PICO and nobody is in the E-WAM room! To sum it all up, there were only 10 of us here in the office today, our Technical Manager already included.

Honestly, I'm still not in work-mode today. Probably, this is still a hang-over from the previous long weekend. The rest of the guys and gals here share the same sentiment. hehe... The construction going on the other side for our office expansion is not helping as well. There was a power interruption this morning and in the afternoon we could hear the banging and hammering from time to time. Oh no... this is just not a conducive work environment as of the moment. Maybe I should have just taken the 2-day leave as well. But it's quite late for regrets now.

It's almost 6 pm and I'll be leaving in a while. I'm looking forward to the service at Bread of Life - Greenbelt tonight. Pastor Noel promised to share a very interesting topic. I wonder what it is... Oh well, at least I have something to feel excited about today, even if I felt so lazy almost the entire day. hehe...

Hmmm...I wonder if it's still gonna be the 10 of us here tomorrow. Hopefully, I wouldn't feel lazy getting up tomorrow morning and reporting to work. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. (",)

Remembering...

Just as I expected, the streets surrounding South Cemetery were all so crowded, not only with people visiting but with a lot of vendors selling different kinds of stuff. My cousins and I had to walk from Zapote St. going to the cemetery. It was almost 3pm when we arrived.

Before entering the gate, we stopped by the Greenwich pizza booth to get something for papa and mama who went ahead of us. Just as I was picking up the pizza box, the rain, as in heavy rain started pouring! And guess what? The five of us only brought one umbrella - just my umbrella. Great! It was too late before we reached a covered place. We were already soaking! waaahhh... Lesson learned: don't share your umbrella to your cousins who were lazy enough to bring their own. hehehe... Kidding!

Since we're drenched anyway, we decided to just continue walking. I noticed the streets were dressed like there's really a feast, with the "banderitas" and other decorations around. There's even a wide variety of food stores to choose from. Aside from the usual food stands, there's also Shakey's, Kenny Rogers and Tia Maria booths along the streets. Cool! =)

The rain finally stopped by the time we reached our relatives' grave. There were already a lot of flowers and candles on my lolo, lola and aunt's. My cousins lit up 3 more candles. We all had a moment of silence. I took the chance to remember everything about each of them and how they have made a difference in my life when they were still with us. Instead of crying, that moment gave me a feeling of gladness and gratitude. I couldn't thank God enough for allowing me to be with them even for just a while. I wouldn't be who I am now if not for all the lessons they've taught me. For all of us, I know, they will always be remembered.

After a while, some of our relatives started coming. It was also a great time just to see them once again. It's like a mini-reunion for us. We all took that chance to spend time with one another as we share stories, updates about each other's lives or just simply reminisce about the past. It's just wonderful!

We left the cemetery before it gets dark since papa and mama still have to travel back to Cavite, while I stayed at my cousin's house. My sister was not with us since she has work. Oh well, she's quite getting used to it - I mean, not being entitled to holidays since she's a media person now. hehe...

It was quite a tiring day for us and it seems the long weekend isn't that long afterall. Yep, it's back to work tomorrow so I better sleep early tonight. (",)