my dear LOG alumni,

REMEMBER WHEN...

...we used to stay at Interfaith 'till 2 o'clock in the morning?
...we would sing praise songs 'till our voices gave out?
...our arms and legs would get tired from all the "roll over the oceans" and "it's you, it's you it's you who builds community"?
...delirium would sink in after the 100th time of rehearsing the skit?
...the tshirts weren't ready until the day of?
...everything seemed to go wrong until the doors opened and everything fell right into its place?

i certainly do! well, it's that time of year, folks...LOG Spirit Rally is literally just around the corner and our beloved Lighters need OUR HELP. "what do they need us to do?" you might be asking yourself. is it money? is it food? in actuality, what they need is something that one cannot put a price on...they need us.

let's rally ourselves together and support Liwanag in this year's spirit rally...

"Taste and See"
Saturday, April 28th
Crystal Cove Auditorium, UCI Student Center
doors open @ 2:30pm, rally begins @ 3:00pm
minimum donation: $5

it has been a while, hasn't it? let's reconnect and catch up, alums! they need our support, and we need to show them that we still care about our ever-growing family.

it would be so refreshing to see everyone again! so, bring your bf's and gf's, your family and friends, your babies, husbands, and wives. bring everyone you know and visit the school and the family that was once so much a part of your lives.

will i see you there?

revived&resurrected.

i am jetlagged. hence, the 1:30am blogging...

my trip to the philippines was, needless to say, amazing. i think two weeks away from the busyness and stress of life here was just what i needed to refresh myself and start anew. it was wonderful. last year's trip back home was bittersweet; my lola had just passed and our purpose for going was solely to be there for my mom and to help out with our responsibilities over there. this year was different. we were able to enjoy it a lot more, talk and bond more with my pinsans, and simply soak in all that the philippines had to offer. on top of that, more of my family members came which made it that much more enjoyable. i wish that my visits there could be more than just once a year. at times i felt like i was making up for lost time when it came to getting to know some of our family over there. no matter how tired or hot or uncomfortable i felt i would try and force myself to endure it all so that i could spend as much time with them as i possibly could. but i suppose this is how it was meant to be, and i can only be grateful that i have had the chance, twice now, to connect with them and begin new relationships that will hopefully last for a long time.

after being immersed in a different culture in a different county for some time, i found myself once again grateful for the things that i have here in america -- freedom, a good job, education, a chance to climb the professional ladder and provide for myself and my future family...and toilet paper. i am also reminded of things that they have that i would like to work on -- respect for my elders, the closeness of my family, and the value of being grateful for each meal i partake in. little reminders that i am sure will allow my life to be that much more fulfilling.

i am still working on getting back into the swing of things. i went into work today with no lesson plan whatsover. in fact, i arrived just after the bell rang! but like i mentioned earlier, i am refreshed and am prepared to wrap up the end of the school year with a BANG!, especially after hearing the wonderful news...my school is staying open for next year! :) yes, we were able to get our numbers up and survive the numerous pitfalls and challenges presented our way and are now preparing to open once again. thank you for your prayers. i still have yet to decide whether or not i am going to stay. there's a lot more that i can't mention on a public blog, but i just want to make sure i make the right decision. i want to work for leaders i believe in. not sure if that'll be the case for next year...

anyways, i think i'll try to get to bed now. i'm not tired, but i guess i'm going to need to force myself so that i can somewhat function tomorrow! more pictures to follow soon...

REVIVED&RESURRECTED. basta...

Jeremiah 17:7-8

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

how appropriate. i hear YOU. thanks for helping me to hear once again, if only for this moment.

in my head...

i'm having trouble hearing.

the past few weeks have been difficult. i've been going back and forth with decisions and opinions regarding the fate of my job and the issues at my school. so much is going on...and it's all unravelling fast. my faith has been wavering. why is God letting this all happen? i asked that question to one of the sisters at my school and she said, "actually it's not God that's doing it. it's the people." she's right. it's amazing how people can lose sight of what's really important really fast.

what is truth? in the book my 7th graders and i are reading (Monster, by Walter Dean Myers) the main character, Steve, says that "truth is truth." is it really that simple? what if what i believe to be true is not what you believe to be true? then how do we decide? who do we believe? what do we believe? i suppose only God will know. but sometimes, we really need to know, too.

my hair keeps falling out. in chunks. and i started to have PAC's just like david. sometimes i feel like my heart is going to explode and i get nervous for no reason. this has got to stop.

so i am/was having trouble hearing His voice over all of this. it's getting a bit better...slowly. but it's difficult. God's voice used to be one of the only voices i'd hear. i had clarity back then. decisions, though they may have been difficult, were easy to make because i always knew the answer. and the times that i didn't know the answer, i'd have trust. i'm trying to get that back.

in the meantime, this has been helping:



these guys bring laughter into my life. :D

LENT 2007.

it's here. a time for penitential prayer, life sacrifice, and giving. it's definitely here.

40 days, in the desert, alone. was He scared...lonely...afraid? what did He pray about? what did He think about? did He cry?

the journey is long and the roads, narrow. we are barely a week into lent 2007, and it already feels like it's gonna be a tough one. but, i love this season. how will i know happiness if i first do not experience pain? i am thankful for the difficult journey and the seemingly unending list of things for which to pray: decisions. his heart. grandma PB. teachers. jobs. school. MD. credential. perseverance. love. relationships. new journeys. old friends. death&life. students. journals. hair. birthdays. no meat. sacrifice. basketball. the playoffs. unity. sister. brother. mom. dad. past&present&future. life.

the list goes on and on. but, i am praying for it all. i am praying for you all. and i know He hears me.

* * * * * * * * * *

let it be known that we are NOT engaged. there have been several inquiries lately. the february 1st post is correlated with the february 7th post. and i probably should've been more clear: "we are excited for this new journey in his career." and i said "we" because most people that texted/emailed/called congratulated us both. my apologies for the confusion!