Merry Christmas!!!

My child can read part 2

One thing my son misses from Maryland is his school’s playgroup. He started going to school in Maryland when he was 2 years old. We won’t forget how fun and full of learning it was (I know because I’m also inside the classroom every class). The ‘Infants and Toddlers’ and ‘ABC class’ that he was attending really helped him a lot to develop his confidence in mingling with other kids. Aside from him attending school, my wife and I are always assisting him to learn more in the best we can. My plan of finding him a new school here in California is in my priority list, but unfortunately, we moved here late September when all schools are closed for new registration and we need to wait for next year for him to be included. As of now, he’s attending Sunday school in New Life Christian Fellowship church; while we are in the service; all the kids are in a separate room for the Sunday class. I’m so happy about it because, this time, not only his academic skills are being developed but also his spiritual aspect. One night when we are praying, he includes Kuya Noy (their Sunday school teacher) and the other kids (his classmates) in his prayer.
“… and please take care of mommy, daddy and me… and Kuya Noy and other kids…”
I know that he’s in good hands with them because I saw it myself when I stayed in the classroom since Clarence doesn’t want me to go away from him in his first day. Plus the fact that Clarence said I love you to his teachers really shows how comfortable he is with them. Started with a prayer then all their story-telling and fun activities are about Jesus and children with good behavior.

We don’t want him to be deprived of the things he could learn from school, so we always find time at home to do some activities he used to do in school. There are story-telling, painting and now reading. We’re proud to say that his reading skills are taught by us, his parents. No other people made him learn to read but us. I’m planning to bring him in McKinley Library twice a week for they have a program for toddlers. Circle time or story-telling. I always believe that my son will do well someday and we will support him to the best we can. This is part 2 of my blog where I show the whole world how good he is. At the age of 2yr/11 mos. he can read 3 letter words and when he reached 3yrs/6mos. old he can read a full sentence. A bit struggle for some words but I know with a little more patience and with some fun-strategy learning, he will be able to read without any mistakes in no time. Please have time to watch the video below to see his progress.



My child can read part 1 can be accessed by clicking this link

Use Thy Gifts

When I was still clouded with insecurities, low self-esteem and fear before, I always tell myself that I don’t have any talents nor I can do anything. I’m so shallow that when there are people doing small things which are different, I was easily amazed and felt jealous. I even blame my parents for being deprived of things other people gain from their riches, I was thinking then that if they only give me all the things I needed, I will be as good as those people I envied. –See how dull it is. I lived with these negative thoughts throughout my life but one very thing I kept on wondering was – in spite of all these obnoxity, I was still being taken cared of and blessed with a better life than others.

This was all answered when I started my curiosity about Jesus. I noticed that if you are interested in something, you’ll find a way to know it more and more. I started looking for answers and I believe God assisted me in the right way. I went to many Christian churches, and was able to join Couples for Christ.. –this started everything. My spiritual health began to nourish and little by little, took away my wrong thoughts about myself. God uses His people as instruments to make me a totally new person. I was grateful to what He has done for me. Even greater, He lead me the way to be closer to my brother here in California who encourages me more of my faith with Jesus. He put me in their church, New Life Christian Fellowship which made my understanding deeper with the weekly teaching of their Pastor and spiritual conversations with his family. I was able to realize things I don’t think I ever had before—and these are my gifts.

I learned that everybody has given a gift, big or small, unrecognized or obvious. These are all from God if we treasure and claim it. Gifts that are already within us ever since and the only thing we needed to do is to make it richer and pure. Make use of it in the right and best way we can. Thank God for thy gifts and offer them back to Him – for He is worthy of all of these. How?

As simple as this writing, I don’t even consider this as a gift before, but now I’m using this to reach other people as a form of thanksgiving and to serve Him in the littlest way I know. From now on my knowledge in computers will be shared to others according to what God has planned for it. My patience in teaching as what I worked before being Class Instructor can be used in trying to deliver what I know. Gifts of tongue, friendship, and love made my little ways into its biggest mission and that is – to serve our Almighty God.

If you know how to play guitar, use it – in fellowship;
If you are an athlete, use your power to reach your team mates and introduce God;
If you are a teacher, use it in spreading the word of God;
If you are a caregiver – read the Bible to your patient, show them goodness;
If you are good in photography – use it in showing the beauty God had created for us;
If you’re a simple worker – use it, give hope to others by helping your colleagues in getting out from the darkness;
If you’re a musician – use it in giving glory to the Lord;
If you’re a lawyer – use it to give the right justice for all who are in need;

A simple task you can give may create a big impact to others as what had happened to my life. Use thy gifts and share it with others.

It's About Time

I just noticed that most of my friends and former college classmates chose to get married at this time of our age. Last year 3 of them had their wedding and this year 2 more. No one likes to be left behind. Probably, because at this stage, I believe that most of us reached stability in life and becomes more ready to face another life’s challenge. We’re not getting any younger. I supposed. Sadly, some of my friends are still looking and even worse, one of them hasn’t experienced to have a girlfriend in his entire life. He has other priorities than his own happiness. Love can wait, he reasoned out. But he can’t deny it because he’s longing to have a partner is somewhat getting into our conversation most of the time. There’s one time I teased him to look for a pickup artist and learn from that person. Well, he’s not that desperate he defended. He told me that he already has prospects and all he needed is to be noticed. I told him that it will all depend with the right pick up lines that he’s going to deliver, I guess. Sometimes, a simple “Hi!” or “How are you doing?” will do the trick. I also added these other lines and advised him to have the guts to say it when he gets a chance.

"Pardon me, is this seat taken?"
"Excuse me but have we met before?"
"I’m just new here can I ask you something?"

I admit to him that I’m not good with this but I can say that the important thing is to get the woman’s attention, and once he got it, he should know what to do next. He should also seek dating advice from our other friends who have lots of experience from girls, and when I say lots, I mean numerous of exes, which made them experts in these kinds of stuffs. All I can say to him now, is to be serious in finding the right girl for him and when he did find her, make sure that he’ll get to know her better and that she’ll be the one that will be with him for the rest of his life – For he deserves to be happy, and I wish him all the best!

Another Time-out story

I was surprised when my son put his stuff snake in the corner and kept on saying "Stay there, Mr. snake!". That's what we're doing to him as his time-out when he's misbehaving. And when I asked him what Mr. Snake did to get a time-out like that, I laughed when I heard the reason..



"Daddy I put him in the corner because he's sticking out his tongue, that's not nice! diba? (right?)!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's another special day to celebrate, Thanksgiving. It's so special that should actually be done everyday. I would like to share my son's prayer that he's citing before meals maybe your children can use this as well, simple yet meaningful. Here how it goes:

" God is good
God is great
Bless the food
We're about to eat
Amen "

With a combination of his sweet smile makes the food so rich and blessed. He started this before he reach 3 years old and from there on, he was able to memorize it and get to know the real meaning of it. It's a good christian practice for our children to give thanks to the Lord. As what we all believe, It is right to give Him thanks and praise. "All that we have and all that we do, we give it back to you Oh lord, Jesus."

Know how the enemy works...

For us to know how to deal with the enemies we should know how they work. This will enable us to defeat them strategically and effortlessly. This opponent’s plan is apparent whenever we do good things for our Lord Jesus.

Collection and Investment in One

Have you ever considered having some collection items? When I was a kid I collected matchbox, a toy brand for miniature toy cars. I got them from gifts, trade-ins and personal purchase. I always proud just looking at them. How they accumulate so fast with different models making one unique from another was so fascinating to me before. But where are they now? Some of them were lost when we moved, some were given to my cousins and some more to my playmates. I thought that it was not a serious collection that I should continue because it doesn’t benefit me much aside from just giving my passion with those toys a chance to be fulfilled when I was a kid. It’s more of a hobby, I guess. Now that I’m mature enough to handle manhood, I think! I’m planning of something that will benefit me and at the same time I will also enjoy in a more sophisticated way. Someone suggested to me to collect coins, but this time, not the old-fashioned way of just putting them on display for everybody to see and being proud of it. If it’s possible, he urged, try putting it as an investment. That’s why I’m talking about not ordinary coins here but gold coins.



You know what I’m thinking? I’m kind of trying to make it more interesting by putting these coins in a chest, making it look like a real treasure, which it is! The sparkle of gold really attracts my eyes especially when they pile up in one place. But this is not the way how to deal with these. This just proves how immature still I am. The real questions are, what should I know first before I buy my first ounce of gold coin or bullion? When should I buy? As of the moment I don’t have a clear knowledge about this kind of business but it’s worth contemplating as one possible income source. Like everybody says, Gold is money.

Truly One Dream Vacation

While I’m browsing my video files in my computer, I found the one when our good friend Connie brought us to “beach” somewhere in Maryland. I quoted the word because it’s not actually a natural beach but it’s man-made. The first time we went there we were so excited because I can say right there and then, on Clarence’s account, that it will be one of his first time experiences. I never brought him in a beach so I know that it will be a totally new surrounding for him. He only sees beach in cartoons from Ni-Hao Kailan and Dora’s sand castles episodes. He has an idea but he doesn’t know how it feels like to step on a real sandy beach. It was really beautiful, calming and breezy, you will not think that it’s man-made only when Connie told us that the water is not sea-salt but instead fresh water like from rivers or lakes. But Clarence enjoyed it a lot. It’s still his first time though, experiencing a man-made beach is quite a different thing that we can proudly put in his photo book. It’s a memorable experience for us with Connie and her family during the last days we had in Maryland. Now, we are still looking forward to bring Clarence to a natural beach for him to see the beauty and the wonder that nature brings. I found one in the internet where a complete vacation package awaits tourists and nature lovers to see, it is the Oceanfront Myrtle Beach Resorts.

Having a nice vacation and teaching Clarence to appreciate nature in one occasion will be great. Myrtle Beach Resorts offer hotels, golf courses, museums, parks and more which are all located near the breath taking shores that will really make you feel relaxed and think that you’re out at last from the busy moving world. This will fulfill our plan of showing Clarence the natural beach he is longing to see for the first time with a plus of experiencing other things that Beach Resorts Myrtle Beach can offer. I hope we can do this soon. As of the moment, enjoying Clarence videos are still worth our time-offs to relax and enjoy family togetherness.

Good news for First time Homebuyers

First-time home buyer tax credit extension approved
November 5, 11:59 AMReal Estate News ExaminerBroderick Perkins

The first-time home buyer tax credit extension and expansion has won Congressional approval and is on its way to President Barack Obama.

He's expected to sign the measure as early as tomorrow.

The U.S. House of Representatives, this morning, voted 403 to 12 to pass the measure, following unanimous U.S. Senate approval yesterday.

The measure was passed as part of unemployment benefits extension legislation H.R. 3548.

The extension and expansion of the popular first-time home buyers tax credit gives both new and move-up buyers a tax incentive to buy a home until at least April 30, 2010, longer for military personnel.

The new tax credit extends the existing credit for first-time homebuyers, worth up to $8,000, and offers a new credit of up to $6,500 for some existing homeowners.

The reduced credit for existing homeowners is available to those who have been in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period.

The new rule also raises the qualifying income limits to $125,000 for single taxpayers and $225,000 for joint taxpayers, from the current $75,000 and $150,000.

The maximum allowed home purchase price is $800,000.

A home buyer must have a sale agreement in hand by April 30 and close escrow by June 30, 2010.

Military personnel, deployed overseas for a minimum of 90 days in 2008 or 2009, would have until April 30, 2011 to claim the tax credit.

That's all good news for the housing market.

The National Association of Realtors says as many as 400,000 resale transactions (1.2 million for both new and resale homes) were completed specifically because of the first-time home buyer tax credit, since it began, and that put a dent in the housing inventory.

Home sales also add property and sales tax revenues to the coffers of local governments as reduced inventory helps boost prices and home values.

Fortunately, the tax credit also has been available at a time when often have been below 5 percent.

Fortunately, the first-time home buyer tax credit's availability has coincided with mortgage rates often hanging below 5 percent, according to Jeff Howard, CEO of Erate.com.

As the Nov. 30 tax credit deadline neared, reports from the Commerce Department, revealed new home sales slipped 3.6 percent in September and were down 7.8 percent from September 2008.

Wholesale is a Big on sale

When it comes to saving money I always make sure that I’m updated. I collect coupons, wait for the on-sale and seasonal promos and look for good deals in different stores. I also joined wholesale stores like Sam’s Club in Maryland. Even if there’s a membership fee, you will still find it cheap to buy products in packs or bundles. My reason, if you’re going to use a product more often anyway why won’t you buy plenty of it in much lesser or cheaper price when you have money to do it. I find it a good deal to buy bulk of baby diapers there when Clarence was just 11 months old. Even if Clarence used almost 5 diapers in a day, my stock of diapers will still be good until our next scheduled shopping.

When Clarence turned 2, I tried using training pants so it will be easy for him to go whenever necessary because that was the time I also teach him going to the potty on his own. Still, I used the same practice in stocking up of diapers and I can tell you that I did not waste a single one. Now that he’s more than 3, and potty trained, I continue using it and I found Huggies Pull-Ups good for him which he only wears during the night when he goes to bed. When you try to check our pantry and closets you will find packs and bundles of bathroom tissues, canned goods and snacks. Products that will count a year before it expires. I can say that I saved a lot in a wholesale store.

Another Day of Shopping

Remember my article about Shopwiki, well my wife’s friend, Tina had read about it and wishing that she could shop also using the site. And when I asked, what’s preventing her to do so, she replied with annoyingly tone saying, “Hello???, I’m in Australia!!!”. Well I get back on her by saying… “Knock knock Tina, you’re just in Australia and not on Mars! Hehe”. I mean if she was able to read my article in the internet, she sure can try searching for Shopwiki too in her area. That’s the power of the internet. I asked her to get a pen and dictated to her the website’s address for Australia since I’m already in front of my computer. She’s so excited about it. I can’t blame her because she’s not that really good in computers, I know that! since her profession is not related in modern technology, (Tina, if you’re reading, please admit it, Lols!). I even told her that it’s also available in UK and France where some of her cousins live.

After they had a very looong talk, I asked my wife if she still has a plan to go out and buy an electric fan. Maybe you’re wondering why should we need one considering it’s almost winter. I know in Maryland, where we used to live, cold temp. starts on fall season but here in California we’re still getting 79° inside our apartment, turning on the air conditioner is a waste of money that’s why electric fan is in our TO BUY list. We went to Arden Mall, it’s so big and there’s a lot of stores. But we didn’t get any luck finding an electric fan, one of the store crews said that they only put out products based on the current season. I guess we’re going to check the Chinese outlet that my brother recommended us to go. My wife spotted a kid’s store and check for Clarence’s pants. I thought she will just look around but when she asked for the wallet, I refused. I told her that the “2 for $22” promo ($13.50 for 1) pants she’s holding is available in Shopwiki with a lesser price but same quality and style. Check this out.



This is just $4.98 each and you won’t be needing to get 2 pairs to save money. Instead of getting 2 of the same style, you can shop for another one. When we got home, I show her the site’s directory and she was overwhelmed with a lot of choices from different stores. I taught her how to sort it based on price and brand. Again, I know she felt lucky having me around hehe..

Animator vs. Animation

How I wish I have the talent in making such programs like this. This really amazes me. Those who are familiar in computer stuffs will surely appreciate this. Kudos to the one who created this, my advice for you is give yourself a break, try to stay away from computers for some time. LoLs!

Where is she?

I can't figure out where the girl went. Of all the challenges I tried to solve, this one left me hanging. Even if I did stare at her with all my concentration. I still can't get it. I think there's a clue in the sound but it's really hard to hear it right. Better to increase the volume of your speakers. Maybe you can help me with this mystery. Leave me a comment when you know the answer. Thanks.

Our Neighborhood

Friends and relatives always ask us about our new place. I can’t describe it in words, fortunately, I found a video that will best describe the neighborhood where we moved in. The video will also show the Mercy General Hospital where my wife got her new job. The hospital is just beside our apartment. There’s also a park six blocks away from us. We just need to walk to that park whenever Clarence wishes to go there, check out the second video below. I took the video the day after having a heavy rain so it doesn't show the real beauty of the park which is supposedly clean and bloom with flowers. So far, most people we encountered are nice and friendly. How safe it is can be seen at night time, you can still see people in the park, jogging, feeding ducks and playing even at around 7 pm. The only disadvantage living in downtown is the noise of new building constructions and cars on the roadways but all in all, we are beginning to like Sacramento.

Fun Day with our Friends

One thing we’ll surely missed in Maryland is our dear friends who made us understand that homesickness doesn’t exist in America. They were the ones who accepted us for who we are. They helped and supported us till our last day in Maryland. When we left them I felt the same way I did the day I separated from my family in the Philippines. Truly, they made a significant part in our lives. Friends, who we can count on and always there for us in times of fun or trouble. Our CFC Family made us grow in love – love for God and love for family. They inspired us to be in our best, as individuals and as children of God. They totally changed our lives for the better. God really works in mysterious ways. I knew from the very start that meeting the CFC organization was not an accident. They are instruments of God used to make our struggled lives straightened. I owe to them the happiness and the peace of mind me and my family are enjoying right now. For all of these, we take this opportunity to thank them for everything. Our CFC Household Family, Bro. Jun and Sis. Babes Sacay, Annette and her family, Connie and her Family who were there in the last days of our stay in Maryland.

The video clip below will show you how much fun to be with them. You may need to increase the volume because the original music background I used was not loud enough. (Music by Wayne Waltner – God, Family and Friends)








We miss you so much!!! God Bless you all!!! Continue bringing God's blessing to all!!!

Al, Lorie and Clarence

Looking for TV

Ten days in California without TV! We’re planning to get one but we don’t know yet what brand and how big but definitely a LCD one. I want the one that can be connected to my computer without me buying an extra pc interface or converter. That’s the reason why we just subscribed for internet and phone service because we don’t have a TV yet for Direct TV. Whenever I visit my brother’s house, I always watch their recorded shows because they do have DVR and service from DirectTV too. It’s helpful because we don’t want to miss the news in the Philippines regarding the flood caused by Typhoon Ondoy (Tropical Storm Ketsana). For now, that’s one of the means we're using to know what’s happening in the Philippines.

My son already misses his favorite cartoons and shows. When we were in Maryland, I used to give him schedule for watching TV but only programs that have my approval, of course, educational and descent. So once we get a TV here, the next plan I’m thinking is to call Directv and inquire about their promos and special packages. I know they give good deals in a cheap price.

New place, new look!

I didn’t expect moving to a different state will be that so difficult. We came all the way from Maryland and arrived here in California last week. We wish to bring everything we have, like our old stuffs; appliances, furniture, clothes and etc. but we just really couldn’t. The expense that we will be having for the shipping and packing will be more than the value of these stuffs. We just brought what we really needed and the others we sell and gave to our friends. Now, we are starting to settle down and little by little establishing again things we needed for this new beginning. We looked for bed, sofa and some utensils in our first day here, then we subscribed for internet and phone services. Now, we are looking for our new clothes to wear since most of our clothes were left to our friends in Maryland. We’re just new in this place that’s why the internet really helps us a lot. I searched and surfed till one of the net shops got my eyes’ attention. It is Shopwiki which gives a variety of choices for men’s clothing. One thing I liked about it is being organized, they will make it easy for you to shop for the particular clothing type you need. You can sort it by size, by season and by style. Like the one I found in their men’s outwear. Check this out.





Leather jacket is one in my priority list, since there’s no snow here in California, I can still use it for winter. Their styles really made me look for more options in their site plus tips and links that you can use as your own fashion resources. If you are looking for signature clothing, they also have men’s clothing designer page. There’s nothing you could ask for more. In stating this, I remember the time my nephew begged from his dad a stylish drawstring shorts which I found in shopwiki’s jeans section. I’m sure he will like this one.



I would also recommend to him to check the Surfing and bodyboarding section since he always complain that he’s getting bored with his old sports and kept on looking for more adventurous sports or hobby. Now that we’re here in California, I can be my nephew’s buddy in some of his manhood activities. Being close to my family is one of the factors why we chose to transfer here. I hope everything will be perfect in this new environment we chose to live. And I do hope that our new look will match this new place.

I Left My Heart in California

I wasn’t able to update my blog for a long time for we’ve been busy in our vacation in California. We visited my brother’s family in Elk grove. Finally, after 5 years of being apart we’re so thrilled of being together once again. When we got there, we ignored the almost 8-hours flight that we’ve gone through. We talked overnight along with my sister-in-law and their two bright kids. My brother finally had the chance to meet my son face to face. I told Clarence that he is his legitimate uncle because my son usually refers all our male friends as his uncle. We really liked their place, especially when you see most of your “kababayan” (fellow Filipinos). It’s like you don’t feel you’re away from your hometown. We enjoyed once again eating Filipino food like sizzling sisig, crispy pata (pork hocks), daing na bangus (salted-dried milkfish), pancit (stir-fried noodles) and etc. They brought us in Seafood City where we saw all the food chains that are originated from Philippines like Jollibee, Red Ribbon and ChowKing. All staff and crews are Filipinos, they are everywhere. They are free to use our own language which I seldom hear from other people for years. It’s like a hang-out for Filipinos and if you see an American inside, you’ll think that he is the foreigner in his own land. Well, the American who goes there are actually either spouse of a Filipino or friend of a Filipino. My son really loved playing with his cousins and staying in their big house. Play parks are also everywhere with just less a mile away from each other.

In my other post, I talked about transferring to California and I believe going there for just a little visit made us decide to pursue this plan. We already did what is needed to do in our moving and I’ll tell you, it’s not as simple as that. We already established a home in the apartment here in Maryland. I mean furnitures, appliances, stock of canned goods, supplies and everything. But the very thing that we’ll surely miss is our friends. There are lots of things needed to consider in this kind of transition; application of new apartment in California, cancelling of accounts in our Internet Service Provider, job hunting, auto shipping and etc. We’re thinking to call Direct TV to learn if we can bring our old account with us. I know there’s also Direct TV in California because my brother is actually using their service. We enjoyed watching programs from it especially my brother has DVR which recorded everything we'd liked to watch while we are out of the house. I do hope that Direct Satellite TV has a moving and relocation program because I really loved their service. It will be easier for us to establish a new beginning if some of our old stuffs are with us.

We hope and pray that this decision is right for us. I believe my son will have a better future in the new environment he’ll be living in. Our deciding factor always ends about him. What’s best for our son is always our priority regardless if we already established a stable life in Maryland. Because we saw good schools in California, how safe it is and the support of the relatives around.

"Daddy gets silly!..."

"Daddy gets silly! whuhuhu" this is exactly what Clarence told his mom.. hahaha.. I don't know what came into me but I found myself teasing my son so hard. It started when he didn’t listen to what I asked him to do. Whatever he acts, I mimic him until I annoyed him so much and began to cry... then my cruelty doesn’t end there, I still continue copying what he does, how he cries, how he stomps and worse giving exaggeration in it.. I ignore him saying “stop!” I was like a little maniac who kept on pissing him off, survival of the fittest, I said to myself.. haha.. we’re both screaming as I followed every pitch of his cry.. not minding the grumpy old man living upstairs. Then my wife woke up and gave us a fiery look as if she’s trying to tell me something that I should’ve known right from the very start. That’s her power, just one look, a strong hidden message hehe.. Oh well, that’s my signal to stop. My son hurriedly went towards her and surprisingly said that phrase. Surprised because I didn’t know how he will tell to her mom what I did… Usually, he’ll go to his mom crying, “Daddy got mad!” but today is different, he made his description of what had happened so funny. He just perceived it as silliness whereas I’m expecting him to say that “we had a fight”. For I know I got him real good. It’s not my intention to make him cry, it’s just that my son is really irresistibly cute for me that I wanted to tease him and have fun with him. I believe it’s better to get silly than to get mad. You know, child heart! Everyone has it.

Book's Cover

I'll ask you to stare at the image above carefully, what can you see? Many of you will say that there's a point or black dot. That will be the very first response we’ll have in our minds. That’s what I answered before when somebody asked me about this. We only see what is obvious. We didn’t give enough attention to what is bigger and more evident in the picture --- and that is the clear and enormous WHITE, surrounding the black dot. Actually, if the black dot was not there, then we will now say, it’s empty or there's nothing in there. Just blank. Sadly, this kind of viewpoint lives among all of us. What we see first are the negatives, we often forget the beauty that lies beneath those. This is true in meeting people, we sometimes prejudge them on how they look, how they dressed, how they walk and others. I would like to present this thought in a video and you be the judge.

Susan Boyle


She's really amazing, isn't she? It's true what they say that you cannot judge a book by its cover. You have to know the person better first before you can say anything that really has sense about that person.

This is sometimes true which is happening right in our own homes. Our spouses will do their best in cleaning the whole house but instead of appreciation and compliment, they'll get criticism, whether the cleaning is not right, they wasted a lot of cleaning agent when they can just use little or there’s still a place in the house that is unclean. We didn't consider the hardship they've gone through, the sacrifices they gave just to clean up, they could be watching their favorite show or do shopping for themselves instead. We should be grateful of what they're doing especially when it's hardly done just to please us.

One busy child equals one happy dad.

We went to Clarence’s playgroup today and it was held in PACT, a Kennedy Krieger institute that helps children with special needs. I didn’t anticipate that they will be involved in water play even if I already saw in the playgroup’s calendar the phrase “water play”. I thought we will just have a trip on some swimming pools and water kind of stuffs. Good thing, Like Dora and Diego, I always carry my backpack. I have his complete set of clothes that can be good for 3 days hehe.. towels, food, wipes and etc..

Clarence really enjoyed it, the fact that he’s allowed to play in the water as long as he wants and to do whatever he likes to do, is really a good treat for him. It’s really different when he’s with other kids, he can see how their creativity and courageousness set into play. There are kids who have no fear to get wet, tried high slides and climbed arched steel ladders. And there are some who squirted and sprayed water using the toys around them. No doubt, it’s another great and learning experience for him.

At home, letting him play in our patio with water hose, watering can, pail and dipper made him so busy that I can do some chores without any interruptions. Of course his safety is still considered, our patio is not slippery when wet and I can clearly see him from where I am. He loved playing with water. He’s very much free to do whatever he wants, I believe this will develop his cognitive skills. He’s trying to get answers from his curiosity, like the cause and effect theory. He’s there watering the veggie plants, the grass and the patio table and chairs while me in the computer, blogging hehe… Again, it’s a win-win solution for parents and child. You may also think of other ideas that can make your child busy. Other parents in Clarence’s playgroup shared to me that they bought set of locks, magnets, and others that are not toy-like items because as you’ll notice, kids are more attracted to those things that they’re prohibited to play than to their usual and kind of weary child toys. Here are some of the pictures I took for that event.

Each Day, Another Chapter!

When I was not into CFC (Couples for Christ) yet, I don’t know how to start using the Bible. Some have told me things about it. One has said that people who are bringing the book are hypocrites because they are exposing it when they have a bag to keep it, another said to the one who carries it, “What’s the gimmick?” But most often I heard people saying that they got answers from it. I’m really confused why some people find it waste of time while others claim it as wisdom. Two people has attested to me that when they are in their lowest moments of their lives, they just get the bible, open it and in front of them is a scripture which lifts them up and resolves their confused minds. I can say that people who has lack in knowledge about the Bible has no right to say anything bad about it. Like, you cannot give criticism to a movie that you, yourself haven’t watched. I, myself is still discovering what it can offer to my life and I’m happy that I was accepted in CFC to make this process possible for me. I cannot say anything yet about the Bible because I don’t want to make mistakes on describing it, all I know is, there’s a purpose why in a very long time, it is still in existence. Having joined the Christian Life Program made me committed in their objectives and goals. Like a husband to my wife, or a father to my son, I have an obligation and interest to pursue. One of them is to read the Bible.

Many might want to try reading the Bible but the often question they have in minds is “How/Where should I start?” In the Bible Reading Guide that CFC provided me, they made it very simple and easy. It has a checklist like this:



Each day, one chapter. That’s really easy, if you can spend a lot of time doing junk in the internet, why don’t you try giving some minutes to do this. They asked us to do this for at least 15 minutes a day. They also recommended the following:

1. Say a short prayer before you start reading, asking for the Holy Spirit to enlighten you and for God’s Word to find a home in your heart.
2. Read the text through quickly. Then read it again, this time slowly and trying to understand more fully.
3. Meditate on what you have read, especially those portions that struck you.

When I opened Mark’s Gospel, It says in the introduction that it’s an ideal starting place for someone (like me) who knows little about Jesus. It’s style --—simple sentences, without complicated transitions or long speeches ----makes understanding easier. I realized it’s true, it made me wanting to read more when I started. It’s my 10th day today and I just read Chapter 10 a moment ago. Who can say that the old Bible we found under the pile of books in my Aunt’s house in the Philippines will be useful for me. Now I know why we were able to dig it up and brought here in US.

Let's Do the Safety Check!

We already taught our son how to cross the road inside our apartment complex but we still can’t be sure of his safety from some reckless drivers. Yesterday when we sent Lorie to work, (we usually walk her to the train station and played in the park afterwards) we were walking slowly in the parking lot when suddenly a man started backing up his car when we were just a yard away from his rear. If Lorie didn’t shout which alarmed the driver, I don’t know what terrible could happen. We’re too big for the driver not to be seen at the back of his car. He just wave like he’s trying to apologize but he still continues driving as if it’s not a big deal. I’m waiting for him to get off the car and check if there’s something went wrong with us, but he didn’t. We were still shocked then and didn’t think of arguing or getting his plate number. All our concern has been brought to our son if he’s okay. We got so scared of thinking the horrible things that might have happened when the man continued backing up. As of now, we’re all okay. Thank God. I know He was there to protect us.

Whenever my son and I are outside I don’t let him get too far away from me, I’m always a meter away from him when walking in the sidewalk. I think I’m getting so paranoid, always thinking that someone might get him from me haha. I love my son so much, that’s why! And when we are about to cross the road, he knows the rule, I just need to say “Okay.. safety check!!!” and he will respond, “Stop! Look and Listen!!!” in a singing mode… He’s now looking on both sides making sure that it’s clear to cross, but sometimes, I still need to remind him. There’s one time, I forgot to do the routine because I can see from afar that it’s safe to cross, he cautioned me, “Daddy, Stoooppp! Stop! Look and Listen first!!!!” hahaha… followed up by saying “That’s dangewoouuss..!” Oh well, I said, “oh, I’m sorry, I forgot about our safety check!”. That’s just one instance, but now when we’re out I always make sure that we do this practice constantly. It’s like making him responsible in a fun and easy way he’ll like it. I believe everybody should have their own safety patrol anywhere and anytime.

Reading bedtime stories

Every night my son asks me to read books for him. If he gets one book, he'll immediately tell me "That's not the last one, Huh?" meaning, he will get another one after I finished the first. I don't know if that is one of his delaying tactics in going to bed but all I know reading books is good for him. Sometimes I enjoyed it but other times, I don't. It's me to blame, I let him gets used to it because I somewhat feel guilty if I don't grant his request (of reading second book). When I know that he’s asking for a good option rather than playing. But the good thing is, he agreed to me when I say that the second book will be the last one. Sometimes, he’s outsmarted me by getting the thickest book he has in the shelf as his last book for the night hahaha.. If I’m so sleepy, I tried to skip pages but there he is to remind me that I missed a page, I think he memorized the pictures in each page hehe.. but according to what I read from kidshealth.org, here it is..

Why Should I Read to My Toddler?
Studies show that children with active exposure to language have social and educational advantages over their peers - and reading is one of the best exposures to language.

Sure enough because I can see that his developmental stage is getting advanced from his other playmates of the same age. One time, while I’m driving the car, and out of nowhere he tells me, “BUMPS Daddy!” I was surprised because it was written in a big orange warning sign posted on the side of the road which is under construction along the way. "Don't go to the bumps, daddy huh?!"


At the age of 3, he can read 3 letter words but I haven’t taught him of words with combination of consonants in it. I was really thrilled that when our story time came, I read him the two books he wanted without any complaints. I read him every single word not minding if he knows the words or if he understands it. I tried to explain some words but not all. I believe hearing the words even if he’s not fully listening will still help him. Pictures really help in giving the idea of the words I read. The last time we were out my wife asked me to go to Ross Store for us to get him a Christian story book which is indeed useful and also informative for his spiritual growth. I don’t advertise, but Ross has cheap books and educational toys too.

How to Say "No" to your child

This post is in response to gab’s mom’s question from my last blog. As you all know, gab’s mom is also Clarence’s godmother and a good friend of mine. Here’s her question:

"i should start saying NO to him! i'm the mom, yeah? LOL

but wait, he's just 1 and 9 mos, should i let him win for now? ha ha ha! i just thought that he might be too young for a resounding NO! what do you think?"

My last post was on how to deal with your toddler when all you hear from him is “No”. Now, I’ll share with you how to say “No” to your child in other ways. It’s parent’s turn to say “No” in ways that (I believe) will be effective in the child’s development regardless of the age. Constantly saying “No” to your child causes it’s meaning to lose its sense. When your child always hears “No”, “Stop” or “Don’t” he’s most likely to become frustrated or afraid to try new things. He can’t build his confidence when you always think that he can’t be messy, risky or free. Though our objective is to protect our child, it’s still better that he will learn this (our objective) by himself---- on WHY we are resistant in his actions. Consider this example, when your child is about to reach the toilet water, of course, your first response is to say “No!” that’s fine (to say No at his first attempt) but it will be more effective when you support it with an explanation. Like “That’s dirty!” or “Yucky! It will make you sick!” So the next time he goes for the toilet again (which he will surely do), instead of “No”, you can just say “Dirty!”, “Yucky” with an exaggerated disgusted face expression. This will help your child understand WHY, and the toilet will be less attractive for him.

Another example is when your child asks for his toy during meal time, of course you will say No again. No, no and no!... That’s kind of irritating on him also, let’s put ourselves into their shoes, it’s like what we feel when our spouses tell the same thing on us in an argument. So here’s another way you can say No to your child the next time he asks for a toy during meal time. “Okay, son you can have/play your toy but it will be later after you finish your food” or "YES! yes, you'll have your toy once dinner is done". "Okay" and "Yes" are better in hearing for them but you can see there’s still a compromise. It’s a bargain that they will surely accept instead of NO (no toy) at all.

My last example is making yourself responsible as a grown-up. You want to protect your child but you are the one who’s sometimes making things dangerous for him. You don’t like to say No all the time so you have to do something on the things and place your child is wandering. Make his world a childproof environment and his toys safe for him. Like when your child tried to touch an electrical outlet, you’ll be there again to hysterically say “No!” but if you already put outlet plugs on it, there’s no reason for you to worry and your child will be free from hearing the No word constantly. If he kept on going to the kitchen or toilet, you can use toddler SAFETY gates or door knob locks. No one else could know what your child needs to be protected but YOU. Be proactive and Beat the Negative. Yes! It rhymes again.

The “No” Word!

It seems that toddlers’ first learning words will not be a set if the word NO is not present. For them it’s a powerful word that can put things in the way they want it to be. I believe this is a normal behavior, a stage where things are hard for the parents to handle. You ask something that you’ll like him to do but instead he’ll just stare at you, shakes head or say “NO!” or even ‘better‘ he does the exact opposite of what he was told. 2 to 3 years old are like that as I observed from my own son and his playgroup mates. Some parents shared the same experience. I think this is the stage where our kids wanted to be in control. They want to do things their own way. We can’t blame them. They have their own opinions and ideas. We want them to be independent but we also like them to be mindful of the needs of others, to see danger, to think before they act and to say No in such acceptable ways. Because saying No is also important! For them, to stay away in trouble or bad things when they get older.

But for the meantime, we want of course, to make our kids not to be used in saying this (I could say) a bit negative word.  One thing I’ve learned from Janice Simons, one of Clarence's very patient teachers was not to give Clarence an option to say No if we want him to do something. Like, when we’re cleaning up his toys and we want to ask him to put his truck away, we will say, “Where do you want this truck, on the shelf or under your table?” In that way, he has no choice but to keep his truck in either place, and hearing the No word becomes lesser. Two acceptable choices that will also make him decide. In food, he sometimes dislike apple but his only second option is grapes. So I didn’t give him anything bad like cookies as another option. Another thing is when you are asking him to do something that he will resist to do, verbally or physically. Like when I ask him to get a diaper, naturally, he’ll say a really tough NO with a look of determination that’s like he’s not gonna break his final word NO. According to Ms. Peggi Kelly, he’s another strong-willed teacher, you should not give up by you yourself getting the diaper, but instead you’ll make sure that your child is getting the signal you’re passing on him. He should know that you are more determined to get your goal – the Diaper.. LOLs! I mean the idea of your child to follow what has been asked him to do. You should not ignore it by saying “oh well, I’ll get it myself just to make it simple!” which is a big mistake because it will just make a perception to your child that he can manipulate you by just saying No. –And that’s not making your life SIMPLE! Instead, you’ll tell your child that you will get the diaper together and you will help him in finding and pulling it from wherever it is kept. You’ll be surprised that he’ll do it…, with you just watching beside him. It’s a win-win-win game, you get your goal of making him follow you, prevents him in possible manipulating on you and you get the diaper. Say No to Stress, Say Yes to Success!! Hehe It rhymes.

Singing is Praying Twice

Singing is praying. When one sings one prays twice - so said the great Saint Augustine. While singing in the front of the Lord, we are in touch with the deepest center of our heart. Whatever moves there, comes out before our Creator as a loving offering to Him. The emotions of joy, grief, anger and frustration pour out in the presence of the Lord in loving trust and total self-surrender.

Singing together is praying together - brothers and sisters in deep communion with each other in the overflowing love of God. Praising God in song draws down double graces too.

Singing right doesn't exclude off-tuned singers. It is when you sing with all your heart and soul as an offering to God Almighty. Before, I sing quietly in church because I know that I’m one of the off-tuned people who can’t raise a note. Funny because I do that just not to look stupid, but I realized it does made me look more stupid when there’s a crowd singing then there I am, showing how much shy to sing. It’s different now, if you know that you are singing as a family with the same objective, you’ll not feel any awkwardness. You can shout without anyone noticing you. I found myself singing so loud whenever we give worship and praises to the Lord. Why don’t you try these songs below. Don Moen is one of our favorites.







ADS

ACTS

I didn't know before that there's a structure you can use in prayer. When I'm praying I just talk to Jesus with whatever words that's coming out from my mind, my heart and my mouth. Christian Life Program informed me about this structure. They pointed out that there's nothing wrong if you have a fixed prayer, or you don't have flowery words, the important thing is it's coming from the bottom of your heart. The structure will just give us a guide in our prayer. It's not a requirement to follow but rather just to help us to make our thoughts organized. At the end, you and your prayer will always be the best for you whatever structure you use as long as it's for the good of your household and your neighbors.

One structure for prayer is given by the acronym "ACTS", representing adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication (or intercession.) This is one order, where we start off focusing on who God is, and praising him for that. Others find a CATS pattern helpful, beginning by clearing out of the way the things that sadden God in our lives, before we can go onto praise him. Let's look briefly at each in turn :

Adoration is to adore God, to worship him and to fulfil the commandment to love him with all of our heart, mind and soul. As we spend time in adoration, we praise God for who He is - our Creator, our Sustainer and our Redeemer.

Confession allows us to clear away the things in the relationship between you and God which are displeasing to Him. All of us have sinned. St John writes in his epistle "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (I Jn 1:8,9)

Thanksgiving. From childhood we are brought up to say "Thank You" when someone does something for us, or gives us a gift. Each moment God is blessing us, every minute we can recall the wonderful things that God has done for us, and the gifts that we have been given. And so, we need to be constantly thanking God for his blessings. In writing to Timothy, Paul makes it clear that we also need to be giving thanks for everyday, worldly things " I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Tim 2:1.

Supplication or Intercession. Finally we come to ask God for our needs and the needs of others. There are many demands on our prayer time - many topics and issues that we could pray for, so we need to choose, and to be specific.

Your Blog Makes Us Smile Award

I felt so special when my friend Dulce gave me this award though I wasn't able to grab it right away. I don't know what to say or how to thank her in a very special way. For me, preparing a very good post entry for this must be done since she included me in her awardees even though there’s a lot of blogs that she can pick. I really appreciate it! Knowing that my blog can put a smile on my readers is totally rewarding in my part. I hope that I can continue touching people’s heart through this blog. And to my friend, Dulce I thank you so much. I’m inviting my readers to check on her blog too, she has a lot to share.



Now, It’s time for me to share this award to those I know who deserves to get it. These are the people who really put smile on my face whenever I drop by on their blogs. And the awardees are:

Sunny for his blog, filthy room

Zeb for his blog, a blog’s life

And Sherlie for her blog, sherliez

And of course Dulce’s blog,

Full Time Mom

which always makes me smile too.

Terrible Two's

It's what you think that made things happen for you. if you were cautioned by people to wait till your child reaches the age of 2 because that’s when the child becomes a headache to parents, or so as they had called it Terrible Two’s, then the choice is really yours. It’s either you expect things to happen as what these people had set in your mind or you believe in to your own capacity as a parent. It’s better to expect good things than bad about our child. You are the only one who knows your child; other people can’t tell what your child really is capable of. I can say that those are the kinds of people who pretend they know everything. I’d rather set my mind that 2 year olds belong to Terrific Two’s than to what they harshly called it as Terrible. It is what you believe that make things possible. This is my son when he 'was' two years old...



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Finding Your Mr./Ms. Right

5 Golden Rules for finding your life partner
by Rabbi Dov Heller, M.A.

A relationships coach lays out his 5 golden rules for evaluating the prospects of long-term marital success. When it comes to making the decision about choosing a life partner, no one wants to make a mistake. Yet, with a divorce rate of close to 50 percent, it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to finding Mr./Ms.Right!

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they're getting married, they'll say: "We're in love." I believe this is the #1 mistake people make when they date. Choosing a life partner should never be based on love. Though this may sound not politically correct, there's a profound truth here.

Love is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of a good marriage. When the other ingredients are right, then the love will come.

Let me say it again: You can't build a lifetime relationship on love alone. You need a lot more. Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you're serious about finding and keeping a life partner.

QUESTION #1: Do we share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important? Let me put it this way: If you're married for 20 or 30 years, that's a long time to live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time? Travel, eat and jog together? You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a common life purpose.

Two things can happen in a marriage. You can grow together, or you can grow apart. 50 percent of the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work, you need to know what you want out of life bottom line-and marry someone who wants the same thing.

QUESTION #2: Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

This question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship. Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of having good communication is trust - i.e. trust that I won't get "punished" or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings. A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the
person you plan to marry.

QUESTION #3: Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you test? Here are some suggestions. Do they work on personal growth on a regular basis? Are they serious about improving themselves? A teacher of mine defines a good person as "someone who is always striving to be good and do the right thing."

So ask about your significant other: What do they do with their time? Is this person materialistic? Usually a materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character refinement. There are essentially two types of people in the world: People who are dedicated to personal growth and people who are dedicated to seeking comfort. Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing. You need to know that before walking down the aisle.

QUESTION #4: How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person pleasure.

Ask: Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they wrapped up in themselves and self-absorbed? To measure this, think about the following: How do they treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as a waiters, bus boy, taxi driver, etc. How do they treat parents and siblings? Do they have gratitude and appreciation? If they don't have gratitude for the people who have given them
everything, you cannot expect that they'll have gratitude for you --who can't do nearly as much for them!

Do they gossip and speak badly about others? Someone who gossips cannot be someone who loves others. You can be sure that someone who treats others poorly, will eventually treat you poorly as well.

QUESTION #5: Is there anything I'm hoping to change about this person after we're married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention of trying to "improve" them after they're married. As a colleague of mine puts it, "You can probably expect someone to change after marriage ... for the worse!" If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them.

In conclusion, dating doesn't have to be difficult and treacherous. The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with your heart. It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating, to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues.

Falling in love is a great feeling, but when you wake up with a ring on your finger, you don't want to find yourself in trouble because you didn't do your homework.

I'm a Houseband

Houseband. There's a big misconception on this term. Always used as a joke since it is depicted from the word Husband. Some used it to mock men who don’t work in the corporate world. Those who are just staying at home. Husbands who are taking care of the household chores and children. Well, that’s how the narrow-minded people think. Houseband has a deeper meaning. After hearing Pastor Joel Osteen said about this term, I can proudly say that I’m definitely a Houseband. Please have time to watch this video about commitment in marriage. I’m 100% sure you will be enlighten to the importance of your role in your spouse and child.


Pastor Joel Osteen on marriage, commitment, relationships, taking care of your family, raising your children, and other wise words.
Whether or not you're Christian, Joel Osteen's on-point with this.
10 minutes for the rest of your life.

Study

I was asked of what from the 5 tools in my catholic Christian life, I haven't fully utilized. Here are the 5 tools; Prayer, Study, Service, Fellowship and Sacraments. I've told them that all has not been fully utilized; maybe I was able to give a portion in each but not in every aspect. I chose “Study” as what I believed I’m lacking out most. Study compromises of reading the Bible daily, spiritual reading through other means and knowing God through preaching and teachings. I told them my 3 reasons. First, I’m lazy, I’m a fan of the words convenience and easy. I’m so lazy that sometimes when I’m searching something from the internet, I used Google Video Search instead of the Google Web Search because I find it easier listening and watching video than reading. I’m so impatient in reading. Second is lack of interest. My mistake is to put the Bible near where our computer is, so when I’m looking at it from afar, the interest in surfing the net becomes more inviting than reading the Bible. It’s also funny that whenever my wife asks me to read even just 1 verse in each day instead of consuming most of my time in the computer, there’s a tendency in me to oppose it more. I told Lorie to wait for the time that I will open it because I like doing it. And third is I’m afraid. The Bible has profound words that I might misunderstood or misinterpreted. I’m afraid that I don’t have the wisdom to know it the right way.

The facilitator said that it’s how the devil works on us. He’s getting all the chances for us to break our faith. And our challenge is to know how to fight it. Actually, as an Algebra instructor before, I know that in every problem, there’s a solution, and finding the solution is knowing the root cause first and the available sources you can use. I know now the causes, and I strongly believe I can solve it easily. I already have the eagerness to learn, the only things I need are the motivation and interest. Since I like the internet more, I used it to read some verses from the Bible. If you’ll notice at the left side of my site, there’s a gadget of “Daily Bible Verse”. I can also go to Bible.com. One of my favorites is joelosteen.com. Before I do anything in my computer, I make sure that I read even just 1 verse and if I don’t understand, my wife is there for me and it will be a great discussion starter. The Holy Spirit will be the one who will work for us to understand it more. I don’t want to give the devil any opportunities to win his game. I’d rather choose God works than evil’s. I hope and pray that we’ll be able to fight all struggles that might come our way in taking the path we chose to live.



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Happy 4th of July!!!

A little trivia. Have you ever wondered what's inscripted in the tablet that the Statue of Liberty is holding?

The Statue of Liberty tablet contains an inscription of a text or series of letters which is actually the date of the United States of America's day of Independence (the year being written in Roman numerals): JULY IV MDCCLXXVI or the July 4, 1776.

Like many other features of the Statue of Liberty, the stone tablet is open to various symbolism and the accompanying interpretations to each. For one, Statue of Liberty tablet is symbol of the importance of commemorating historical events that happen to each nation.

The reason for this is because the date of one of the most important historical events that happened to the United States was inscribed there. Generally, it is a belief that without acknowledging history, a nation can never successfully progress to new levels of enlightenment.

Clarence's Prayer

I know this is kind'a late but i forgot to post a blog about Clarence 3rd birthday last April 18th. When I'm browsing his videos in my computer, I can't help noticing his cute little prayer before we cut his cake and I can't wait to share it with you all. It was a simple celebration but done with so much love and laughter. Some of our friends gave us a visit after his birthday since we cannot accomodate them on the exact date of Clarence's birthday because Lorie has to attend her night duty then, well that's the bit sad part of it. But the important thing is we know Clarence didn't ask for more than we could offer him. We would like him to get the idea of being happy on what he has. To live simple with contentment in his heart. I believe every child has that character, they are so innocent and shallow. Check out his cute little prayer.


(on 18th when clarence bday, his mom has to go to work, so we just had cake, on the 21st we were able to celebrate it with some friends.)

Run, Jump and Make Noise! But do not Sin...

This is what our last speaker advised us to do when things seems going wrong and trying to put us back in our same old negative situation. Well, I think it worked. When I feel mad, I just kind of letting it go by going away first till I calm down. I chose to go to the duck pond near our place and feel the beauty of the nature that God has offered to us. In that way I can feel closer to God and share to Him my pains. After that I feel relieved and realized things I should’ve better known. It’s like an outlet for me in letting go of the stress that I shouldn’t be carrying. A good outlet since it makes my relationship to God stronger. And in these days, it’s better to lift your problems to God rather than to other people as I believed that there are just two whom you can trust; God and Yourself. Other people might listen and show that they care but you will never know if what you shared will be kept confidential, they can tell your life to anybody intentionally or not, either for a good reason or bad. The point here is to divert your attention to something else rather than committing a sin. Don’t let the devil win you and control your actions. If you were to choose what would it be? Peace of mind or guilt, Happiness or loneliness, Love or hatred? Run somewhere else, Jump as high as you can and make noise till it overpowers the chance of committing a sin. This is just my two cents. ;>

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Good News!

Last night was not an ordinary night for me and my family because it was the night we believed God has prepared for us. It was a glorious celebration when we have been baptized once again as Catholics or should I say Christian Catholics, receiving divine gifts from God and the wisdom and knowledge from the Holy Spirit. Many might raise their eyebrows or do their prejudices and might consider us fools, I can’t blame them, they have their own opinions and beliefs but for us, it didn’t bother a thing since we are here to please no one but God. We are willing to be Fools if that will mean serving our Creator. We are all servants of the Lord. You know what? It felt really great, an indescribable feeling. The very first time I, myself can’t believe that it’s all happening to me. I think that’s why there is a name called Heaven when you really felt that you are talking with Jesus alone, one on one with extreme happiness. It’s very uplifting. Everything will stop but your heartbeat. You will see that the world is so little compared to the greatness of God. Being considered and accepted as one important human being not only in our group but in the whole world. I believed that I suddenly found my purpose. They made me enter in one silent room after a long meditation of prayers and praises, the 3 of our Christian leaders reassured to me that I have the power to talk with Jesus in my own will, my own prayer, my own belief and strength, and you know what, I did! While I’m doing it, with all their pray-over’s, I didn’t notice that so much tear drops are rolling down my cheeks, a moment I promised myself that will never happen, that I will have to cry. I didn’t feel any embarrassment or pride. All I know was I felt new and cleansed. This is what I’ve been longing for, a life that is free of guilt, has peace of mind and true happiness. And that all happened when I surrendered myself to Jesus.

Many might be asking, especially to those who really knew me, how did it happen? Well it happened when everything seems falling in their proper places, I did not exert much effort but it just happened right before our own eyes. Even before we got here in US, my wife and I have been looking for our place to be with God. We tried different Christian groups in the Philippines, each one is great but the problem still lied within us. We always find a reason not to maintain it. It’s like a roller coaster ride, one time, we will be there but most times we’re not. Here in US, it took us 2 years before we got to know that there’s a Christian Life Program pillared by Filipinos like us. Our constant problem of not being in the church every Sundays has been solved when we joined this program. Here how it goes. One Sunday, actually it’s an Easter Sunday, I told myself to attend the mass not at the usual church we go to but in Sacred Heart Jesus church with two goals in mind. First to have my catholic obligation be done and second to see the Sacred Heart private school I’m considering for my son’s preschool. As usual, I wasn’t able to finish the mass since Clarence is so impatient inside the church disturbing everybody by screaming and making lots of noises. I decided to go out and just pray a little. I felt a little guilt because I got really mad at my son and thought of making it up on him by going to the nearest play park. When we were in the park, someone asked me to which chapter I belong? I didn’t get it because I have no idea that there will be a group of people having an Easter celebration on that place and on that very instant. I believed God has proven His power once again by bringing us all together in one place and in one time. Everything has really a purpose; my son’s mischief that I thought was unreasonable was actually the way for us to be driven towards Him. The man who approached me introduced us to the group whom I’ve heard a lot of times before, it’s the Couples for Christ or CFC. I asked if they could still fit us in and they are very welcoming in accepting us to be a part of their group without any questions at all. The funny part is, the venue of our meetings are regularly held at Sacred Heart of Jesus church, I didn't need to look for it since I was able to searched for it before in finding a good school for Clarence. Last night was our 9th talk and done with baptism. Who can tell that a shy person like me, who can’t talk in front of many people, is now sharing my life experiences with God to other people in our every session. To God be the Glory! To Jesus we commit ourselves and everything in us.