34th...

It's my 34th birthday today, I woke up with a heart filled with joy because another year was added to my life. Age, as they say, is just a number but as I ponder on this, age also reminds me of the length of time God had been showing Himself faithful and good. Thinking about the people, lessons, blessings and remembering the high and low points where God has revealed Himself made me realized that I am indeed valuable. Lord, who am I that you are mindful of me? I am unworthy but you still choose to bless me. I am a sinner but you continue to love and forgive me. I am good-for-nothing but you even died on the cross for me. I am amazed by Your great love.  I am humbled and forever grateful. Thank you for my 34 years of existence in this world. My life is not my own, it is Yours. Not my will but Yours be done.

A Race for the Next Generation

I love running and one way for me to challenge myself as a runner is to join running events. More than competing with the other runners, beating my previous track record gives me a certain goal and a sense of accomplishment in every race. Hmm, yeah, I try to have a higher goal other than reaching the finished line.haha Another reason why I join running events is that it 's actually a worthwhile activity. Not only it invites people to be fit and healthy but also it serves as a medium to raise awareness and support for various kinds of charity and causes. The one running event that I look forward to join every year is Race for Life. This yearly event made possible by Real Life Foundation is really close to my heart because I'm a firm believer that education is essential to helping the poor get out of poverty and that the next generation is the hope of our nation.  Race for life is an opportunity for me to rally my personal advocacy on education and youth empowerment. For the past 3 years, I was able to support their vision to help students who has the drive and motivation to study and finish school but lacks in financial means.

Photos from previous Race for Life

This year was no different. With a theme change a life, change the nation, race for life was held last November 30, 2015, at SM Mall of Asia grounds. I was happy to be part of the 11000 runners, who woke up before sunrise to run respective 3K, 5K, 10K distances as a support to 260 real life scholars from all over the Philippines.

It was indeed a meaningful day not just for the scholars but also for me because I got to ran with these pretty ladies who also have the heart to support the next generation. Good job ladies! :)

Together, we finished the race all for God's glory!

Simple but not Easy

Last summer during the holy week, I had the chance to visit my mother's hometown in Pangasinan. It was my first time to explore the place and to visit my relatives.  I would say that my vacation was quite memorable not just because of the travel and adventure but also due to the discovery and revelation that came with it. One thing I've found surprising was the townspeople somewhat primitive way of living. I was surprised because despite of advancement in technology and modernizarion they still opted for a basic and old fashioned lifestyle.
In the few days that I stayed there, I was able to observed and to experienced firsthand the way they get water from a deep well and cook food through wood fire. It was such a fascinating experience to pull a bucket full of water from a very deep well and make fire out of wood in order to supply us with water and cooked food for the day.

This made me realized that life in the province is simple but not easy. Getting water from a well and cooking food over wood fire can be simply done even without any technological complexities but it takes a lot of effort and time to do so. So much like discipleship. The call of God for discipleship is simple but not easy. To disciple people, one has to become a disciple first. To be a disciple, one has to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:19).  Simple principle but not at all easy. I think most of you would agree that to be like Jesus is a very tough act to follow if not impossible. However, God is in the business of calling and changing people to be Christlike. I believe that the more we grow in our relationship with God, the more we can hear His voice calling us. I know deep in my heart that I have a specific calling from Him - that is to honor God and make disciple. I do believe that He has a calling for you too! Thus, as we respond, we need to understand that every calling such as discipleship is a simple process yet takes time and effort. It even has a cost as the bible says (Luke 14:26-27). We need to remind ourselves that when things become difficult God's grace is sufficient for us. When things may seem impossible, the God of impossibility will come through for us. Lord, I pray that as we respond to Your call, may You increase our faith and depend on you all the more in order for us to fulfill the purpose that You have for us. All for Your glory and honor, in Jesus mighty name, Amen!

All things work together for good

There were days when things are going well. We feel great about life because everything is coming up roses. But there were also days when things go bad, we tend to lose hope or worse, our faith in the Lord. It's difficult to stay positive and hopeful during these moments. It's as if we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are left in the dark without any slightest sign of hope. How should we respond? Should we give up? or should we keep on believing?

I admire Manny Pacquioa's attitude when he faced defeat from his recently concluded boxing bout with Mayweather. In his loss, he remain faithful to God and continues to glorify God in his life. He's still grateful even if things didn't turn out the way he wanted it to be . He accepted that it's all part of God's plan for his life. He stays hopeful and keeps holding on to God's word.

The bible says in Roman 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." This verse is a good reminder for all of us who may be in a dead end or hopeless situation right now. This verse is a promise from the Lord that everything will be okay because we love Him and we are called for His purpose. Isn't that a sign of hope for us? Our God is a promise keeping God. What He said in His word, He is faithful to fulfill in our lives. So when He said that all things will work together for good, He will work it out for us.

Whatever we may be facing right now, may it be a setback, rejection, failure or loss, I hope that we can be like Manny P. Let us keep the faith that the Lord is moving in our behalf and know that He has planned out a great future for all of us. :)

10 things I'll remember about Thailand

This is actually a long overdue post on my trip to Thailand almost 2 years ago with my family. I've been wanting to blog about this but lack of time and writer's block kept me from doing so. Kung maka-writer's block naman, akala mo writer talaga. Feeling!hahaha Anyway, I'm glad that finally I can share with you now the ten things I'll remember about Thailand.

1.) Suvarnabhumi Airport

For me, travel officially starts the moment I've arrived at the airport. I just love the atmosphere, the energy, the sense of transition and adventure that this place generates. I love it even more when it has modern structures, state of the art facilities and good services just like in Suvarnabhumi.

Suvarnabhumi

2.) Tuk-Tuk

Tuk-Tuk is a ubiquitous transportation in Thailand that's very popular for the tourist due to its novelty value. My travel buddies and I, often took the Tuk Tuk to go around because it was cheap, fast and accessible. Of course,  this was just based on our experience but you can choose to ride the taxi or a train system called BTS as options.

Different types of tuk-tuk

Our tuk-tuk experience was generally good except for one not-so-good incident with a tuk-tuk driver. Most of them were really nice, warm and tourist-friendly. Some were able to communicate in English and able to give us tips on what places to visit and how to navigate around the city. Driver na, Tour guide pa!

Long lost twins?hehe My cousin with the tuk-tuk driver (guy in blue)

3.) Street Food

In my opinion, my travel is not complete without experiencing the cuisine of the place that I'm exploring. That's why we really made sure to include a "food trip" in our itinerary. In Thailand, the best way to experience its cuisine is through the street food. Street food carts/stalls were not difficult to locate in Bangkok because they were practically everywhere! It's like there's an infinite supply of street food. However, due to lack of time we only got to try the street food stalls in Khao San Road, Victoria Monument and Jomtien beach in Pattaya.

If you plan to visit Thailand soon, I highly recommend that you try these wide varieties of authentic, affordable and flavorful Thai dishes that you'll come across in the streets.

Yummy Thai dishes like Phad Thai , Khao Ka Mu and Bakmi

4.) Weekend Market in Bangkok

I heard stories of some tourists who frequently travels to Bangkok just to shop at the popular weekend market called  "Chatuchak" or "Jatujak". When I set foot there, I've found that it was in fact a shopping haven. The market is so huge and sell different kinds of goods.

Another good thing about Chatuchak, the goods are sold at low prices and some were on SALE! Just come prepared for the non-stop walking though.

5.) Boat ride in Chao Phraya river

Aside from the BTS, a good choice of transport mode to avoid the traffic jam is the Chao Phraya express boat. It operates in the Chao Phraya river, the principal river in Thailand. I'm glad that we discovered this because we had a chance to see Bangkok in a different perspective.

A boat in Chao Phraya River

 View of Bangkok from Chao Phraya River

6.) Sunset in Pattaya

Pattaya is a city in Thailand,  a seaside resort 2 hours away from Bangkok. Since Phuket wasn't part of our itinerary, we opted to visit a nearby beach instead. The beach was not as grand as Phuket's but it was a sandy beach good enough for rest and relaxation. There were ample of water activities, leisure and entertainment in this area too.

Pattaya Beach

However, it was the sunset in Pattaya that struck me the most. It was my first "sunset captured moment" abroad, which makes it really special.

" When I admire the wonder of the sunset, my soul expands iniworship of  the creator" - Mahatma Gandhi

7.) Scenic spots in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya is an ancient city in Thailand, where ancient ruins, historical sites and palaces can be seen. Our travel to Ayutthaya was such a breeze because it was only 1.5 hours ride from Bangkok. The moment we arrived, different package tours were offered to us. As much as we want the DIY kind of travel, we opted to go with the package tour since we only had limited time in our hands. There were many different kinds of tour packages to choose from but we picked the one, which best suited our type (adventure/travel), time and budget. One tip I can share in choosing the right tour package is to ask the locals for the best places and activities in Ayutthaya. They were more than willing to share their advice. The following were some of the scenic spots included in the package tour:

1. 
   

   
   

The head of the Sandstone buddha in tree roots

Reclining Buddha

Wat Mahathat

Wat Chai Wattanaram

Ayutthaya is such an interesting city to explore because of its rich history and culture. It was such an experience to witness the beauty of this very fine city.

8.) Culture

Travel for me is not just to explore the scenic spots but also to immerse oneself in the culture of the place. In the few days I stayed in Thailand, I learned some of their beliefs and cultures, which the Thais still preserve and practice up to the present times. One of the things  I learned was the Thai's traditional greeting called the "Wai".

Most of Thailand's tourist attractions are of cultural significance and highly respected by the locals as well as the tourists due to their religious values. In fact, when we visited the Grand Palace, there are certain customs and etiquette that we had to respect such as wearing "polite dress" and taking shoes off before entering the buildings and palaces.

Shoes not allowed

9.) Thai people

I traveled to other countries but what made Thailand stand out is its people. Thai people, most of them, are hospitable and warm to the tourists. They were accommodating, friendly, and helpful. When we approached them on the streets, they talked to us and guided us with the directions. Even other travelers, at least those who we got to talk to then, agreed that Thais are generally nice people. They reminded me so much of the people in my home country, which made Thailand one of my favorite nations.

10.) Thai Baht and the Coconut Ice Cream

In every travel, it's not just the adventure that's worth remembering but also the misadventure. I had one unfortunate incident in Thailand that I'll never forget. It's a long story but to make it short, I bought a cup of coconut ice cream for 1000 baht when it was supposed to cost only for 10 baht! 

I failed to double check the baht I handed over to the vendor, when I realized my mistake it was already too late! I know, it was really a boo boo moment. Oh well, I just had to charged it to experience and to learned from it. As they say, don't cry over spilled milk, in this case, over over-priced ice cream!hahaha

These are just  ten things but there's actually more to this place left to be explored and discovered. Khob khun ka Thailand for the wonderful experience. I hope in the future I'll be able to go back to this beautiful and culturally fascinating place.