Eid Al Ahda & New Year!

"Eid al-Adha or Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. It concludes the Pilgrimmage to Mecca. Eid al-Adha lasts for three days and commemorates Ibraham's (Abraham) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son. Muslims believe the son to be Ishmael rather than Isaac as told in the Old Testament. Ishmael is considered the forefather of the Arabs. According to the Koran, Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son when a voice from heaven stopped him and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead. The feast re-enacts Ibrahim's obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram. The family eats about a third of the meal and donates the rest to the poor. "

Interesting eh? what's more interesting is that it took me almost 5 years to have the curiosity to know what this means! haha! talking about cultural immersion huh! and what's more surprising is that, most of my colleagues who've been here too for the last 5 years also don't know what this means!

Today, they are celebrating the second day of Eid al Ahda. The nearest that I could relate this to in the christian world is the celebration of the birth of Christ, in terms of pomp, merry making and 'spirit'.

Prayers. New clothes. Great feastings. Family gatherings. Ideya (gifts) abounds. Helping the poor. Invasion of the malls and entertainment centers. Luxurious dinings. More forgiving with one another.

For us in Adventureland, being a family entertainment center, it means the busiest days of the year ending each day at around 1 am!

this year, it coincides with the christian world's New Year! so our staff, being the sentimental race that we are, would have to find ways and means to connect with our loved ones without sacrificing our works. Oh, but i don't worry about Pinoys coz we will always find a way...

Back home in the Phils, i can already hear the firecrakers here and there... the crushed tin cans hanging by the moving cars creating that loud happy noise... endless blowing of the kiddie 'torotot' for a safe welcoming of the new year... and to the affluent parts in Manila, the delightful fireworks!

i guess whatever belief you are into, TODAY will find you in a merryment mode! and as for me, it goes beyond... it is first a remembrance and a thanksgiving for the year that had been, and and a feast for a blessed new year ahead...

A meaningful new year to all of us! Cheers!

My New Year's Resolution

since college, i've always had this list, however much i barely remember them when mid-year comes...

for this year, nothing much changes i guess from my past year's resolutions...

1. Know, love and enjoy God more... daily devotions, worships and fellowships

2. Always see each unpleasant circumstance as an opportunity to exercise faith... oh, this happens daily!

3. Be more available to serve others...however which way

4. Be physically fit (discipline in food and exercise... so that i can have more of no. 3

5. Live simply, stress-free and wrinkle-free... and fool others with my age (haha!)

6. Be focused... and eliminate distractions (do not compromise!)

7. Memorize 52 verses... and use them always

8. Accomplish other worthwhile activities... learn how to play the piano, join volunteer works, enroll in educ class during summer and finish watercolor paintings

9. Visit and explore historical sites in Egypt and Europe

10. Save for a worry-free looonnnnggg vacation in 2008 (oh, i like this thought!)

just writing this list makes me already excited for the year to come... tickles me like crazy! haha!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!! I pray for a more meaningful new year to all of us!

Shifting Lanes

either life tosses at you a different opportunity, or you actively look for one, shifting lanes is usually coupled with excitement and fear...


excitement for the new things, for the new challenges, new friends, new routines, new expereinces... fear for regret, unmet expectations, for bad experiences, or worse, uncertainties...

i myself am preparing for a 180-degrees shift not only in gear, but in the lane for the next years... but i guess, however much i prepare myself for it, i'd still be a human at best. the leap of faith is easier said than done... but it has to be done...


since i climbed up my 3rd decade, i have since desired for a slow lane... maybe because i am growing old, or maybe because i already knew how it is to be in a fast lane, and how it is not possible to shift to a slower gear while in a fast lane...




fast lanes have given birth to the word stress, mental fatigue, burn out, and the infamous words 'busy' and 'no time'. it also ushered more independent women, successful singles beyond 30, and working moms, working parents. and for all the enterpreneuring spirits, it spelled spa, physical wellness, daycare centers, personal shoppers, shieks, etc.

despite all these, how come many are squeezing themselves into this lane? well, for many things that the slow lane may not offer. financial freedom. career boost. travel perks. fame. etc.


i've tried to shift to a lower gear while in the fast lane, and try to get the best of both worlds. it can be done, but still, it was very difficult. either you get honked continuously, or you catch up with double the effort that defeated the purposes of your slowing down, or ultimately get bumped out of the race... i remained there for the rest of my twenties, starting when i was still fresh from college, so full of ideals, ambitions and zest!

each lane i guess has its own merits and demerits, depending on your goals and visions in life...


as for myself, i would like to try the slow lane... to really stop and smell the roses... and for whatever uncertainties there are, i just have to comfort myself that my God is already there!

Break Free

imagine being caged for a long time... there in your small iron covered cage... you want to move, you want to explore, but you cant...

and then one day, you are set free....

oh... the freedom that Christ gives...

i am not talking about financial freedom, nor intellectual freedom, nor emotional freedom....

but of a higher sense of freedom that surpasses all joys and triumpsh in this world...

spritual freedom from the bondage of sin and all of satan's lies whichc wraps it very cunningly...

it is far and foremost one of the great joys of christianhood.... knowing by heart (1) freedom from what, (2) who freed you, (3) what it costed and (4) the joys and responsibilites of freedom...

praise God for this wonderful grace!

"There stood by me.. the angel of God" by Albert Smith and E. Clark

ransacking thru my old journals has not only been a fun experience, but a very useful tool for timely and needed perspectives, specially on my rare 'crossroads moments' such as what i am going thru right now... wow, wouldn't you have known that this song made by Albert Smith which worked for me during the 'test of my life' (so my journal says!) in summer of 1991, will still hold water for me in 2006? God's truths are really timeless... however much we thought we have changed...

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I do not know what lies ahead,
the way I cannot see;
Yet One stands to be my guide,
He'll show the way to me.

I know who holds the future
And He'll guide me with His hands
With God things don't just happen
Everything by Him is planned;

So as I face tomorrow,
With its problems large and small
I'll trust the God of miracles
Give to Him my all.

I do not know how many days
Of life are mine to spend
But one who knows and cares for me
Will keep me til the end.

I do not know the course ahead
What joys and griefs are there;
But one is near who fully knows
I'll trust His loving care.