Outlander

The Mitsubishi Outlander GLX 2WD marks Mitsubishi’s entry into the highly competitive entry level (read 2-wheels drive) compact SUV segment.
- read the whole article from Philippine Star here.

I don’t wish to brag about this, or anything like, but I think I have to blog about this. I mean, for archiving and history purposes, you know. :D

So yeah, together with our two-y/o H.Civic, mom and dad went home driving a brand new Biscuit white-colored Mitsubishi 2008 Outlander just today. They came home at around 10 in the evening.

We were supposed to have a Strada, but as mom and dad knew from Mr. Ferdie of Freeway Motors – Cabanatuan that there will be a brand new model of the Outlander that’s coming out, they immediately reserved a model to own.

So there, even while newspapers say that the new models of the Outlander can’t be bought yet but rather can just be viewed in showrooms nationwide for now, I’m so blissful to say that we have it already! So glad. :D Mabuhay kayo, FM-Cab.

Right now, we all are in-love with it.

Okay, I’m not really good at cars and stuff, but I can say this one’s really maporma, luxurious, and comfy enough :-D

Anyway, I give back the praises to the Lord for this is yet another manifestation of His faithfulness and blessing. Material blessings, I believe, are reflections of how blessed we are spiritually, so I praise God for such blessings – both material and spiritual.

We don’t really own this new coupé – God gave this to us; conversely, all we have is His.

Here’s a photo collage: (click the photo for the larger version)

Destination: Baguio

While our neighbors were producing (quite annoying) musical notes during their “pasyon” sessions for the Holy Week, my family and I spent our weekend at a place where I was born, and prolly our fave place in the country – Baguio City.

Idk. Even if we often go there, we still feel a sense of home-ness whenever we visit the place. Perhaps it’s the temperature, or perhaps the same old places we used to normally go back in the 90’s.

So anyway, we had a hard time looking for a hotel room since we forgot to have a reservation at any, plus the crowd of bakasyonistas and turista was thick.

Tried out Macrotel, Manor, Golden Pine, Supreme, AIM, Paladin. We were like Mary and Joseph who were turned down with “Sorry, there are no more (available) rooms here tonight.” repeatedly. However, unlike their destiny, we did not end up being in a small and humble manger. We tried inquiring at Summer Place Hotel, Baguio’s best hotel for 2007. Not being rebuffed, dad was told that the only room available was the presidential suite! And yes, we immediately grabbed it. Man, it was more than spacious. There were four queen-sized beds, a living room, a pretty bath area, a veranda, and almost a space possible for table tennis. Ahaha. The last’s a joke.

Although not totally dumbfounded, I was thanking the Lord the night before I went to sleep. For all who knew our family very well from the start, you people know that before the Lord has given us everything we owe now (although everything we have is still His), we had very humble beginnings. Correlating that to my prayers, I thanked God for His faithfulness to me and to my family. That time, I saw being in a presidential suite, even if we were just five, as a manifestation of God’s abundant and extravagant faithfulness to His faithful servants.

We also attended a Friday service at the Baguio First Methodist Church. They were sort of having their Holy Week (Good Friday) Service when we came. We weren't able to complete the service, though. We came during the 5th message (in their case, the 5th "unexpected").

Anyhow, my ate and her family were also at the same city, but since they were with my bayaw (bro-in-law)’s family (who were staying at Supreme Hotel), we only got to see them every night.
Went to Yellow Cab the first night and just stayed at Summer Place’s view deck and resto the second.

I can say that amidst the thick crowd in all the places we've been at Baguio, I enjoyed this short vacation. And oh, it was our first time to visit Baguio without stepping into the grounds of SM! We agreed not to spend time malling since there are lots of malls out of Baguio, anyway.

Oh, I also took photos of the now-crowded mountains surrounding Baguio City. I was thinking of Zion when I took these since he was telling me (through sms) that he hasn’t been in our hometown for years now. Wala lang. Just so you could compare in your thoughts the old Baguio and the Baguio of today :D
Overcrowded na at some areas, pero okay lang. Still love the place. <3>

Oh-ho. It was also my first out-of-town with my new eyeglasses. Ahaaaa. So there, as you can see, my glasses turn brown when touched by sunshine. Waley.

Tara na, biyahe tayo! ;)

Photos are uploaded here.

Of Glasses and Bangs

While I was in the middle of the university finals, my family pulled me with them to Pacific Mall yesterday (it's an hour drive from home).
Arriving there, ate Joy and Vanj had their hair undergo extenzo treatments, while mom and I managed to have eye check-ups at Executive Optical (EO).

Miracle was it, but my vision was found to be very clear with a 20-20 grade! Whoa.
After everything?, I thought. After all those early morning sleeps (in five years now) because of reading, writing, watching movies, or using the computer, 20-20 vision is what I have? Hahah. Coolness B-)
So anyway, since my eyes have been seemingly at an unease state these previous weeks, the optometrician gave me another kind of lenses.

Instead of the graded ones, she used ___ lenses (err.. I can hardly recall what she called such which are especially for protecting the eyes from the sun, dust, LCD rays, and the like, as well as for soothing the eyes and relaxing the eye muscles and tissues).

My eyes were checked yesterday (before the mall closed.hehe) , so we had to comeback today to take my new eyeglasses.

Btw, I chose Thalia's Jada eyeglasses since aside from its jam-colored frame, it suited my bangs. Ahahaha. Kidding. But yes, I also had a haircut today.


And oh, it was my first time to have a studio photo taken with my sibs, Vanj and MJ (just the three of us; ate Joy went to Baguio with bayaw). Sorry, I'm too lazy to scan so I just took a picture of it. hah.


So there.

Update on my first online purchase

I eventually got my online orders (thank goodness).

*to understand, read the second previous post

Some comments:

I had a hard time dealing with Kabayan Central’s representative with regards to the payment since they only accept credit cards. I still don’t have my own cc, so I had to ask them to just have a bank-to-bank transaction.

The representative that dealt with me (let’s call him Mr. E) told me to first deposit the fee to bank A, then to bank B, then to bank B with this account, then to bank B with another account. Oh well, I see the effort, pero medyo naguluhan din ako which is which! :-P

Anyway, I finally deposited my balance to one of his friends’ BDO account on Wednesday, but he brought my orders to Air21 for delivery by the next day pa.

My orders are in good conditions naman when they were delivered.

Anyway, in fairness with KC, I can see that they tried hard to provide me the films/ documentaries I needed in the soonest time possible A yay for that.

**Air21’s sms tracking service is a non-receptive one. You really have to call their office to track your items.

With Powerbooks naman, they used LBC’s next-day padala so I immediately had my copy of Imbestigador’s first DVD compilation.

In general, my first online purchasing experience was a good one.

Second Time

I have been leading the praise and worship for youth functions since I was in 4^th year high school, but today was just my second time to lead worship for the main Sunday Service.

My line-up was:

• Purify Your People
• My Redeemer Lives (I remember having this as well on my line up for my first Sunday service leading)
• Friends in High Places
• This is How We Overcome
• I Stand in Awe of You
• Great is the Lord
• How Great is Our God

*Everyday (acquaintance), I Could Sing of Your Love (offertory; sung by Vanj and Giovan), At the Cross (communion)

I prayed hard for such a task. I know very well that I cannot do it on my own, but only by Spirit of God.

"Not my might, not by power, but by My Spirit." Zechariah 4:6

As expected (or more than I expected), we all had a breakthrough in worship. Again, not because of me, but because of God’s grace and Spirit that moved through us.

I just thank and praise God for all He’s done.

Btw, a shoutout to the following:
my best friend (buddy Jenny) for praying for me before the service started
my best friend tol, Julius, for assuring me of their prayers and support
Ptr./ tatay Ramon for being one of the back-ups
my younger sister, Vanj, for making my voice sound a lot, lot better. haha. (I’ve always told her that without her voice, mine will not sound much good. Ahaa)
mommy and daddy for supporting alllllll the way!
you, who prayed for me and the whole of the service
and, above all, my Big Boss – the Lord!

How Great is our God!

**For the record: I’ve changed my top fave song from Forever to How Great is our God ;)

_________________________________

JRC Announcements:

• There will be no youth service this week. It will resume next week, March 28.
  

• JRC will be having a Sunrise Service this coming Sunday, March 23, at 5:30 AM. (There will be no 9AM service next Sunday)

My First Online Purchase

I'm taking risks this time, for the first time, to buy products online.

My group in History100 needs to submit a documentary film that has a historical or social relevance by Saturday (March 15), along with the film analysis made by nonetheless, us. However, given a short period like this (okay, it's Tuesday now!), one would prolly take even the most unsure jeopardy. Most DVDs and VCDs titles are already taken by other groups, so we I (singular!) had no choice but to just look for DVDs online!

From last Saturday 'till yesterday, I have called I think more than 30 publishing houses, video stores, online retail shops, and the like, but most had titles/ films that my classmates and my prof's other handled sections already are working on. Finally, I've decided to email GMA-7 reporter Sandra Aguinaldo to ask where I could buy DVD collections of her documentaries. Surprisingly, she replied and told me that I could avail I-Witness documentary DVDs at Powerbooks. Well, since going to the nearest Powerbooks outlet would be like a 5-hour trip from my place, I've decided to just continue surfing online - National Bookstore and Museong Pampelikula ng Pilipinas are among the others. Then, I suddenly tripped to Kabayan Central. I was a bit suspicious at first since it was my first time to hear such an online company, but I had no choice! I called their Pasig office, and was entertained naman by their clerk. Moroever, I also got the chance to contact My Ayala, company that owns Powerbooks. They gladly referred me to their online customer service representative who was very professional, unlike that of Kabayan Central (KC's customer service rep was kind enough, but talked not much like of a pro). Oh well, to cut this whole thing short, I just ordered 2 DVDs from KabayanCentral (Ten Years of Howie Severino and The Best of GMA's Serbisyong Totoo) and 1 DVD from Powerbooks (The Best of Imbestigador vol.1) last night.

Oh btw, I bought more than one DVD since other groups also asked to me just order for them (ahhh.. pay me for the labor! haha. Jk).

Anyway, unlike with PB, I'm not so sure about KC, but I'm hoping that my bucks wouldn't be into a fraud as I transfer money from my bank account to theirs this day.

Update y'all when I get my DVDs! ;)

Youth Service sched change

Hello, hello!
Thank you for all your encouraging messages, my friends.
I'm okay now. The incident on Juancho has made (and is making) me more urgent on winning lives for Jesus.

Anyway, that was just a commercial. Hehe.
As the blog title goes, JRC's Youth Service has been moved to Fridays at 5:30 (from the former Sundays @ 4).

I really hope that you, guys, would come and tag others along.
Don't worry about going home late--we planned how to shrink things ;)

Sooooo, send me an sms, drop me a call, or email me (or any other young people from JRC that you know) for further questions.

See YOU!