GMA's Favorite Church

Ermita Church is now a Shrine. This is where GMA attends mass. I took a picture of the church, but I think something's wrong with my camera. It's all green and my internet connection is soo slow these days.

My friend from Opus Dei invited me to see this church after we heard the doctrine talk. It was under renovation. A Large parking space.

A friend from one of the seminar I attended last December, told me that I can ask for 3 wishes and wait for it to come true, if I happen to be in a church for the first time.

This January, I went to Don Bosco and prayed for something and got it. I also prayed for God to help me find a business. And I got it. Although it hasn't materialized yet, but through discernment and confirmation, I now have a direct path where I want to be. I also asked God's guidance about an employee from an agency where we get people to work for us, whom I am not sure if he was good for us or not. So, I prayed and said, "If it is His will that he will be an asset to us then he must let him stay and if not, please find me somebody else"

In mid-January, I got that "something", on the direct path to my career and future, and that employee suddenly got sick and told us he wanted to resign and their company gave us a replacement.

Model of your vehicle

I was out with two friend for dinner at Dong Yang in Banawe. It's the sister company of Tong Yang Hotpot restaurant.

What are the difference between these two?

1. Dong Yang sounds so native from Mainland China while Tong Yang sounds like it was owned by tsinoys.
2. Dong Yang owner's children are roaming around the restaurant while Tong Yang seems more like a business.
3. Dong Yang has an individual soup pot and a common griller while Tong Yang uses common soup pot and griller in one, for a group of four
4. Dong Yang got at least 3-4 gay servers and they liked to stay near your table as if they are invited to hear your speech while in Tong Yang, servers doesn't do that.
5. Dong Yang can accommodate a maximum of 250 people while Tong Yang have lesser seats.
6. Dong Yang has more variety of food and fresher than Tong Yang.
7. Dong Yang is well lighted while Tong Yang is dimmer.
8. Dong Yang has lesser parking space than Tong Yang
9. Dong Yang has three soups to choose from: Sate, Chicken or Sinigang (something different)

We talked about a lot of things. His business, my other friend's and my ideas about it. After dinner, my younger friend were looking at my friend's car and he said he was trying to see what year her car was made.

I learn something today: If you want to know what year your car was made, check out the driver's seatbelt, there is a embossed or engrave year when it was manufactured. The date in our car registration is the year you purchased it.

Dong Yang HotPot Restaurant:
705 Banawe St (in front of Han Pao)
Quezon City

Lunch buffet : Php 295
Dinner buffet: Php 395
Drinks not included.

What's In A Name

One of the reason why parents of today would give their children two or more names to prevent them having the same identifications. Some even had to get a special papers from government agencies to show whenever they need to travel outside the country. They were said to have same names as those people who are in their blacklist.

Last year, I met up with a lady and she was an agent. According to her, she knows my brother and later on as we chat, I learned she knew my friend too, who has the same first name as my sibling. Three months after, this lady sent me a text messages asking for the cell phone number of this name, cause she wanted to greet him a happy birthday. I thought of my friend immediately. I sent her a business card of my friend's cell phone number. At the back of my mind, I didn't know it was his birthday. When I got home that night, I browse my directory and said, aah, it is his birthday. Actually, their birthdays are two days apart. After a few days, this lady called me and said, did you give me your friend's number instead of your brother? I proudly said yes. Then she told me what happened.

She texted the my friend and greeted him a happy birthday which my friend thanked her for that, for it was really his birthday a few days after. He thought it was an advance greeting. He knew all along that it was her. Then she asked for an appointment with him and he then called up his friend and was wondering why this lady is doing such thing. The third party then called up her co-worker and told her to back it off, telling her how good her friend is to her and will not betray her. Confusion between the three of them that prompt this lady agent to call me back.

Well, in the first place, she should have given me his full name, since she knows I got a friend who has the same name as my sibling.

After a few minutes, my friend called me and verified with me if I did gave her his number and I said yeah, but I really thought she was looking for him. He was then complaining to me what has transpired between the three of them. hahaha.

Little Children?

I haven't been out for the last three months and sometimes when I get bored, I can't think of one thing to do. Until a friend took me to a bookstore in powerplant last week. Now, I remember...I used to hang out in this kind of establishments. The new trend has become popular with the college students and professionals. I read all the magazines I like here. And some books.

They have separate sections to sit on for kids and adults. For the kids section, you'll see children of all ages either sitting or lying on the floor reading with their parents beside them reading something else. Other adults aren't allowed to sit in the children's section, they are told to sit at the far end of the room.

Some college students would sometimes think that this store is like a library. They take down notes and some are really very stubborn. The checker would come once in awhile to warn them from doing so, cause they still plan to sell the books.

One gay person has a playing cards on his right hand, he heard the salesperson telling the others, no copying please. But he ignored them and he kept on writing, what's so irritating about him was, his paper was on top of the book while he copies them. The lady came and reprimand him and he debated with her until everyone sitting on the floor looked at him, so he stopped.

Isn't it a common sense that we should not be copying anything from the books? That was not a library or a place for research. And if we do read anything and not buying it, we should at least take care of the books so that it is still salesable.

Girl-Friend

I was chatting with a friend of mine yesterday afternoon inside the mall when I remembered this:

I met one young male chatter in 2000 and he became a very good friend of mine. He was 13 years younger than me. He was finishing college when we met. Two years after, he told me he found a girlfriend but he hasn't introduce her to his family. His grandfather died and I went to the wake. I sat along one of the aisle back seat of the room. I told his relatives am a friend of his. I saw his mother who looked like him and then an old woman came to my side and softly reach out to my hand and squeezed it, she told me it was a very sad time for all of them. I couldn't help smiling for I think his grandmother and the rest of the relatives might have thought I was his girlfriend. I was wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans and rubber shoes.

After awhile, he went inside and told me to sit beside him so we can talk. All his relatives that were seated in front of us, were all looking back, letting me feel that they were looking at the door but I know for sure that they were looking at me. I whispered to my friend to observed all his family and relatives head movements and he chuckled.

On the day of the burial, one uncle of his asked him if I was the one. He said of course not! Did you know how old she is? When the uncle knew about it, he couldn't believe it.

Dirty Minds

I was out with a non-Chinese friend and we ate at a chinese resto near our area. We were just comparing about how the chinese and their nationality towards family and I saw this chinese guy around the age of my uncle sitting with his head resting on the head rest. We share the head rest. It would take a lot of effort to do just that. Because the back cushion was far from the dining table.

Old Tsinoys are like radios or entertainment tonight. They loved to eavesdropped on what other people were talking about and then gossip it around them. As one knows, one story passed on to the other, have already an added sentence until they blow it out of proportion and make a new story out of it.

TV Shows and Fans

I was a TV addict when I was young. I was like a walking TV guide that I knew all the shows in every channel at any given time. In my mid 30s, I got so busy that I have no more time to watch any shows. As time goes by, I got accustom not watching any TV shows, not even reruns. I could count how many times I watched TV in a week. I started watching the teleseries "Mulawin" of GMA 7 and "Kampanerang Kuba" of ABS-CBN early last year which became a hit. I could see people selling mulawin props in Divisoria.

I remember 2 or 3 years ago, when Piolo was still starting in showbiz. I was at the cashier of the basement parking in Glorietta 4. The lady teller got so excited that she couldn't even do anything. I asked her why, and she said, didn't you see Piolo? Then I looked and saw this guy wearing a cap standing beside me. I said who's that?! I must have said it so loud that he smiled. The cashier lady told me who he was. Well.

When I saw Kris Aquino the first time, I realized that the reactions of fans in most of the Pinoy films were based on true story. I remembered this small lady who pushed me out of where I was standing in the crowd just to see her. She yelled and almost crying saying she didn't know how beautiful she was until that day. She was like talking to herself aloud. She kept jumping up and down to get a glimpse of Kris being interviewed and with James Yap standing beside her.

I went to a salon of a friend this afternoon and at the entrance of the parking lot, I saw some cameras and a lot of people, probably a shooting a teleserya or a tv show. I saw this pretty and tall lady. I asked who she was and was told Sherilyn Reyes of GMA 7. Hehehe...I don't know her.

I learned about the stampede of Wowowee show at the ULTRA during the Sunday Mass. I heard about it too while I was at the gym and at the salon, I watched the news and heard the survivors testimonies. A friend told me about seeing a news clip of a baby being thrown in the air thinking the father would be able to catch the baby, but he didn't. Just imagine what kind of experience you shall have if you were there in actual time.

MADSingin'SYNC

I was invited to attend an intructional concert. It is named as such because for the first part of the show, the conductor tells the audience where and how the lyrics of the song came to be and who does it attributed to.

It was sponsored by the Teresian Association International, Inc. in cooperation with Saint Pedro Poveda College. The Concert was by the Philippine Madrigal Singers. They are world class award winning a capella choir. They are usually seated alternate male and female. Sopranos, Altos and Tenors are seated 3 people apart. They were taught to sing while seated.

They used to be known as UP Madrigal Singers but because of their awards, the government later on called them as such.

The first part was a lecture cum concert and interaction. I think half of the audience were seminarians. They worn a white priest like polo shirts and a silver cross that hang around their neck. They sang the Prayer of Saint Francis. If I remember correctly, according to historical and cultural background, they do not know who wrote the prayer words but the person just put the picture of St Francis at the back of the paper and so, as time goes on, people thought that it was his prayers.

They also sang the "Old Time Religion", "Ave Maria" and "Rorando Coeli"

There was a 5-minute intermission, before the start of the Full Concert.

They sang four international folksongs like Haralambi (Greek), La Bamba (Mexican), Sohran Bushi (Japanese), Loi Gratong (Thai)

One love songs that I like so much titled The Prayer:

I pray you'll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your Grace
To a place where we'll be safe
La luce che to dai

I pray we'll find your light
Nel cuore restero
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarchi che
When stars go out each night
L'eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera

Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c'e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E'il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we'll be safe
E la fede cheHai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera

The last three songs were Filipino Ethnic Songs like "Paruparong Bukid", "Dabada", "Mamayog"

I had a great night, they sang it beautifully and at only Php 100.00. I couldn't find someone whose willing to watch it with me so I went with my maid. They started at exactly 7 pm and finished by 9 pm.