best of the best for 2012

unlike last year, i have a lot of things to share with my 2011. this does not mean that i don't have anything for 2012. but one thing is for sure, 2012 is really something. a very awesome experience. 

picture from here.

top people for 2012

a. dan and albert. these two people are my best buddies. what else can i say? we know each other very much. it's not because we think the same but we know others are thinking. :) 

b. kuya jhing and ate mimi. these two people are really close to my heart. very dear that i don't want them to part ways. they are like my brother and sister. everyone in the community is but they are really special to me. 

c. ruth and joel. they tied the knot. yahoo! after so many years, they finally got married to became one. i am happy for both of them.

b. my girlfriend - florizel. she's always there with me. i love her, no matter what. if she breathes, i wanted to be the air for her. 

e. my mom. she had her second operation for her baker's cyst. she's really strong. i can feel how strong she is.

top events for 2012

a. went to youth pilgrimage. its my first pilgrimage with my girlfriend, what's not good with it!? i love it! every pilgrimage is a different experience. this one is awesome!

b. pamamanhikan. it was my mom's first time in Bicol. the experience with this pamamanhikan is exhilarating. grabe, sobra! i was very nervous yet so happy. the preparation for the wedding is also something...grabe. my girl's family is very supportive as well. oh well, this is it.

c. scrutiny. second time, still we failed. oh well, i am still proud of my community no matter what is happening. everyone has his own story and difficulty to share. a history that we should embrace.

d. this is it moment. i did it again for the second time. well, i can't reveal of course. it was during the scrutiny when i tested myself once again. despite the wedding preparations, i don't know what i am thinking of. lol!

e. trip with my mom to palawan. it was my mom's first time to travel by air! having a trip with her is really awesome. she loves me so much. i can feel it. 

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world youth day - a year after...

january of 2011. its the time of the year when i asked my manager to for a leave on the whole month of august. no one can stop me. and indeed! august 2011 - a year ago - when i attended the world youth day in madrid, spain. 

its when i saw the pope and hear his voice while saying - "stay with me...". pope is saying those words when the winds were so strong and rain is pouring all over us. it was really an experience to remember. something that i should cherish while i am still alive. this will serve as the oil to keep my faith burning!

 life is something we should cherish. it has been a year since i visited a place i would really love to go and an event i would really want to attend. world youth day in madrid of august 2011. 

here are some of my pics >>

a view on our way to avila from zaragoza.

my friends in street of toledo.

in javier - this is where st. francis of xavier was baptized.

@ huesca, during our popular mission.

@ islazul.

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pilgrimage with my community 2012 v.02

one thing that i noticed about my recent pilgrimage is that we're quite at ease. reasons?

...call time is 5.30. most of the people, including the responsibles, arrived late. we found ourselves on the road by about 7 am. imagine, from 5.30 it became 7 am. i hate being late. but God is teaching me to be patient. in 'real' pilgrimage, we can't do that. time is gold.

...cr break is overused. before leaving our beloved hometown, 'someone' went down the bus saying 'iihi muna ako'. after 5 mins, the bus driver arrived and asked if we're ready. i informed him that we're still waiting for one last person. mr. driver went back to his post. after a while, 'someone' went back asking, 'o, asan ang driver'. duh!

after 45 mins, the bus loaded some gasoline. 'someone' went downstairs again to pee.

while in the express way, she went down again to pee.

in a 'real' pilgrimage, we cannot do that. time is gold.

...we can't stop the bus to buy food. lol! grabe, instead of going directly to the destination, we even stopped in a food complex along the south super highway to buy mcdo. why? because another person is hungry. they haven't taken up breakfast yet. in 'real' pilgrimage, we can't do that. time is gold.

well, i am not making 'reklamo'. i am just stating a fact. but i love the fact that i am still with my community. no matter who they are, i still love them!

i enjoyed the time with them specially at the resort. i played with the kids. had a little bonding time with my girlfriend and with the entire people!

3J climbing up the slide.

3J while in 'salbabida'.

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pilgrimage with my community 2012 v.01

our community had its own mini version of pilgrimage. together with father nel and father ollie, we went to lipa city - our lady of mediatrix with the carmelite sisters. we saw the "supposed" apparition site. though it wasn't really declared as valid apparition, i can feel something good. here's a short story of the apparition...

According to the account, on September 12, 1948, Sr.Teresita Castillo noticed a vine shaking without the presence of wind. Then she heard a woman's voice who had told her to visit the garden for 15 consecutive days, to bow, pray and eat the garden grass. The next day, September 13 at 5pm, Teresita came to the spot, knelt down and intended to say the Hail Mary prayer. In the middle of the prayer, wind came and the garden vine moved when a beautiful lady appeared. On September 14, rose petals began to shower within the monastery. Some of the religious sisters living in the convent began to notice rose petals outside their hallways.

Again at 5:00 pm, the lady appeared once more at the vine and said "I wish this place to be blessed tomorrow." "At what time, Mother?" asked Teresita. "Anytime your Mother Prioress wants, my child. I forbid you to forget the incidents of these fifteen days." Then the lady vanished. On the other hand, Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, the Mother Prioress, decided to consult His Excellency, the Most Reverend Alfredo Obviar, the auxiliary bishop of Lipa and spiritual director of Carmel, on what to do on the alleged apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The bishop instructed the Mother Prioress to demand from the ady a proof that she is from Heaven.

Days after the first shower of rose petals, total blindness affected the Teresita. The Mother Prioress heard a woman's voice telling her to kiss the postulant's eyes will recover her sight. One day, in the presence of Bishop Obviar, the mother prioress lifted the veil of the postulant and imparted a kiss to Teresita's eyes. Immediately, the girl recovered her sight. Bishop Obviar no longer doubted the claims of her apparition.

from here.

picture in the apparition site.

i prayed for a stronger relationship with my girlfriend. =) . we had a short eucharist in a chapel. it was a quick one. father ollie presided the mass while father nel gave a short homily. he shared accounts about his difficulties in his place in canada. a best example of "be strong people" story. i may say that his homily is good. full of essence and idealism. there is indeed a difference between the homily of an older priest than younger ones. both are best in their respective thoughts.

two of the most important women in my life beside me during the eucharist.

my mom in front of the church.

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things i learned from national youth pilgrimage...

things i learned from national youth pilgrimage...

a. marriage and sex. sounds totally out of the blue. we had a two by two experience and was able to talk to a couple. we cut the bible, and found a verse about sex and marriage. it's very timing, i am with my girlfriend and we were talking to a young couple. lol! i don't want to expound it but it makes me love my girlfriend more.

b. do not wear shorts. this one is funny. it was second day of the pilgrimage when i wore shorts. i know it's going to be hot and humid day - so i decided to make myself a little comfortable. unfortunately, my girl is not cool with it. lol! i know she's just concern and i somehow realize that. tugs tugs!

c. lower your expectations. the people in guiuan are awesome and very hospitable. unfortunately, the place that we've been to is hot and humid. i was expecting a little comfort but its really bad. given this, i make "reklamo" a part of my vocabulary. lesson is to lower your expectations so that lesser "reklamo"...

d. "God called me to enjoy suffering". this came from weng, one of the inmates in prison that we have visited. those words is a virus that makes me felt so good and how lucky am i to be free and enjoy the outside world.

so far, this is the most memorable pilgrimage. so awesome and so great.

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birthday month

some people said that age is just a number and its a sign of wisdom...i agree. i am starting to know the wisdom of my heart. hhhmmm.

i may still be grumpy at times but i know that i'm getting there. thanks to my family and my girlfriend - who always support me with everything.

so, what's my birthday gift? this year, i received so-far the best birthday gift, ever! flor came to the national youth pilgrimage. it was a dream come true for me. i did not even ask her to come. she volunteered herself in the activity.

picture taken at palo, leyte.

anyhow, i thank God for everything. He has given me everything i need but i haven't given something in return.

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national youth pilgrimage leyte/samar v.03

third day is not that exciting. its our last day in guiuan, i will truly miss the place. we had our little chat with the people who resides in the place, then we sung some songs. people from other parishes seem enjoying their stay at tubabao, so we decided to go ahead of them. also, i am quite excited with kuya pops shot of the day - he plans to take a photo of us four while riding the local banca. yahoo!!!

four of us in a banca. yahoo!

our journey will start from guiuan cathedral then to tacloban where we're going to take our lunch then to ormoc city. more or less, we spent the whole day traveling. its so fun because i have flor beside me. ahehehe.

the catechists rented two vans to accommodate people who were seated uncomfortably. kuya pops, p.a., albert and dan were in one of the vans with father paulo. while the rest of us were comfortably seated in the bus. we stopped for a while @ san juanico bridge. i am not amazed with it, lol! its like a regular bridge for me.

oopps, tinakpan ko...lol!

ocho restau is our destination in tacloban. the food is...fine. nothing very fiesty. the dessert is awesome. lol! jessica and jessa volunteered to buy ice cream from jobee and mcdo. lol! going to ormoc, is another three to four hour trip. rollie and susan took this opportunity for a little "bible cutting". we stopped by several times for wiwi break and to visit mc arthur in palo, leyte. ahehehe. yes, i wasn't really expecting that i'll meet him.

@ palo, leyte.

after calling several people, susan finally called me. the reading is simple yet some meaty. its about jesus asking a lady to give him water. jesus mentioned something about the living water. a simple yet so daring. for God has really came to me and told me things that i never expected. tears almost fell from to my cheek but i was able to manage it. lol!

we reached the place almost 7 pm. we had our room assignments, ate our dinner then off to peter paul church for the eucharist. the celebration is good enough but the songs are very lively! awesome! i love dayenu!

room for sleeping is perfect! after two nights of hot attic, we can finally sleep in a cozy bed with aircon. lol!

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national youth pilgrimage leyte/samar v.02

ayun! day 2 is awesome. we had our popular mission in salcedo - a nearby town of guiuan.  before got there, we had a small procession. i volunteered myself to bring the cross. i am in full battle gear. lol!

procession to the public market. (by kuya pops)

we started the mission by the sharing of some brothers. rollie asked for volunteers and i did not know where the name of "edu" came from. so, i did! i expressed how faithful God is. even from start of the way. we did two by two in the market place. i was with richmon.

while sharing during the popular mission. (by kuya pops)

break time with dan and albert. (by kuya pops)

after the popular mission, we ate in a restau then off to the beach to feel the water. the place is so beautiful and awesome. flor wanted to have buko juice and she ordered some. it tastes so sweet - different from what we have here in cavite.

a small island in guiuan beach.

next stop is jail. we were assigned in guiuan municipal jail. i had the cross - of course. while doing the popular mission, i got pissed off to some peeps taking photo of the inmates inside the barricade. for me, it was very in-approriate to do that. anyhow, the mission is so great. an inmate named - weng - uttered:

God called me to enjoy suffering!

what a wonderful statement from a person who has suffered and is suffering.

we ended the day with a eucharist then off to tubabao cove. still, no electric fan. got no choice...

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national youth pilgrimage leyte/samar v.01

we're excited. yes. around midnight, we arrived NAIA Terminal 3 for our 4 AM flight. it's too early but this is what Kuya Bobby and Ate Evelyn preferred. taking a nap is no longer an option. we went up to grab some coffee and had little chat. afterwards, it's time to stand still until the check in counter opens. we had a little problem as we check in. everyone is pissed off...reason? i better move on. lol!

after 30 long minutes in the check in counter, we're able to get inside and waited a couple of more hours. we saw susan and rollie cheng. i am happy, i found myself sitting beside my girlfriend. of course, i asked someone else to swap with my sit. lol!

while inside the plane going to tacloban.

getting to tacloban is just an hour flight. we found out that our group will be joining the youth of mary the queen. wala pa man sa bus, i feel that my nose is already bleeding. the bus is small. i should say that. it's very small. some are just half butt seated. i am beside flor so i have no problem. lol! dan and albert is in an air-conditioned van.

after almost 5 hours of gruesome road travel, we reached the parish of immaculate conception in guiuan, eastern samar. the people are very warm! they are waving our hands to welcome us. a little introduction was done and we're off to division process. lol! we were assigned in the rest house of the mayor. we're totally elated when we heard about this. it's an honor to be lodging inside the mayor's rest house. we need to ride a pump boat to get there, though.

anyways, we had our lunch in cafe verde. the food is good, i love it! st. anthony cathedral is our next stop. the church is under construction and no one gave an introduction to it so i guess, there's nothing much to see. calico-an beach is next. it's their surfing capital. the place is an ace! the water is so clean and air is so fresh. flor is not in the mood for picture taking, i should say that. lol! i don't know why. it's probably the weather. it's so hot out there so i would not blame her. i just shut up.

@ calico-an beach.

flor and i.

we reached the parish around 5 pm. we had popular mission and 2 by 2. this encounter is very awesome. flor and i decided to go together. we talked to a couple and had a great chat with them. it's as if we were talking to ourselves. things that we should have done and ought to do. i saw flor crying and when we cut the bible, it was awesome. it's about sex and marriage.

dinner is at mayor's rest house. i love the sweet and sour lapu lapu. our designated place to sleep was at the attic. the place is small and very hot to sleep with. dan had a hard time. but, it's still part of the pilgrimage. we're just getting started.

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NYP meeting @ St. James

we attended the youth's meeting @ st. james today. a lot of youth from the diocese of imus went there to represent their parishes. among them are of course our two "sister" communities, peeps from amadeo and gma.

along with me are albert, dan, ate melda and my girlfriend - flor. it was hard for me to ask her to come to ormoc city. i know its really hard for her to make some absences. but to my surprise, she told me that she's coming. i was quite happy. no, very happy. i would love her to come with me in ormoc for the national youth's pilgrimage. truly, an answered prayer.

i am so excited for this youth pilgrimage. so excited! see you ormoc!

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things i learned in WYD!

masaya ako dahil nakadalo ako sa WYD - JMJ. di ako nag-eexpect ng kahit ano man nung una pero ang lakas ng tama sa akin ng convivence na ito...

a. move on. yes, move on. bakit? marami sa mga nangyari sa buhay ko - mapa-trabaho yan, love life o personal - ay nahihirapan akong mag-move on. di ko alam. siguro dahil sa alam kong i did my best pero di ko pa rin nakuha yung gusto ko. or, wala naman akong ginawang masama sa ibang tao pero masama pa rin yung tingin nila sa akin. siguro ganun nga. pero dahil sa WYD, na-realize ko na ang bawat isang ito ay nagbibigay ng kulay sa buhay ko. ahehehe. paano ko na-realize yun? dati, galit ako sa mga espanyol dahil sa sinakop nila yung pilipinas. maraming mga impluwensya ng mga pilipino. yung iba masama, yung iba mabuti. pero nandun pa rin yung pagiging makabayan ko lagi. sila yung umapi sa aming mga pilipino. tapos, minsan sinabi ni luigi na - so many bad things have been said against spaniards, from our history classes in elementary to college. but maybe, God allowed those things to happen for our conversion. God let these spaniards introduce salvation - and that is knowing the God. tama naman di ba?

b. i am not alone. i was grouped with the folks from Bicol region. wala akong hangarin na makasakit ng kapwa lalo na sa mga taga-bicol dahil sa ang girlfriend ko ay bicolana din, ngunit madalas siyempre nag-uusap sila ng bicolano at wala akong naiintindihan. in a few days, i felt so alone na lagi akong walang kausap hanggang sa makilala ko sila Claro, Dante at Alena. i felt so good nung makilala ko sila. kasi kinakausap nila ako lagi. sobrang bait nila. actually, i confessed it to a priest during the pilgrimage yung nararamdaman ko. kasi siyempre di ako komportable. ang naging tugon sa akin nung pari ay...si Jesus, kinailangan nya ang Diyos Ama at Diyos Espiritu para matupad ang kanyang kabanalan. ikaw (ako), kailangan mo yung ibang tao para maging isang kristiyano. sobrang gumaan ang loob ko nun. i

sinabi din ni Pope na "we cannot be a Christian alone, we need a community"...

c. maswerte pala ang mga pilipino. kahit na nakapag-aral ako ng wikang espanyol ng ilang buwan, hirap pa rin akong makipagtalastasan sa kanila. hirap kasi di ako sanay at ang bibilis nilang mag-salita. sa aming mga popular mission, sobrang hirap sa pag-sasabi ng aking nararamdaman. plus, nandun pa yung inferiority complex ko about my words. hirap ako. ngunit syempre, ayaw kong gawing balakid ito para di mag-popular mission. habang naglilibot-libot, nakita ko yung mga tao dun kung gaano sila masasabi kong kahabag-habag. marami sa tao dun ay matatanda na lang ang mga nasa kalye. di alam ng kabataan ang mga dapat nilang malaman tungkol sa Diyos. pinapabayaan na lamang nila ang kanilang mga nakakatanda. maswerte ang mga pilipino dahil sa kanilang kultura na maging maalalahanin sa kanilang mga magulang. kahit na minsan ay balakid ito sa kanilang hangarin na makasunod sa salita ng Diyos, ay nandun pa rin yung concern nila para mapag-lingkuran ang kanilang mga nakatatanda.

d. stay with me. higit sa lahat, nasabi ko na rin sa isang blog entry ko about my experience during the vigil with the holy father. ito yung yung isang patunay na ako ay tinawag ng Diyos para makarating dun sa Madrid. sobrang saya ko, He chose me to be there not that I chose to be there.

sarap ng feeling kasi masaya ako. hanggang ngayon nga puspos pa ako. at ngayon, i need to be a prophet for the youth. kailangan ipangalat ko ang mabuting balita ng Diyos!

God loves you! Dios te amas!

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pilgrimage to madrid v.10

its our last day in alfonso's and esther's house. we all ate together had a little chat and off to somewhere else. we said our goodbye's and thank you's to both owner of the house. i felt so happy when the phil flag shirt that i gave to alfonso suits perfectly. i gave him my shirt last night and he wore it na agad this morning. then konting picture taking...

perfect picture!

since, this is almost our rest day. we went to the islandzul for some shopping. i bought some chocolates and melocoton mermalada (sarap nito). tinakasan namin ni dante si julie na papicture ng papicture. lol! bumili din ako ng libro in spanish.

afterwards, nagpunta kami sa Palomeras Altas (sana tama ako...lol!). this is where kiko initiated the neo catechumenal way. dito kami kumain ng lunch tapos konting explantion si luigi tungkol sa place. iba yung feeling nung nandun ako. i felt my root. diniscuss sa amin how things went through at may mga pinakitang pictures with kiko and carmen. luigi reminded us of what kiko and the pope told us...

you cannot be a christian alone, you need a community...

also, what struck me is luigi's words saying...

we are not here (in Palomeras Altas) not because of who I am but because of a calling...

me alone...

with my friend dante...

after nun, we went to the madrid cathedral and palacio real de madrid. since i am already familiar with the place, ako na ang nag-tour sa kanila lol! after nun, we went shopping syempre. i am with claro, alena, claren, dante, dindo and julie. sabay sabay kami. late man pero oks lang kasi may naiwan pa sa lugar na mga 10 to 12 peeps at ito ay dahil din sa pag-shoshopping.

shopping!

nag-misa pasasalamat sa isang matagumpay na world youth day at nag-salita yung mga nag-stood up during the vocational call. nag-agape kami then sa gym ako natulog.

also, i approached cristina saying kung pedeng sa gym na lang ako matulog. i congratulated her for putting this together. sobrang organized! 

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pilgrimage to madrid v.09

maaga akong gumising. ginising ko sila joanna at sarah para naman chillax ang lahat. while waiting for them, i watched the disney channel. ahehe...they were laughing at me but how can i help my self? lol!

nauna na lang ako sa kanila dahil 9.30 na ay di pa sila prepared. we went on a popular mission near where we were stayin'. nakakilala kami ng isang filipina who've been there for 20 years. she was so nice. she prepared adobo and rice for everyone. yahoo! we helped her to buy up some things @ dia.

popular mission!

@ dia while buying some stuff

afterwards, we're off to plaza cibeles to meet kiko. @ first ay wala akong nakita chicagoan - too bad. so i decided to stay with the group na lang dahil nahihilo na rin ako. the meeting with kiko went well. daming tao, pero seems that it's all worth it. it's my second time to meet him but this time naiintindihan ko na sinasabi nya. may translator ako. i'm sharing it with my friend dindo.

on our way to plaza cibeles to meet kiko...

me with my zune for translations...

vocational call started and i was sover (super over) surprised that dindo stood up. so happy for him!

while we're on our way home. i saw a group of americans dancing and singing. then i saw marc! sinabi ko sa sarili ko, i know that guy. then i asked the girl near the group -

"are you guys from chicago?"

and she answered

"yes, we are."

and i uttered

"is bianca there?"

lol! it was stupid and fun. we were calling her but seems that i am going to miss the group if i stay longer so sinabi ko na lang sa girl na kinakamusta ko si bianca. she took me a picture. and that's it. we were not meant to see each other in madrid.

afterwards, nakita ko ang isang group with a familiar flag - flag of south korea. i was so happy peeps from south korea are here!...i practiced my ahn-nyung-ha-se-yo. lol! so fun!

it was our last night with alfonso's and esther's house. they will be going to valencia to meet their daughter tomorrow so we really need to move out. they offered to have another place but i think it's ok if i'll stay at the gym for one night.

we gave them some tokens - me a shirt of phil flag to alfonso, sarah a shirt to esther, aaron gave a folded paper in a form of something (limot ko na kasi) and joanna gave a mug from starbucks with the word manila in it. it was really fun staying with alfonso and esther. sover fun!

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pilgrimage to madrid v.08

today is the eucharist with the holy father. i remember him saying that..."we cannot be christian alone, we need the community"...it is in spanish so my translation is a little vague. =) . this is the time when i feel that the earth is calling me. lol! wwahhh! i'm gonna go to the portalets to take away everything.

meanwhile, early in the morning. we (claro and dante) went to the water station to get some water. also, claro and i went to the food station to buy some drinks to warm our stomach. nesquick lang ang choice so, go with the nesquick. =) . i bought two donuts dahil sawa na talaga ako dun sa tinapay nila at palaman na di ko gusto. lol!

picture of the phil flag with the pope sa big screen...

after the mass, its time to go. actually, yung iba kahit nag-sisimula pa lang yung homily ay nag-uuwian na. since, we are more than a million peeps, we need to wait for other folks to get out of cuatro vientos. so it took us a while. katawa kasi 12 pm na halos nung palabas kami. it was a long walk and of course. mainit pa rin. lol! as usual, i have the cross and feels so exhausted. pero i still have a strong finish. as in STRONG. lol!

pizza...

we had our communion sa church, then off to go to esther's and alfonso's house. pagdating sa bahay, ligo at relax. yun yung ginawa ko. usap ng konti. they (esther and alfonso) bought some pizzas. then napag-usapan na kasama pala sa group namin si Bong Lazo - one fashion icon. nabigla lang ako. tapos parang nauwi yung usapan sa expectations sa mga bakla, someone from the Filipino group blew an off comment saying - "is it because you can relate to them?". got offended so shut up na lang ako. bad day for me so maaga akong natulog. sayang oras ko sa mga taong yun. 

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pilgrimage to madrid v.07

we are all excited to see the pope! maaga kami nagising, to pack our things and get ready to rumble. i am not expecting anything or any event so come what may. i was about to wear a pants but unfortunately alfonso and esther told me that its going to be a very hot day - some 40's in C.

9 am is our assembly time @ the parish. we were able to get inside the cuatro vientos by 12 pm. imagine?! 3 hours? lol! the place is quite crowded and i hate it because i think (i just think of it) that have a slight fear of enclosed places especially if its a huge number of peeps/huge crowd - ochlophobia. anyways, going to E2 is another trouble. the scorching heat from the sun is not helping. we were able to get a good place. after a while, we decided to get some water from the faucet. water? what water? no water? lol! luckily, i still have a couple of bottles.

after a while, there were some not so friendly italian friends that ruined our day. they built a tent for themselves and is blocking the perfect view of the widescreen that we have. as in, oh my!? smells some trouble. but of course, things like this always happen. some unfriendly neighborhood peeps. lol!

the temp is really high! i saw some peeps with their nose bleeding. luckily, not mine. @ around 6 pm, sun started to set. i roam around to see my friendly chicagoans - but no luck. it's like looking for a needle in ten haystack.

then, the pope arrived. yahoo! people are chanting - BE-NE-DIC-TO! (with claps out of no where)...some peeps started to talk for the vigil and one of it is a Filipina (representing Asia) asking the pope a question -

It is my desire to reach high goals, but success and big dreams are always linked to amassing wealth and high positions. How can I be faithful to my faith without distancing myself from society?

and the pope answered...

In the Gospel, Jesus gives us an answer...Deep in our hearts, we yearn for what is grand and beautiful in life, but ground them in Jesus. 

*more of this found in Filipina represents Asia in Q&A with Pope.

not as what i was expecting but fair enough. it is true. however, what drives me crazy is the series of event that happened while reading the gospel - John 15:1-17. the rain poured over us. after reading the bible, the event needed to stopped for the winds are quite strong and the rain is getting heavy. people started to shout (out of joy) and some peeps from E2 started singing songs from the neo-catechumenal way. it was awesome. then, the pope gave his speech, it is short but very surprising (di pa tumitila ang ulan nito) - "stay with me" yun yung naalala kong isa sa mga sinabi nya. and i just uttered, yes lord i am going to stay with you. i was so strucked. it's as if God is talking to me through the pope. tumayo talaga yung balahibo ko habang nakikinig ako sa player ko.

the pope, sa wide screen...

di ako pedeng lumapit, so ganito na lang...

the closest view...

the stage...

anyways, the ceremony ended. the question is how are we going to sleep. ahahaha! 3 am na di pa ako makatulog. nakahanap din kami ng paraan. kahit ano man yan. sabi nga, basta inaantok, kahit anong pwesto yan. lol!

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pilgrimage to madrid v.06

we're about to go to toledo. medyo na-late na naman magising mga kasama ko kaya nag-mamadali sina alfonso at si esther. haha! medyo off din kasi di ko man lang sila ginising. anyways, we were supposed to have euharist early morning pero dahil sa may gagamit daw ng simbahan, di kami natuloy. may nakita din kaming vandalism sa harapan ng simbahan. dalawang vandalism na tahasang nagtatakwil sa simbahan.

la iglesia; aliada historica del fascimo (the church is historically allied with fascism)

and

JMJ fuera! (World Youth Day out!)

grabe di ba? Mons gave a short background of the first - which drags the name of Franco. galing. dami kong natutunan.

while on our way to toledo, one sister gave a short background about the people and culture of the city. she said that christians, hebrews and moslems are peacefully living in this city. the setting of the city is medieval and it's hilly streets makes the tour a little more exciting. ang galing!

natutuwa ako ng sobra. nagustuhan ko ang zaragoza at avila pero mas nagustuhan ko ito! i love toledo! nakakapagod lang lumibot. masaya ding makapag-bonding sa mga kasama ko. ang reklamo ko lang ay ang mabigat kong pasanin. lol! pasan ko ang krus literally, pero oks lang. instead of going or coming in to the places that was assigned to us, we just went to on shopping and nagpunta lang sa labas ng mga stations. i enjoyed it a lot!

i saw a lot of interesting people and met a couple of old ladies whom we've shared for a couple of mins. di man kami magkaintindihan in most of our words, they are well informed of our mission which is to spread the words of God and they are very thankful.

at sa lahat ng mga places, mawawala ba naman ang pictures!? lol!

one of the many streets in toledo...

two priests eating gelato in a street of Toledo...

pagod na ako...

breathtaking...

simply captivating...

we ended the day with a eucharist. we were also given the id's that we need for tomorrow's big event. yahoo! and that is meeting with the pope! i'm so excited...

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pilgrimage to madrid v.05

last day namin sa zaragoza. at ganun pa rin yung pagkain. lolz! pero ok lang. pinag-hihirapan nila yung binibigay nila sa amin so i should still be thankful. nakaligo ako ng maaga at nag-balot ng gamit ko ng maaga.

it was am awesome day sana kaso lang umulan. i had some bonding time with dante as well. kwentu-kwentuhan hanggang sa we have to ride the bus na. we're on our way to avila.

we arrived avila as expected. i am with josephina, dante, dindo and father paulino sa table. i realized na i was really having a good time with them talaga. si jean from bicol ay nahihilo daw. i told her na baka may bonamine ako sa bag. nung nalaman kong wala at dolfenal lang, i still offered it to her. she turned it down.

kung nagandahan ako sa zaragoza, avila is different - it's jaw droppingly great. the theme is historic. paulino shared a little history of the walled city. if we have intramuros, spain has avila. this walled city came into place in defense of the Moors. the walls are towering but a lot thinner than what we have in intramuros.

entrance pa lang ng avila...

cathedral ng avila...

pictures, pictures and pictures. i had a lot of pictures. we went to San Jose Monastery. this was by st. therese of avila. napaka-inspiring nung kanyang story. its reformation to what she believes in. she never hesitated to condole the practice. dati daw kasi kapag mayaman yung mag-mamadre ay she'll have a lot of different things for her. but with st. therese, di ito dapat. she reformed the system and she reformed the idea. galing di ba?

on our way out, we saw some people doing popular mission and they were from spain. galing! we did a popular mission with them. its goosebumps, once philippines and spain are enemies but now they are allies in spreading the words of god.

one word - goosebumps - former enemies but now allies in spreading the words of God.

picture ulit...

dito din sa avila ko na-practice ang unang una kong spanish statement - "donde es..." lol! so fun!

in the end (on our way to madrid), paulino gave a very heavigat na words. that we do not have to build a new one in reformation. we just have to reform what we have right now. as pilgrims and part of the neo catchumenal way, we are part of the newly evangelized people. it is our turn to be the reformers so we can reform the idea of what the church is....galing di ba?

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pilgrimage to madrid v.04

7 am daw yung pagkain. kaya naman ako, maaga pa lang ay gising na. alam ko rin naman kasi na marami ang maliligo so dapat talaga ay maaga ako. as usual, kumain ako mag-isa at di ko pa rin gusto yung pagkain. lol! after kong kumain, bumalik ako dun sa higaan ko at naidlip. then afterwards, pumunta na ako sa bus. nakakita ako ng flower shop ang name ay "ideas en flor" kaya naman picture ko agad. lol! namiss ko yung mahal ko tuloy.

flower shop sa tapat ng tinutuluyan namin sa zaragoza...

we first went to huesca. birthplace ng santong si st. lawrence. grabe talaga yung feeling kapag maraming kayong mga nagpapahayag at kumakanta para kay Christ. ako naman ang taga-hawak ng cross ng bus namin.


nung nag-popular mission kami ay sama sama kami nila claro, yung asawa nya, si julie, si dante, si claren at si ino. medyo iba yung pakiramdam ko nung una. may nakausap kaming espanyola, na marunong mag-english. yun yung kinausap namin. buti na lang ay mabait sila. afterwards, bumalik kami at pumunta na sa shrine ni st. lawrence. maraming paintings! ang galing! kumain kami ng lunch dun sa isang activity center nila. nagpamalas nang kakaibang talento yung isang pari, ang galing nyang kumanta!

after lunch, pumunta kami sa javier (xavier). maganda yung castle ng family nya at napaka-inspiring nung story ng buhay nya. isa siyang mayaman ngunit pinili pa nyang mag-evangelize sa asia kaysa magpakasasa sa kanyang kayamanan.

sa likod ko ay castle nila st. francis xavier.

while on the road, maraming mga nag-share at isa dun ay mag-kasintahan na kasama sa pilgrimage. natatakot daw silang magpakasal. ang ganda nung sinabi ni paulino,...

mag-set daw dapat ng date at bayaan ang lahat sa Diyos. di daw foundation ng pagpapakasal ang pera kung di pag-ibig. sabi pa nya na it's not testing God. it's testing yourself to trust God. 

galing di ba? sana nandun si flor...=)...

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