Hillsong United Live in Manila (i)

*click on the photos for larger views
PS. 'Got my hair cut last Saturday, so don't be confused :D

Type “hillsong united manila ‘08” on Google and you’ll see thousands of blogs, photos, videos, and different stuff about their concert at the big dome last Monday, May 26. Well, add me to that net traffic :D

We were supposed to leave SJC at 9 AM, but we eventually departed minutes before 10 ‘cause we waited for *insert late comer’s name here*. The girls positioned themselves on a Starex van (driven by kuya Beng), while the boys gentlemen packed themselves together in a green van (uh, don’t know what type of van was that). The 4-hour trip was, as expected, super fun and chat-ful. Talk about kenkoy, korny, and kool put together. :-D

We arrived at the Araneta Center at around 2 PM, so the others had the chance to shop. Alternatively, I took a pleasurable time with Vanj, Nanay Paz, my buddy, Grace, and Ptra.Ces at Go Nuts. Sayang nga ‘cause while we were having a really good meryenda and kwentuhan, I did not notice Zion and Kim’s sms. They were at the Araneta Center as well, and were really ready to meet and catch up with us (Vanj, Nay Paz and I). Both are my childhood church mates and friends from Baguio City (90’s). Sayang talaga ‘cause I haven’t seen them for 12 years now.

Anyhow, at around 4 PM, we checked on Araneta Coliseum’s entrance hall and found out that there were already people queued. We immediately lined-up and reserved space for our other colleagues. We were 25, btw. So there. We were nearly at the front of the line we were in. Thrilled much? Well, yes, absolutely. Man! We traveled four long hours for this! Haha. Oh, btw, it was also our first time to touch our tickets as Ptr. Phillip kept them for us to avoid the “OMG. I forgot my ticket!” scene.

To be honest, it was the first concert I’ve attended (count out JRev). I was very obedient to their rules that I half-heartedly left my digi cam at the van since the coordinators posted a reminder on their multiply that read

Still cameras and video cameras are NOT ALLOWED inside the venue. Araneta security will be checking baggages as you enter, and anyone who brings a camera will be asked to leave it with the security. To avoid hassle, please don't bring your cameras anymore.

So imagine my face when I passed security without even having my bag checked much.
Oh well, sabi nga ng buddy ko, at least I know in my heart that I obeyed AND I still have my cellphone’s camera pa naman. Although 2-megapixel cam lang, at least I have something to capture some moments from the concert, right?

People were allowed to enter lobby at around 5:40, and were allowed to come in the coliseum before 6. Hassle pala talaga dahil Upper B yung nakuha namin, so free seating --- consider rushing to get good seats. Luckily blessedly, my buddy and I transferred to seats beside kuya Elmer and Ptr.Phil which gave us a clearer and more direct view of the centerstage. I believe we were on section 401. Being at the upper middle gave us a really great sight of the United team as well as the crowd.

**ako na yata ang pinaka-makwentong nag-attend ng United concert--- two-part blog naman daw kasi :-P

Kompyuter atbp

Wow. Pambihirang title. Parang computer shop :-P

-------------------------------------------------

/edited with a photo/

The first time my parents bought me a pc was when I was in 4^th year HS. It was an all-black Pentium 4 desktop pc with a CRD monitor (LCDs weren’t the fad then) and [only] 40GB of disk space. Loved it much. Then again, they bought a Neo notebook pc last year (while I was on my 2^nd year in college) which isn’t really of high specs. But then, since it was our first laptop, I used it to the maxxxx. Well, the maxxxx limit prolly would be today ‘cause mom got me a brand new desktop computer today :D *cheers*

I’m currently using it, actually, so ‘tis going to be my first blog post using my new computer. I chose a [really good] desktop over a well-run and hip laptop because I believe I’m a hardcore user, so to speak.

I just feel so happy to be using a Core 2 Duo processor with 250GB of disk space. That’s got to be something! Well, sa totoo lang kasi, malaki ang kailangan ko na disk space ‘cause I tend to store A HUGE number of photos and videos (talk about school, church, and family affairs). Uhm, don’t worry about me running out with space as I organize them by storing them into DVDs after I edit and upload some of them online.

Yeah, I feel so happy! And oh.. My blog looks different with this 17” Acer LCD monitor ‘cause it’s so wide that my blog seems to have a really huge margin on the sides. Now I’m starting to consider about how to edit my blog’s layout soon. Nay.

Thank You, Lord. Ang aga namang birthday gift.

Actually, I feel albeit awkward din to post things about material things 'cause I'm afraid cautious that others (including you) might take it as if I'm bragging and being too materialistic. But then again, I do not want to keep His goodness to myself. You see, the Lord's faithfulness is evident in Spirit and in truth. Physically graspable blessings aren't an end in themselves. Blessings come from the inside out kaya naman I feel extra joyful 'cause I feel that when God surprises us with such things, He gives a hint that there's a thumbs-up up there.
Don't you just want to get close to God? :)

PS. Sorry for not posting photos. My cam's with Vanj. edited this already

Cosme

I thought I already posted this, but I found out that it was saved as draft lang pala.
Anyway, I made this post after our storm experience on our way home from the women’s retreat at Baguio City.

----------------

I thought I was already approaching death last night.

Everyone in the car was praying firm.

9:30 PM. The wind was tremendously hard that trees and electric posts fall off and occupy the road. Cars, trucks, vans, and all sorts of vehicles were stuck on the road, positioned sidewards to prevent being blown away by the strong wind. We were shaking inside out. The car was wavering as the wind kept on hitting. It kept on quivering us every ten seconds or so. I was staring at the window beside me with my knees and hands shaking and shivering. I was seeing the free-flowing wind and rain. I was seeing other vehicles quiver as well. The little boy inside the car was cuddled tight by the grown-ups. I was crying. I was praying. I kept on praying. They were praying. They kept on praying. We were praying. And yes, we kept on praying.

10:40 PM. We reached a safer place, a gasoline station. Our gasoline tank was nearly reaching the E (empty) mark. The stations around weren’t selling gas yet for some problems brought by the storm. More than forty vehicles were parked on that refilling station. Some were also out of gas, while some were troubled to pursue hitting the road given the weather and the traffic.
It was still raining hard.

2 AM. I woke up.

Past 6 AM. They woke up, as well. The sun was up already, but the sky was still gloomy. My best friend/ buddy, Vanj, and I decided to walk around to observe. (okay, about the photo... we weren't happy for what happened. Our smiles are due to our safety, k.)

8:26 AM. The gas station already sold gas! Thank God.

1:50 PM. We were home safe and sound :)

Praise God ‘cause in the midst of a [literal] storm, His blood covered my family and the other JRC people whom we were convoyed with.

I also thank God for the people in Rosario, La Union who helped us, the motorists, that night. They could have just stayed in their houses, but they chose to go into the highway and be of assistance. I'm not sure if someday people from that place will eventually get to read this blog entry, but I still wish to thank them through this post.

pong salamat sa tulong ninyo. Hindi ko alam kung sa lakas ng hangin sa mga panahon na iyon ay may nasaktan sa mga tumulong, pero salamat muli dahil tinulungan niyo kaming mga motorista na maiwasan ang mga posibleng aksidente. Kahit hindi naman ninyo kami kakilala at kaanoano, salamat po sa pag-sulong ninyo sa malakas na ulan at rumaragasang hangin, sa pagdadala ninyo ng mga gulok para tabasin at igilid ang mga natumbang puno at poste, sa lakas ng loob ninyo na tanggalin ang mga nakaharang na kable ng kuryente, sa pagalis ng mga lumilipad na yero, sa pagpapakalat ng mensahe sa mga motorista na dapat nakatagilid ang mga sasakyan para hindi liparin ng hangin, at sa iba pang nagawa ninyo para sa amin na hindi na napansin.
Hindi po matatawaran ang katapangan at dedikasyon na ipinamalas ninyo sa aming mga dumaan sa matinding bagyong Cosme nang gabing iyon. Salamat po. Purihin ang Panginoon sa buhay ninyo. Pagpalain po kayo nawa ng ating Ama.

To those who prayed for us that night, I also am shouting out a big thanks to all of you.

Above all, thank You, Lord, for planting such a great faith in us. Thank You for taking control of everything. We continually place our hope and trust in You.

The I Heart Revolution

I went to Pampanga yesterday with mom, Vanj, and MJ to see my grandma, Apu De (lola De[lia]), who’s leaving for Guam tomorrow.

We dropped by SM Pampanga first to have coffee as well as to do some shopping. Guess what I saw first – Hillsong United’s latest release, the ‘The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts as One’. The sales clerk told me that the album is yet to be made purchasable to the public the next day (Today), but thank goodness because I was eventually able to buy the 2-CD album (credit goes to mom).

The truth is when I found out on the internet a few weeks ago that the album would just contain songs from their previous albums, I already considered not buying it. I even urged Ptr.Phil not to acquire a copy as well. Hehe. Sorry naman. However, since mom gave her green signal on buying me one (mom: Sige. ‘Di ba manonood kayo ng concert), I totally shifted from a being a penny-pinching gal into a thrilled Hillsong United aficionado.

This double-disk album features 29 worship songs recorded live from their worship concert tours on different countries around the world for the past two years, and one new song – You’ll Come.
On our 4-hour drive to home this morning, we finished listening to the CDs. Yay!

Some comments.

First song pa lang (The Time has Come; recorded in Brazil), Vanj and I were already like WHOA. We also liked All Day which was recorded from their tour in Mexico. The crowd was just so radical and very much alive. We also drooled over the first song on CD 2 – Take It All as it was recorded during their Nov 2006 concert in Manila (Philippines). I really saw [heard] one of the few reasons why Filipinos are identified abroad as “worshipers” (esp as we’re far-reaching daw at P&W times) in Spirit and in truth. I also was glad to have found out that Nothing But The Blood is an old church hymn pala. As it was played, mom told me that it used to be one of dad’s favorite songs during his youth. Cool. First revival yata ‘to ng United :D

I feel blessed that Hillsong United came up with this idea of putting up an album where it focused on showing how people around the globe are encountering a real God. This album, being the first piece for the ‘The I Heart Revolution’ project, echoes the sound of a generation from the corners of the earth, singing a love song to Jesus with hearts as one. This is not about the United band, the music, or even the songs… this is about God’s movement in the lives of people.

Moreover, this album serves as a catalyst on producing a generation who loves God and others like breathing, who wishes to reach people for Jesus, to change the world and make a difference. I can feel the heart of the people behind this album. We really should begin not a revolution, but the revolution now… Revolution not in terms of rebellion or evil things, but a transformation in the lives of people all over the world – including yours and mine, too. This is not merely about making young people jump and have fun during praise and worship, but about making young people soar as they cry out for justice, love, faith, and salvation.

As a line from Hosanna goes, I truly see a generation rising up to take their place.

Semi-Finalist

Hello, friends. Pardon me for my shameless plug :-P

I was browsing over Wana's blog page when I saw a link to the 2008 Candy Blog Awards' Semi-finalists list. I clicked away found out that my blog (here on blogspot/ blogger) made it to the semi-finals under the Best Special Interest category :)

I really didn't think of becoming a semi-finalist, but I feel so happy to have been chosen as one. Anyway, you can contribute a vote (or votesssss since you can vote every 30mins) by following/ clicking on this link. I'm not dead-serious about this thing, but I'm still giving it a shot. Btw, you have to be a registered user first before you can actually send in your votes. It won't hurt to register for Candy, anyway :)


Spread the thing.
I can't post on my Friendster bulletin for some reasons, so perhaps you can plug this for me. :)
Thanks much! Click HERE to vote.

PS. You don't have to vote for me through sms 'cause I'm not under the People's Choice category naman :) Thanks again, folks!

------------------
If you wish to plug about this on your site, copy+paste this:

Please help my friend for the Candy Blog Awards. Read this, then vote:
http://jezmanugue.multiply.com/journal/item/35/Semi-finalist_

------------------
I'm being torn by these two-- two of my friends, Wana and Tin, are also semi-finalists under the Best Blog Name category.
Wana's Blog Name: Her Thoughts in Words
Tin's Blog Name: Life is a Chocolate Chip Cookie Jar

Okidok ;)

United Manila '08

All of you probably already know that Hillsong's United team is coming here again on the 26th. (Well, if you do not know about this yet, how's Mars? hehe)

My church mates and I knew about the United Live in Manila Concert before March ended, but didn't immediately bought tickets 'cause we were busy with camp preparations -- add to that our pre-camp & camp expenses :P

The day after our camp, May 1, I checked United Manila's site and saw a shocking blog:

Uh-oh! We were planning to go for Upper A, pero 7 nalang :(
I then called ate Happy from Winners Circle and inquired about the tickets. I was told that only Upper B tickets are available. With that, I immediately sms-ed Ptr.Phillip and the other interested youth.

We came up with the finals list of 21 people who will attend the concert after a series of group messages, so we rushed on reserving tickets through a.Happy.
We came up with the decision that we'll have Upper B tickets, instead. Yeah, medyo disappointing 'cause Upper B will seem to give us a really hard view of the center stage, pero mas okay na rin 'cause mas maraming makaka-join pag doon, plus we have no choice :-P

Ptr.Phillip already picked up our tickets last May 5 (Monday), so we're nows sure to be getting live Hillsong music on the 26th!

Yeepee. So excited :)

Sooo... shall I see you there?

PS. For those who still wish to buy tickets, I saw from their multiply site that Araneta Coliseum recently opened another section for Upper A. Check their multiply for more infos.

Camp Photos

Here are collages of our camp photos.

Anyway, sorry for not being able to post photos of the 2nd night---that night that changed it all.

*Click on the thumbnails for larger views

You can also view the photos on multiply. Click here. (You have to be my contact first, though)

Before the camp

I feel so blessed to have been part of the team who, in a small or big, or small, or uhm.. big, (okay, let’s try using this---) in any way, planned and prepared for the camp. I can say that being part of the core group has taught me a lot of lessons. Pre-camp pa lang, the Lord has moved na talaga. My relationship with my co-youth leaders, or my considerably best friends, have gone into a higher level, which in return brought us together deeper. In Ptr. Phillip’s words, we learned to be open para maging close :-D

Sure, we all are friends from the very start, but preparing for the camp required [and naturally crafted] us to even be more united not only in words or actions, but also in the Spirit.

Moreover, I can say that I have witnessed tremendous changes on the lives of specific people within the group. Even if left untold with words (although I believe these things have to be revealed eventually), I’ve seen glorious transformations with them, esp with Giovan and my sister, Vanj. Though I don’t wish to really lay their personal testimonies here on my blog, I just give God glory for everything He’s done.

Before the camp, I talked to my buddy (I call my BFF *best friend forever* Jenny “buddy”) about a person whom I wanted to talk to and just ask for forgiveness. Kasi during one of my quiet times, I was revealed about forgiveness, and so I checked myself on whom I need to forgive and whom should I ask forgiveness from. Matthew 6:14-15 tells us how forgiveness works. Subsequently the Lord helped me figure out my unconscious thoughts and position about this particular person. I felt the urge to talk to that person to release the both of us from whatever bondage was present. Although I missed to actually tell things straight to this person, I thank God for giving the both of us a chance to fix whatever needs to be fixed. :)
Again, dapat maging open para mas maging close, ‘di ba?

Personally naman, my prayer life was challenged during the preparations for the camp. While there were almost daily meetings with Ptr. Phil, Ptra. Cecille, and the rest of the team, I was convicted (and helped by the Lord) to bring my prayers and intercessions into another height. Even my Bible-reading became broader. Ganon talaga when God asks us of a really big task to accomplish—He’ll equip us and supplement the needs to cover a particular job. To do any task, prayer is and will always be the key. In correlation, I praise God for teaching me how to pray for the right things, and how to strive for righteousness. James 5:16 tells us that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. I guess believe it wasn’t a wrong move to hold on to that verse :)

Okay, so about the camp itself, I don’t think I can really narrate everything that took place during the 3 days, but I sure can shout out how great was God’s move during the camp. I actually wrote about the camp on my diary (a personal diary; offline journal), and it took me more than 6 pages to just blab things out. Well, I don’t think I could possibly do that online :-D Okay, so I’m not promising a blog entry about the entire camp.

Anyway, multiply my testimony to 93 (there were 93 campers), and what you will have is still an understatement of God’s miraculous and marvelous works before, during, and after the camp :)

By that, let me just say a thousand praise…. HALLELUJAH!