"Portraits of Glory and Decay" by Pando

Galeon de Manila (1565-1815)

Fort Santiago

Intramuros, Manila (1590)

Shroud of Turin

Secondo Pia (1898)

Agustinian Emblem (Osa) Retablo

Tigbauan Church Façade, Iloilo (1867)

Santa Monica Church

Minalin, Pampanga (1834) 

Iglesia Catolica Del Sta. Cruz

Maribojoc, Bohol (1852)

Iglesia de San Pedro Apostol

Loboc, Bohol (1734)

Nuestra Senora de la Luz

Loon, Bohol (1855)

Nuestra Senora de Los Remedios

Malate, Manila (1588)

Basilica dela Immaculada Concepcion

Manila Cathedral Intramuros, Manila (1581-1954)

San Juan de Sahagun

Tigbauan, Iloilo (1578)

Pieta

Michelangelo Buonarroti

Cologne Cathedral

Cologne, Germany (1248-1880)

Santo Tomas de Villanueva

Miag-ao Church, Iloilo (1578)

San Agustin Church

Intramuros. Manila (1571-1578) WHS

San Agustin Church

Intramuros. Manila  (1607)

Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion Bell Tower

Santa Maria Church, Ilocos Sur (1660-1820) WHS

Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion

Santa Maria Church, Ilocos Sur (1660-1820) WHS

La Sagrada Familia

Barcelona, Spain (1926-2026)

Notre Dame Cathedral

Paris, France (1163-1345)

North Rose Window

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

Wings of Saint Michael, the Archangel

San Guillermo de Aquitania

Dalaguete Church Façade, Cebu (1802)

La Virgen de Las Perlas de Oriente

La Virgen de Las Perlas de Oriente

The irony of life.

Just when your are leaving

you found a reason to stay.

Feels like I will be going home with my heart staying behind in Manila.

But I'll be okay, leaving everything in God's hands and trusting that He is in full control.

I offer my heart to Him.. And I offer Him this person I am leaving behind.charot!

1st day of board exam.

I was excited and nervous at the same time. My day started beautifully though, given that my crush took a picture of me, we'll okay, he took a class picture with me in it. I came into the examination room and took the exam with the realization that God knows what's best for me, and so whether I pass or fail, or be a top notcher in the board exam, He will be with me whatever happens. And besides, passing the board exam is successful in the world's eyes, but God asks not for our successes nor our excellence but only for our all.. 

I have less than fifty percent sure answers in the board exam.. But i am very, very blessed!

P.S. Quenny and I were able to discover the Shrine of the Holy Face of Jesus. It was a very simple house of worship but it was very serene and the place really feels like home to me.

Sometimes all we need is a ray of sunshine...

This morning, while Quenny and I attended mass at Quiapo church, we saw a guy passionately singing along with the choir. Amidst the commotion all over the church (because it's communion time), he was still and calm holding a fragile child close to him. The child, I have observed, was about six or seven and is suffering from hydrocephalus. The child was gazing nowhere while his father was fixing his eyes towards Jesus carrying a heavy cross. The joy he brings while singing the song shows a love so deep it is oblivious of the scorn people may give him bringing his suffering child. The joy while singing shows his undying hope of the healing that Christ will soon generously give to his son. 

I felt pity for them, more for the father. They don't look so well off and I've thought about the times he cared and nursed the child. It must have been really challenging to maturely deal with his son's needs. But what I've realized was that this challenge for them was actually showing all people a testimony of pure love. And that instead of thinking of ways to help them, I was suddenly grateful for being a witness to this burst of sunshine manifested in the father's love for his son.

Nonetheless, they need our prayers.

God bless you, all!

#25thanniversaryoftheFalloftheBerlinWall

composed by Paolo Alba

#29daystogo
#excitedtotaketheexam
#hopeful
#thankGod!

how high and how wide,
how deep and how long..
how sweet and how strong is Your love, O Lord..

may you fill me with every good intention and a pure love that looks beyond other people's shortcomings... may i have a heart like mama Mary's.. :)

Churches in Laguna, Philippines

San Pablo Church

St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish

In Calamba

Sometimes I ponder about the efforts I have spent in building this blog and writing these posts. I wonder what these posts and reflections and drawings and pictures and quotes and articles are for... There is uncertainty. I am not sure how long blogger.com would last and how long they would save and publish my posts. I am not sure what would happen to my blog when I die. I am not sure if anybody reads and is positively affected by my posts. After all, I am just one among the millions of bloggers in the world. I realize this is not for eternity!

What are all these for? 

The least that we could do for the incomprehensible eternity is to proclaim God's love. Whether my posts last only for one generation, or for a decade or for one day more, I could always choose to be the seed that falls to the ground and dies... the seed that dies to itself to do the work God calls it to do... the seed, who in its dying, loses itself, and upon losing itself, finds its whole identity and life's meaning in the love of God. And dying, the seed grew to bear fruit, some twenty, some a hundred. But no matter how little, it was able to bear fruit. No matter how insignificant, this blog, I believe, was able to do the work required of it. And just like rain that comes down from the sky to water the Earth and make the crops grow, so also will be God's Word - it will not fail to do the what the Lord plans for it; it will do everything God sends it to do. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

God loves you. Bask in His love. Share the love. ;)

A drawing a day is healthy for me (and for you, dear)

"Though there are times when we are sad or lonely, 

there in our hearts is a joy that can never be taken away from us - the joy of knowing and loving Christ."

#Godlovesyou

#kKbbh

#letscountourblessings

#letsshareourblessings

The Innocence of a Child

Inspired by Les Miserables and Beautiful Creatures

Meet a moth! ;)

After days and weeks of waiting, four larvae shells finally hatched and an army green-winged creature emerged.

It is not every day that you witness things like this. But every day we're given a chance to live, believe and appreciate the many wonders of God's masterpieces. ;)

Planting is fun!!

I realized that another way to encourage planting is to plant seeds yourself. More than that, supporting plant vendors is also a very good idea. If the demand for plants increases, more people would be selling plants to compensate for the growing demand for them.

More plants means more CO2 absorbers. Love that!

#moregreenerylessCO2

#saveMaEarth

21st of August. 5.30 in the morn.

I could not get over what amazing event I have witnessed the night before.

Stars shined brightly in the evening sky while in a distant lightnings repeatedly struck the Earth.

I was amazed at the contrast of scenes. In a region, there is calmness and peace, while in another there is chaos and commotion. 

This is exactly how I picture the world now - there are so much wars, so much violence, seemingly endless killings, countless victims.. 

It's as if all hope is lost... 

Yet somewhere in a distant horizon stars refuse to stop shining... 

Even in death and hatred, they still shine... 

Even in the midst of trials and difficulties and troubles, the Lord continues to radiate His love to the righteous and sinners alike. 

Let's believe in the light we bring..inside of us...

[31st death anniversary of Ninoy]

Global warming survival handbook by de Rothschild

Sonnet 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! It is an ever-fixèd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

By William Shakespeare 


Photo courtesy of Literary Inklings

Sonnet 116

Deterrent to economic growth

Courtesy of Phil-star 

http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2014/08/07/1354802/editorial-deterrent-economic-growth

Who could've imagined that this traffic jam causes us lots of trouble? Productivity is ironically being speedily killed by the slow, crawling movement of vehicles. Of course, there really are a lot to monitor, manage and improve in the Philippines, but the government must arrange its priorities and take action quickly because each of their movement and motion are very critical especially to people below the poverty line. As much as possible, these must be aided and supported in order to help them avoid the lure of committing crime and illegal activities. 

Learning to breathe in LB

My classmates and I have found our way to Los Baños, Laguna to get ready for our chemical engineering board exam.. It is such a great blessing and a wonderful second chance to be able to recall our lessons in college and learn new things.

Once more I anchored this learning to God's calling. Because I am away from home, I think I am freer. That is why staying in Laguna, I intended not only to be intellectually prepared, but also to be more spiritually mature and socially aware of the issues in the community. I believe that even as an engineer, I cannot know everything and I ought to be rooted in the Lord. 

So during my stay here, I should be more connected to God, to nature, to animals, to people, to myself. Hello, beauty, freedom, truth and love! :)

Cha and I took care of these caterpillars together. We hope to be the stewards of creation God calls us to be. Will be updating soon about these babies. ;)

when i was younger, i did this 

I

V

up to now, i write on our walls, i color on drawing tables and cabinets...

and i never imagined i'd really be able to draw and paint on larger walls.. 

---walls outside our home...

credits to Liberty who made the collage

and so i'm very grateful to Habitat Philippines' call for volunteers for the mural painting

because, even though my painting experience is negligible, i was able to take part in this momentous event!

that is why, seeing lots and lots of volunteers painting the walls of Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Elementary School, i was filled with more joy and much more desire to participate in the activity..          ......witnessing these miracles, i had only one thing in mind - anything is possible with God, but human beings' cooperation is badly needed. It is possible to unite different kinds of people. Knowing that the intention was good, people, especially the youth were very willing to volunteer (not to mention that the activity was also very fun!). On the day of the activity, lots were willing to work postponing their lunch; lots were also willing to work overtime. In fact, i met some who took a day off from their jobs just to volunteer on a Monday. 

Stating all these, we could definitely say, the youth is willing to work, leaders, ma-pressure naman kayo!!!

i'm saying the statement before this in a disappointed manner. lots of people are at the mercy of the decisions of politicians and other government officials. Yet lots of these official seem not to care at all. It seems to be that the people who benefit from their being in office are themselves and their families and businessmen. People need leaders who are sincere and are doing everything in their power to serve the people - leaders who know love and sacrifice.

So i'm raising my voice to you, leaders, fight against corruption, go for integrity!!! 

God bless you, Philippines and the world!

Let's continue to pray for all children..
let us do our best to REACH-OUT to them.

"may all children who feel powerless, afraid or voiceless find the certainty that they too can survive and flourish. "

courtesy of Unicef

Paper Bags - real na real!

Courtesy of Quenie.. :)

this was the product of our college subject requirement (our feasibility study): paper bags made from recycled papers

at first, before groups to perform studies were formed, i conceptualized forming coupon bonds made from recycled papers. Our teacher once compared Philippines' low-quality bond papers made of recycled papers versus that from the US (high quality). i was kind of challenged to find the perfect ingredients to produce high quality, above than average bond papers from recycled papers. So after the groups were formed, that was one of the products i suggested to them. Well, there were twists and turns in the events that followed. But the Lord had really been generous (as He always is) to give us this study, even if it was not exactly the one i conceptualized. More than that, we were really able to finish our study on time and so... we were able to produce REAL(!!!) paper bags!! i an so glad that in some ways, we were able to contribute to the preservation of God's marvelous creations!

Hope we'll do better even more!! Aja!! :D

Reminder:
to all consumers, be cautious in patronizing products being advertised and promoted on TV & online..
because
Human desires are like the world of the dead - there is always room for more. (Proverbs 27:20)
and
All that is not eternal is eternally useless. (CS Lewis)

Let's spend our time and effort on things which are truly valuable.