I'M HOT

I'm hot. No seriously, I am. What? NO I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!

Anyways, I meant i'm hot as in sweating and not that hot... i prefer to think of myself as cool... lol.

So yes, it is blazing hot over here in Thailand but this "hotness" has allowed me to realize something.

After the Sunday Service today, I had to go home alone which meant I had to take the subway. Now I like to walk whether it be a hot or cool day. So anyways, I had to walk from the hotel where my church is held to the subway which takes about a good 15 minutes I can say.

But it was indeed hot and I was sweating profusely once I got to the station. It's a good think the subway trains here in Thailand have great air-condition! However, once I got off at my stop I still had to walk to my house which takes about 3 minutes.

I found myself a few more - I dunno, feet? maybe inches or meters or kilometers - away from my house and I started running. I couldn't take the heat anymore! I quickly fished out my keys, opened the door, turned the aircon on, changed my sweaty clothes, then sat directly at the aircon savoring the cool air. We usually say 'Home, sweet home'. It couldn't have been any truer.

But as I sat there in front of the air con I finally realized one thing I sometimes forget: I am blessed. I then began to thank God that there are kids out there suffering the same heat I did when I was walking but they don't have a home to shelter them from the heat, let alone and air con or fan to cool them.

This is what I love about God. He's really personal. And He talks to you when you don't expect it... and talks to you in the little things you sometimes take for granted or think don't matter.

I AM BUSY!!!!

Okay this is gonna be short.

I'm terribly busy for the past few weeks and probably the weeks to come to. Basically, I think February will be a busy time for me... And adding the fact that my exams are coming up on March doesn't make me feel any better :(

So let me narrow down my business:

• My school's Science Fair is on February 27 and I have to constantly keep up with due dates.
• I have a paper I need to write on Franklin Delano Roosevelt for History. Due on March, but my teacher wants updates every Friday... and March isn't that far away!
• My History teacher has given me another project on Darwin's Origin of Species. Another paper to write!
• I need to write a script for another "sheananigan" production... And I have to film and direct it too. (This isn't for fun. It's my Computer class project)
  

• And add to all those the regular Math homeworks I get along with some Thai and occasional other subjects!

Anyways, I have to go back to work! GOD GRANT ME STRENGTH!

A Hopeful Romantic

Here is a cover I did (Albeit not the best one around) of a song entitled "Forevermore". It was composed by the Filipino band, Side A. I really think this song is a really great song. Here are the lyrics.

I may have run out of songs to sing
I may have run out of words to say
But all that I want you to know is what I feel for you
I love you
As endless as forever
Our love will stay together
You're all I need to be with forevermore

There are times when I just want to look at your face
With the stars in the night
There are times when I just want to feel your embrace
On a cold night
I just can't believe that you are mine now

CHORUS:
You were just a dream that I once knew
Never thought I would be right for you
I just can;t compare you with anything in this world
You're all I need to be with forevermore

All those years I've longed to hold you in my arms
I've been dreaming of you
Every night I've been watching all the stars that fall down
Wishing you will be mine
I just can't believe that you are mine now (Chorus)

BRIDGE:
Time and again there are these changes that we cannot end
Sure as time keeps going on and on
My love for you will be forevermore (Chorus)

As endless as forever
Our love will stay together
You're all I need to be with forevermore



This is one great song. The lyrics are really great and it gives you what most people call that "warm fuzzy feeling".

I would say this is the song for me... but not yet.

I do hope to sing this one day to a woman, but not a woman I want to spend my life with. Instead I want to sing this to the woman God wants me to spend my life with.

You see, man is prone to fail. This just gives a clear message that the choices you make by yourself, even though it's with help of friends, can fail. But here's the good part: GOD NEVER FAILS. His plan is perfect.

So what exactly am I saying? Well, I guess what I want to say is this: I am pledging that I will wait for God's perfect time to bring the right woman along.

Sure, it's quite common teenagers the same age as me are in relationships. But they all know that it's just a fling. They all know it won't last forever. Joshua Harris, author of I've Kissed Dating Goodbye, gives us a great view of meaningful, Godly relationships: Intimacy is the reward of commitment. So what does hit mean? To put it in a simple way: Don't get into relationships when you know you can't commit to the person. I mean c'mon, kids my age have to take care of school. We've got our whole lives ahead of us. And we want to waste it on having a relationship? On dating? Okay, you might say it's fun, but that just proves my point: teenagers these days get into relationships for fun and for the heck of it. They all know it's just a game.

So to all my fellow youth/teenagers out there: be patient and wait on God. Of course, most of us do not want to stay single all of our lives (I know I don't!), but let God bring the right person at the right time.

Before you know it, you'll be singing "You're all I need to be with forevermore"

IN MEMORY OF PSTR. NOLI CADELINA

In all honesty, I didn't know Pastor Noli Cadelina that well. Of course, I knew that he was the pastor of my church in the Philippines, Faith in Jesus Christian Fellowship. But other than that, I knew him simply as the pastor. Back then, I was in the Children's Church which adds to the reason why I didn't know him so well. The only time I got to talk to him personally and meet with him up close was when he came here to Thailand two years ago.

I was very surprised - and excited - to hear that he would come here and share the Word to our Filipino members. Our Filipino caregroups gathered to hear him share and there was no doubt the people were blessed. It was pretty obvious since all the people came to him to thank him. After the sharing, he talked to all the people who were in a ministry and to our leaders and he gave them counsel. Plus, he led a non-believer to salvation too.

And so even though I spent only a night conversing even only a few words with him, I was blessed by his spirit. His vigor. His zeal for God. I admired him ever since then.

I wanted so much to visit them when I went home. However, the church was far away and we were also attending the Hope Church near our place in the Philippines.

I guess God is truly showing me, my family, and all those close to Pastor Noli that life is short. Pastor Noli Cadelina was taken home on January 4.

I was shocked. My family was shocked. And there was no doubt the people at home were shocked too. However, it was his time. He had run the race. He had fought the good fight. He had completed what God wanted him to do and now god wanted him to claim his prize in heaven.

As I though about him in the past few days and as my parents talked about him, I realize that he actually made me what I am today. Before my parents' marriage, it was Pastor Noli who counseled them He was the one who basically guided my dad through the whole thing. Plus, since he was the pastor of the church, the Children's Ministry was obviously under him, and I am truly thankful for my time in the Children's Church since it allowed a firm foundation for my faith.

To sum it all up, even though indriectly, Pastor Noli affected me a lot. So thanks, Pastor Noli. You were and will always remain a great blessing. Thank you for your zeal and your willingness to let God use you. We love you very much. And even though we miss you, we know you're in a better place....

This is to Pastor Noli Cadelina, a true Man of God.

ALL HAIL HIS CHEWINESS, CHEWY JUNIOR!!!

While I was in Singapore, I came across this delicacy on my first night. Fiona, a friend of Yi Qin's, bought it for us and I completely and utterly loved it.

So what's Chewy Junior? I know there are Singaporeans reading this. If you still don't know what it is, I suggest you get on the MRT, get down on Bugis, and enter the mall that is connected to the exit. You'll see it there. To those who are non-Singaporean, Chewy Junior is a donut like delicacy. It has a soft, outer bread with a cream filling inside. Most of them also have toppings on them.

Anyways, I decided to take a dozen home and my family loved it too - despite the fact that out of the dozen I took home, I probably ate six. A few days later, my mom told me she had a dream that Chewy Junior apparently had an outlet in one of the malls here in Thailand. I prayed that it was a vision!

Imagine my surprise when one night, when my parents and brother came back from the mall, they give me a box of Chewy Junior! Apparently, the nearby mall has a Chewy Junior outlet! god has blessed me with Chewy Junior in Thailand!

Yesterday, I went to that mall and bought another box of Chewy Junior. Here are some photos I took.

This is the Chewy Junior outlet at Central Ladphrao.


















This is the box and one of the delicacies.

































Now the Thailand version is smaller and not as chewy as the Singaporean Chewy Junior. Nevertheless..... I HAVE CHEWY JUNIOR IN THAILAND!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!

Do Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Do

The song "Do Wah Diddy" was originally by Manfred Mann. This basically shows how good the oldies were back then and how they endure until now. Seriously, Leona Lewis' "Bleeding love" or Rihanna's "Umbrella" can't beat this or Frank Sinatra... Well, maybe Michael Buble can. Anyways, here's a video of Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy"



Here's a clip from the movie Stripes which stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. If you don't know who these guys are, they're two of the guys from "Ghostbusters" (Venkman and that bespectacled guy whose name escapes me). Anyways, here's them marching and singing "Do Wah Diddy"



And our final video!

You know those days when you're dead bored and it seems that surfing the Net just isn't enough? Apparently, I'm having one of those days.

Here's me lipsinging to "Do Wah Diddy", requested by Andre, a friend of mine from the AFIRE forum.

How Being a Jedi Relates to Being a Christian

I don't consider myself a Star Wars geek, but I would probably have a wider knowledge of the Star Wars world - or galaxy - than the everyday person. I also RP - or Role Play - in a forum board as a Jedi. Yes, lame I know, whatever. And no, this RPG is not one of those fancy games like DOTA. It's basically just a forum board.

But anyways, I've always related being a Jedi - or the Jedi - to being a Christian. I think their ways and their teachings mirror a lot of Christianity. Yes, I know there are facets of Buddhism in it, but I actually honestly see more Christianity than Buddhism.

Let me explain. I think the basic knowledge of a non-SW fan is that there are two sides: the Jedi and the Sith. There are actually some more in between but they're the general sides. These two sides use the Force, an entity that holds the universe together. Trained Jedi and Sith can use the Force to their own bidding. These two sides serve the Light and the Dark Side of the Force, respectively.

The facets of the Light Side are putting others before yourself, having patience, having no fear... sounds familiar, right? As for the Dark, it's - as you guessed it - the complete opposite: anger, fear and hatred.

Both the Jedi and the Sith meditate, train, and use the Force which enables them with their "powers". As you can see in the movies, these guys can jump real high, control stuff by waving their hands, and can block blaster blasts (something like bullets) with their lightsabers. Many people think that the Jedi and Sith's main weapon is the lightsaber. They are wrong. These two factions heavily rely on the Force. Without it, they are just normal people wielding light-up swords.

Now it always seems that the Dark Side is much more powerful. If you've seen the movies, the Sith have the ability of Force Lightning, where the Sith uses his hands to produce lightning. This ability can be used by a Jedi, but it takes training. Plus, the Dark Side offers an easy road. Face it people: being patient and loving is hard. Letting anger, frustration, and hate take over is much easier. Which explains why some Jedi fall to the Dark Side.

However, this is untrue. The Dark may seem powerful since it offers the easier and faster way. In truth, it is the Light that conquers and the Light that is more powerful. Mastre Yoda himself said so (If you don't know who Yoda is, why the heck are you even reading this?).

Anyways, I've always viewed the Light Side of the Force as the Holy Spirit. It's what empowers us "Jedi" to do God's work. It's what enables us with our "powers. It's what drives us in difficult times.

The Dark Side is, of course, evil, the world, and Satan. It's in the world, it's all around us, and it's taking over people's minds. This is also what empowers the "Sith".

As I've said before, anger is a facet of the Sith. However, this can be turned into a facet for the Light. How? Well, in lightsaber fighting, there are officially seven forms. The seventh form is called Vaapad. It requires great skill, focus, mastery of the Force, and mastery of the previous six forms. Why? this form utilizes the anger in its user and makes it a weapon of the Light.

Back in Singapore, I listened to a great sermon entitled "A Leader's State of Mind". The preacher talks about your holy discontentment. Basically, it's this something that irritates you, something you cannot stand any longer, like poverty, apathy, etc. Anyways, the preacher says that God can trun this anger against these things (for him it was the anger against churches just going down and abandoning its people) and use it for His own purpose. He explains how God used Moses' anger, who killed an Egyptian man beating up a Hebrew, and turned it for His own cause and therefore made Moses the man who led the Israelites to freedom. This, my friends, is our Vaapad.

We Christians are the Jedi of this world, and somewhere there are still those who fall to the Dark. Let's use the "Force" to bring them back. Let's use the "Force" to show the world that Light prevails over darkness. Let's use the "Force" to expand God's Kingdom in this world and conquer the Sith and the Dark Side.

May the Force be with us all.