THAI-SUMMER VACATION

Today is the 3rd Sabbath in the month of March. A day which God has anointed to man to be His holy day...I mean, referring to the day Saturday.
A day, that family members should worship together in one accord with the Lord. A time of fully praising and nothing but lifting God's holy and mighty name.
As a young Christian and a trained missionary, the first thing to do-lists would be finding a church that I could possibly worship with fellow Christians, yet, the problem is, I couldn't found any of my church around the place where I am teaching neither in the places nearby but in the capital city Bangkok which is 3 hours by van and 5 hours by bus.
Back in the Philippines, attending to church every midweek, vesper and Sabbath was the only simple-joys I had as I may call it. I felt like a weak-lame individual who couldn't walk normally when I misses any of those church services.
But coming to this Siam country is different, I thought it would be normally as it was to attend worships just as the usual thing I did in the Philippines.
Contrary, I just attended one wholly Sabbath day since from my arrivals and that was the month of February, that needs a long travel before I could make a christian union with fellow believers.
The rest of that were spending most of the time in the internet cafe listening and viewing christian videos or either going out for a nature walk with some newfound Christian friends(led by a protestant British missionary.
Reading my Bible is no longer as actively as it was, nor praying before going to sleep. I don't think that I am spiritually gone astray but its just that things had changed and completely new to me.
Well, I thank God that I still managed to set aside the 10% of my salary for the tithe, 'am now training myself to be a tithe giver.Just giving back to the Lord what's His...if not, I am robbing Him..heaven's forbid...don't want to be branded with a name tithe-robber.

OLD PHOTOGRAHS AND PLACES

The smile of the sun is getting fierce and painful. The wind blows luke-warmly uncomfortable, and you start sweating like a hell. It's already summer, the class is over- meaning it's time to rejoice, worry-free from exhausting class, stressful students, and a bit of tedious dullness of the subject as well. This is my first summer vacation away from home...Everything is first and I'm a sort of novice-migrant to a country that I never dreamt of. Back in the Philippines, summer vacation is considered a holiday of sort by the Filipinos. When the sun starts to strike its scorching heat, hitting out to the beach or splashing out to some famous and known swimming pools around the country were the most fave destination of every Filipinos. That's exactly the simple fun Filipinos did every summer vacation. It is also a gathering of every family, friends- where everyone plans for the retreat, visiting places outside the busyness of the city. Among the provinces in the Philippines that I love to spend my summer is the island of Siquijor It's the home province of my mother, a province where I first saw the beauty and the ugliness side of the world. I did spend my early childhood there too, so as staying there for some time when life in the city was getting congestive and crammed. The best place for exhaling pure and clean air. I’ve always dreamt of a life in the beautiful countryside of this island, a house of my own, with a wide meadow, sipping wine on my terrace enjoying a view of the rolling fields. Living there is more of the notion of leaving behind life’s baggage, moving on, and finding what you really want in life that speaks my mind. I remember my father used to bring me to the farm and accompanied him tending the cows..our piece of the farm there relates to the beauty of Life... it's close to nature, where valleys and plains added beauty to the simplicity of the area. An overview of a not so far-off sea, blending with the whistles of the wind and chirping of the larks. I remember my first time to see our farm – it was magically surreal. Fields of corns, peanuts, beautiful greeneries, and the tranquility of the countryside. Sunset over the fields reminds me of how Life feels when you find Love – rosy, warm, and blissful. It made me feel like I was in my dream, a dream that I’ll never wake up to. I have never been home on the island for so long of years now that old photographs and places I always remember..every now and then. My parents decided to settle there because of the peaceful and simplicity of the island that it offers...which life is where it’s at for some quality rest and relaxation. Now here I am in Thailand.. and through all of this, I haven't regretted once the decision to pack up life move abroad. I miss my parents and family, but I have no regrets what so ever in making this life-changing decision. Leaving me many avenues here to explore and who knows when or if I will be ready to return to the place of my birth.

Yesterday I felt the wind blowing 'round my shoulder Feel like I'm getting older Still I can't forget your face Separated by a million miles of ocean My heart still feels emotion Even in this lonely place Old photographs and places I remember Just like a dying ember That's burned into my soul Even though we walk the diamond-studded highways It's the country lanes and byways That makes us long for home Lately I just find my mind has turned to dreamin' Making plans and scheming How I'm gonna get back home But deep down inside I know its really hopeless This road I'm on is endless We climb our mountains all alone

A YEARBOOK

A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school - www.wikipedia.org

If there's something that I want to keep for now that would help me to flashback my younger days in the 80's that'd be my High School Year Book.
Reminiscing high school days seems to be a good remedy instead of worrying about the future. My High School batch back in Olongapo City National High School had just created a website for us to meet online daily.
It has been one of our fave avenues where we tried to rekindle our naughtiness, our laziness, our mere dreams and innocence then.
Twenty one long years had passed and some of us had not met right after the graduation in High School. That's where we went to different roads separately.
Some had married early, while the other find their lucks abroad, while the other were trying to sharpen their brains by obtaining a degree.
Others were gone pass of this world peacefully.
After the graduation, we were required to gain a year book in School before leaving the portal of our alma mater permanently. That's when the school office released the Year Book..to those who wish of getting a copy of the year book.
Too bad as it may seems, I didn't get the chance of taking my copy of the year book coz my mother took me to her homeplace which my stayed took me a couple of years before I got back to Olongapo.
Rewinding everything that comes to mind about your friends in High School is inadequate especially on remembering their faces.
Internet wasn't invented in my time yet even back in the 90's the reason I couldn't help my memory to freshen up some of the faces I want to recognize.
Every year we change and improve physically so as our memory slowly to deteriorates. When internet is widely used by everyone, designing and creating websites is becoming easy. Our batch website is our playground everyday of the memories in the past. When the admin or web designer of our batchsite uploaded all the pages of our year book, I downloaded and obtained myself a copy...of course, I have been anticipating this since I left Olongapo.
Now, reviewing and seeing those familiar faces in my batch brings back memories from those times when feelings were raw and every experiences was/were exaggerated. I printed the pages of my section and happiness was very visible in my face looking every faces of my classmates, trying to come up any memories left in my memory bank.
I glanced at my photo with so much surprised knowing what I wanted to become in the future: "To become a Teacher".
Honestly, I couldn't remember at all that I wanted to be come a teacher. I selfly argued myself as I brought the printed copy of the yearbook closer to my eyes. Why did I wrote that? In my graduating class section there were two of us who wanted to become a teacher. I knew that I wanted to work in the airline, not just a pilot or what but a Flight Steward.
Well, if it's really what I wrote then its a fulfillment then..because I am teacher and teaching abroad. I looked at my profile again in the yearbook with realization that it wasn't bad an aspiration to be a teacher.
Loking back then, it wasn't a complex and complicated. Our minds weren't adulterated with technologies that brings addiction except this new fad today Facebook where we keep on posting messages of every pictures that my batch had any gatherings of mixed sections.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD IN THAILAND

I am already five months (here) in Thailand and my adjustment is still proceeding. By staying here isn't wishful thinking but I'd say that a result of what we so-called wheel of fate. Thailand and the Philippines have no difference in terms of environment, weather, relating to human-like-looks (LOL), colors, heights, so as (in) status in life which it wasn't hard for me to adjust in that part. Southeast Asians are only unlikeness in religion, language, political views, but more alike on skin color, and physical features. What made me love Thailand is the cost of living comparing to the Philippines, the reason many Filipinos taking Thailand into account as a good country for migration. Not only Filipinos have thought of moving to Thailand for financial employment but even the English native speakers since they are more in demand than Pinoys. Mind you how the Thai paid the native speakers! very tempting. I really admire how they respect the foreigners, I haven't seen nor encountered any hold-upper, pickpocket, nor akyat Bahay as may call it in Tagalog term. You can just simply leave your things and nobody would mind it nor touch it...hmmm, try to do that in Pinas, 100% surely in a second it'll go, but leaving you tearfully empty. However, no matter how I tried to compare my country to Thailand both positively and negatively-still there's no place like home. For so many days in my staying here, homesickness sometimes be cured with meeting familiar faces of friends and acquaintances back in College around Bangkok...just how the old adage can be true that we are living in a small world. Though we are similar in Thailand in so many ways, still it's a whole new world for me. Still am trying to work my memory bank to absorb any Thai-language that I needed every day so as it'd be easier for me to link myself and approach them in rightly so, but something has the refusal of taking it. I know that one way of adjusting easily while migrating to a foreign country is learning the language first and the rest will follow. I am not that into a linguistic type of person, I find languages interesting, even though I'm not great at language learning at all (unlike when I was young then, but when you are getting on in years things has changed). Food is second hard for me to absorb, Thai is more on hot-spicy-greasy food type. I am into a bit of spicy but not a flaming one that sweats you a lot. There are foods here that my taste-bud would suggest me to throw-up since the odor is annoying and stinky..however, Thai-food is certainly considered world-class....well, I guess so. My contract is only 1-year, and dunno yet what fate has to offer after that, yet I am planning on going to China or the USA...China to teach there, earn more and explore there, the USA to work as a missionary and of course to fulfill my long childhood dream. Only God can decide if He still wants me to stay longer here in Thailand or not. But it's good if you have had plans ahead than star-gazing and waiting for the stars to fall down from the sky.

  Very Special and Delicious. Worth Trying but beware of the small bones. Soup is really tasty. My fave Thai-food.

POSTERS, SIGNS AND WHATEVER 2

These are the signs and posters that I saw around Thailand....Once and for all, I didn't mean to offend the Thai people or proclaiming myself a grammarian coz am not..but just want to thank the good Lord that Philippines has a better command of English among the Asian countries....

well, I went out with a group to Siam Park to amuse ourselves from such a monotonous day and I found this one. its a Fart Disease...if you see it closely, you just noticed that the short tail of the letter F was erased to make it Fart..surely the one who did that was aware of the English.


Pinoy are still good spellers,,even native speakers aren't.Bazar has to be spelled "Bazaar"



This one was quite ironic..I dunno if they have called a big, giant pool with an artificial wave a beach! ironically its not a beach...so who could have thought of swimming with your shoes on?


Again, a big pool isn't a beach.


I guess, the printing or the painting whatever you may call it..got mistaken on writing so as the one who painted it followed what's being instructed out of ignorancy of the English thing.



Its a haunted house inside Siam Park..I refused to go in coz I might be gone crazy coz of the Big, Double Shock I might get.


I guess, "Jurassic" is right.


Obviously, Thai people aren't geographically aware so as they dunno the country of Africa. Proven to be right, even my students couldn't find the famous countries on the globe when I asked them to locate it.



I love chewing ice..but when you chew it, isn't it crispy or crunchily? whatever?



Saw this sign at an apartment in Bangkok when a friend Joeper and I went there to sleep for a weekend.We decided not to talk or else.



What can I say? nothing......the kids in the Philippines can sing that: row, row your boat.

MY KIND OF STYLE

Wish to have these kind of outfit...love to wear them..mind you the clothings are signature and expensive..
The pictures were kindda small so as I can't copy them directly or it's prohibited. Got this pic from a site while roaming around.
Now, got an idea for this year look. Can't click the pic to view it largely..the author itself probably prohibits ones to copy them without prior authority.
Just let your eye balls roundedly bulge to view the perfect style.








Just click on this website to see the bigger pictures: http://lookbook.nu/user/14044-Dennis-R

Teen Hearthrob in the 80's Found Dead

I bumped into a certain blog that features celebrities that shocked me a bit which I am already out of the news circulation since I arrived here in Thailand.
So many things had happened, knowing that my favorite celeb back in the 80's died already just last year.
To make the news more clear and proven to be true, I copied this entry from another blog just to clear my unconvincing mind. This news really surprised me, wherein the last time I saw him youtube was with Corey Feldman(his archrival then) discussing about their upcoming movie together.

Actor Corey Haim, best known for his 80s roles as a teen star including his part in movie The Lost Boys, has died. Police confirm the Canadian actor died in his apartment, in Los Angeles, California. He was only 38-years-old. He collapsed in his bedroom and four bottles of prescription drugs were found nearby.
Haim collapsed in front of his mother, after a suspected accidental drug overdose just before 1AM. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead at 2:15AM. Police were called to St. Joseph’s hospital in Burbank, CA, shortly before 4AM PT to investigate. His mother is the one who is thought to have made the 911 call.
According to TMZ, Haim suffered a drug-induced stroke in 2001, and he was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center. He also reportedly was in and out of rehab 15 times, and cleaned up in 2004 after moving to Toronto. RIP Haim (1971-2010).

Corey Haim back then.

Corey Haim now, before he died.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

As I promise, the month of March would be a blogger's march since its vacation and I now have enough time to blog. Writing more is a good chance to reveal something within..not the dark ones.
There are tell-tales or tell-tale signs that helping us to prepare and even inspired us to dream and achieve something that we wish and long to happen. Tell-tales or signs also telling us to prepare what is going to happen in the future and allowing us what tomorrow holds us.

What's so good about having crazy friends?
1. You can hurt them physically and they will definitely hit you back.
2. You can curse them in their faces, then all of you will laugh.
3. You can tell them all the crazy stuffs in your head, then you will find out they are a lot crazier.
4. With them, you will never feel that your alone.
5. With them, you can be yourself all the time. To hell with the other people.

Like this text which a friend back in the Philippines who texted me at my Philippine Globe number. The message might sounds so boring and senseless to other but it make sense to me..I think these are the type of people that you wish to be with coz they aren't boring to be with.

What happen when someone you love, loves someone you hate?

Letting go of someone you love is never easy. The truth of it is, you get hurt the reason you let someone you love to go.
Sometimes even quitting a job that you hate can be hard, if you like the people you work with so as thinking of the high compensation that you are receiving is beyond of your needs and wants. Although loss feels the same regardless of how or why it happens.
Please do answer the question? What happen when someone you love, loves someone you hate?
Arrgghhh...hate to answer that and I won't answer that anyway....

Corduroy Skirts are A Sin

This woman was wearing a ankle-length corduroy skirt, which, as we all know, is a fashion nono. So, in order to make her feel uncomfortable, I stood next to her and held a sign that said Corduroy skirts are a sin! I don't think I have ever drawn so much attention in my life. SO many people asked to take a picture with me, I got laughs, high fives and there were the few that even cursed off the woman standing behind me.
As I drew interest to what was going on with myself and the woman with the hateful sign, I started to draw a crowd that stood with me in support. Before I knew it I had 100+ people holding signs for gay rights asking people to honk their horns to support. I was interviewed by a news station, and more than 5 student organization papers, and the post standard of Syracuse."

In my own opinion, this lady is not a homophobic nor proclaiming hateful towards homo but helping the third sexes by setting the gays free from the bondage of sin that homosexuality per se' brings so much condemnation Biblically..I am not condemning gays but the form of homosexuality.
The Bible clearly stated that gays/lesbian will not inherit the kingdom of God...that's it period. Well, that young lad made a funny poster is Chris Pesto, a student from Syracuse, NY. Surely he himself was a gay the reason he stood against it.
I don't see any reason for the gay community to be offended for what the lady had done..its just a matter of reminding that God loves the gays and hated the homosexuality.
"Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived, neither fornicators nor idolaters or adulterers nor homosexuals nor sodomites nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." Corinthians book( 9-10)

FASHION ENTHUSIASTS GO RELIGIOUS TEE

As a fashion-social climber and frustrated stylist individual....I always want myself to be upgraded and updated the latest trendy and the latest in which at least by copying and wearing the cheapest ukay-ukay similar to that fad would be a great relief and satisfaction for me.
Poor me, can't even buy the fave designer label that I wish to wear not even once. Browsing the fashion online world and checking what's new is among my fancy, at least.
According to the new fashion buzz now; fashion enthusiasts go religious tee designings...that's nice, they have started to acknowldege God. Here's a good example to see:
Givenchy Fall/Winter 2010 2011 Menswear - Jesus is Lord T-Shirt.Love it much, hope I could avail one..but mind you the brand is Givenchy..haayyy can't afford to loose my salary just for this shirt alone.


This one made me to freak out....good thing that I am not a fashion blogger....but it feels me creepy.

Young Pinoy Computer Programmer is Champ in 1st Google Mapmaker Global Competition

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Wow another Pinoy proud made his name internationally acclaimed as the champion among 700 other contestants....Imagine a big company like Google?
Can't imagine how talented and brillian the Pinoys are....

"MANILA, Philippines – A 23-year-old “citizen cartographer” from the University of the Philippines bested 700 other contestants to become the winner of the first Google Map Maker Global Competition. Wayne Dell Manuel won a US$50,000 donation from UNICEF for the Philippines after adding more than 1,500 qualifying map features and made hundreds of moderations in Google Map Maker. His edits, which were primarily of local public schools, were judged to be the most numerous and accurate entries in the contest. “I’m so excited to have won this global competition because it represents a win not just for me, but also for the Philippines,” said Manuel. “To be frank, I entered the competition to win the US$50,000 for our country, and I hope that my win encourages more Filipinos to contribute to making the online map of our country even better. We Filipinos are known for our spirit of bayanihan, and this is a great way for us to come together in the Internet era to make life better for our fellow kababayans by literally putting their communities on the digital map.” The competition was launched to encourage the use of technology for community development by asking users to map universities, schools, hospitals and medical clinics in their home countries. The goal was to help humanitarian organizations better deliver services, respond to crises, and adapt to change in the countries they operate by enabling access to accurate digital maps. Manuel, a software developer at the UP National Telehealth Center, started using Google Map Maker in 2008 and initially edited streets, establishments, and municipalities in his hometowns of Tuguegarao and Baguio City. Later, he added most of the roads in Tarlac City, Tarlac; Angeles City, Pampanga and Tacloban City, Leyte. He has been recognized globally as one of the top 10 all-time mappers with nearly 35,000 map edits under his belt. “Maps have always interested me because they help me get acquainted with places I’ve never seen before. As soon as I heard about Google Map Maker, I immediately joined and found that its interface is very intuitive and user-friendly. I love the feeling of putting together something that would be useful to many people,” he said. Jennifer Mazzon, Community Organizer for Google Maps, said Manuel’s contributions are invaluable for people who rely on geographic information, which is import during times of natural disaster. “Even though the contest period is over, the mapping effort for the Philippines is only beginning. There are still many places that are in need of accurate details and we hope that even more Filipinos will use Google Map Maker to share their knowledge about their hometowns with the world,” Mazzon said. Manuel said he will continue editing in Google Map Maker even after the competition because there are still many unmapped areas in the Philippines. He also recalled how his contributions helped many people when Typhoon Ondoy hit the country last September. “After Ondoy, a volunteer group used Google Maps to map distress calls and facilitate rescue operations. I was so happy to see that the roads I helped place on Google Map Make, later pushed to Google Maps, were used to locate fellow Filipinos who needed help, he said."(Source:http://filipinoachievers.wordpress.com/)

MARCH MADNESS BLOGGING

This is what I am going to do this March but to update and write more on my blog note. Decided to be in the hiatus for days since my time has been occupied with computing grades for the Thai students.
'Am also updating myself at my Twitter...I won't stop blogging till I grow old. This would be my online diary, a constant companion, a shock absorber.
Well, when availability comes..I'd certainly write more.