Taal Volcano in the background. Before going here, I didn't know that the famous Taal Volcano we see in postcards is not the active volcano that erupted the latest but the one we're going up to. 

Yesterday, I went to Tagaytay City to do an ocular visit for our Youth Summer Retreat in May 2005. While there we took the opportunity to visit the famous Taal Volcano. 

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing thy grace Streams of mercy, never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it Mount of thy redeeming love Here I raise mine Ebenezer Hither by thy help I'm come And I hope, by thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God He, to rescue me from danger Interposed his precious blood O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be Let thy goodness, like a fetter Bind my wandering heart to thee Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love Here's my heart, O take and seal it Seal it for thy courts above Robert Robinson, 1735-1790

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Jesus (Gospel of Matthew 11:28-30)

Left house at 10AM to gym. Haven't got breakfast, so after putting my stuff in the gym locker I went out to have breakfast or lunch.. it's 11AM. Ate macaroni salad at Wendy's.. So conio-looking with the fork and the salad.. haha. Got full more than I expected, now I was worried if I might get appendecitis when I start at 11:30... Finished 2PM, I often procrastinate. After gym bought a Dairy Queen Blizzard ice cream, haha.. Similar to the BEST ICE CREAM I'VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE at Enchanted Kingdom.. Rocky Road.. Similar in composition but miles away from the BEST ICE CREAM I'VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE.. I thought of watching movie so I watched Feng Shui... A local horror movie, like The Grudge or The Ring (I havent seen these movies though). I'm not really a fan of horror flicks, I was intruiged by the title.. somehow it relates to the Chinese culture so I watched it. Feng Shui was a better than I expected of Filipino horror films. I specially liked the story except for how the people were dying.. Example, this guy who was born on the year of the rabbit was killed in a road accident involving a Philippine rabbit bus liner.. one of the main characters who was born on the year of the horse was almost killed by a 'kabayo ng plantsa (ironing board.. kabayo means horse)' (that made me laugh..) and eventually died when she fell on cases of bottles of Red Horse beer.. see the picture.. I remember when my family were still Catholi-Buddhists, a fusion of religion common to Filipino-Chinese.. Feng shui was a common part of our lives. Don't do this, don't do that.. don't anger the spirits.. I'm glad we're done with that.. we have found the truth in Jesus.

Saturday. Woke up at 5 for an early jog with Brznf & Jerald. Had only 4 hours of sleep. We jogged and walked from Binondo to Intramuros to Cultural Center. Met Johannsen at McDonalds in Vito Cruz for breakfast. After jogging went to SM West to go to gym. I signed up to a one-year program day before, which I was not sure if I can complete. My friend or my friend's contact in the gym talked me to enlist. So there I am in my first day in the gym. Did some routine exercises like before. Few hours after, I became dizzy and almost collapsed. I found out I had low blood pressure.. This was the first time I had low blood. The trainers assisted me to their clinic and laid me in bed to rest for a while while takeing my blood pressure regularly. The staff had been very accomodating. After a few minutes, I returned to normal blood and set off early to go home and rest. It was due to my lack of sleep that I got low blood they said. Tomorrow I'll be going to gym again.

:) 

Had nothing to do today. Our campus meeting was cancelled due coming exams and project submissions of students. Watch movie in the afternoon. Bourne Supremacy was great even though it's only a sequel to Bourne Identity. Lots of twists and turns and great casting. When I went out it had rained, so I planeed to head home. On the way, I thought I could get some haircut so I hurried off to the salon. Went home pretty late because of traffic. Air is beginning to chill up in the evening. Christmas is coming.. yay!

Old Man, Where Are You Going?

Old man, where are you going? Maybe you're going where I'm going Where earth is floor and sky is roof Can I hitch a ride? Please don't be too hasty I'm not in a hurry Every minute, every second I want savor it while present Please don't be too dim Dark clouds are already forboding On the other hand the land is dry So rain fall down and quench the earth! Please don't be too serious The earth is round and we're just going in circles Look at the roadside Stop and smell the roses Life, where are you going? Maybe you're going where I'm going Where earth is floor and sky is roof Can I hitch a ride?

Haven't posted in a long time. But here I am again... LAST SATURDAY Last Saturday the youth cellgroups had an acquaintance party. I'm glad that our youth group is growing. LAST NIGHT Our company gave out a thanksgiving dinner, also to meet the new members of the VFT family. Surprised that most of the people I've worked with were already out of the company. The team seldom see each other because we only work at home, which is good for me and my ministry. Funny to see people in unbelief when I tell them I'm going to Bible school. This month marks my 2nd year at VFT.

Company thankgiving dinner and acquaintance party at Gerry's Grill Makati last night. Been at VFT for two years now... 

jet 

These past few days has been outrageous. Can I still conquer these obstacles? I am no Superman. I'm just a kid. All I can say is whoa. Dark as the heavens tonight is my spirit. Brick upon brick of heaviness my heart screams for air. Flaming fire snuffed so abrupt is the soul where I found flight. My face is veiled with the dark shade of loneliness. In the deepest pit I shall call unto my God, "Save me!" Does he hear even in this deep filth of sorrow? What can men do with such reckless hate. But in the end He will find me. My heart tells me so. But for a man of little faith what matters is today. And yesterday is a gallery of gloom. Horizons seem dark, I am at the bottom of the wheel. Tomorrow promises new mornings too long to wait upon.

Today is my birthday. I'm now 23, though before I thought I was 23. I always add up one year to my age, so I would act more mature (is that right..) Anyway, I see myself as 24 now.. time had really flown very very fast. I remember a quote from Gandalf in LOTR: "I've walked with men for three hundred years but now I have no time..." something like that. I have not much celebrated my birthday today. Today was the last day of our youth leadership training. I woke up still tired. I practiced last night as worship leader for Sunday. I went to ICS still sleepy, silent and edgy. I did not speak today. Something was different. Except for Kuya Sur's frequent acknowledgement of my birthday in front, which everytime made me smaller and smaller. But I appreciate his expression of acknowledgement. I'm just a terribly shy person. I met quite a number of noisy people that tested my patience today. It made me look different, unpopular and boring. Since this morning I received lots of SMS, MMS, emails greeting me a happy birthday... really appreciated they remembered. My family gave me a white gold necklace.. Brznf gave me a chime and a sea shell display.. Today at 23, I am ever been blessed with God on my side. I hope and pray that my hope for the ministry soon come to pass. But even if not, Hebrews tells us Abraham and the Old Testament people never saw their dreams fulfilled, only in a distance... to add to that, they were persecuted, tortured, sawn in half... But still they persisted and persevered. That's how I want to be.

Today I saw the movie "The Notebook" with the campus ministry students. So far the best love story I've ever seen, I was a bit teary-eyed. It was an adaptation of the novel by Nicholas Sparks who made "A Walk to Remember", also a good romance movie. After that I met my parents and went to Cartimar to get some rocks for my aquarium. After that I dropped by Campus Crusade to pick-up a gift from Ate Merla from AIYS 2004, it's my birthday on September 11. September 11, easy to remember right. I still remember where I was during 9-11 in 2001... I'm at a friend's house for an overnight. It was the thesis months and students often stay together at one of their homes to work together and help with each other's thesis plate. It was a long practiced tradition. It was my birthday and I treated my friends for house dinner at my friend's apartment. No TV or whatsoever for weeks. I learned about 9-11 when a friend called me, there was no access to TV so I had to see it for a couple days more. Scary stuff. Anyway, another year for me...