only by Grace...

Grace, my new boss in my new job is SUPER SWEET! She just gave me her own brand new Microsoft Windows Live i-buddy. I told her she didn't have to and I could just take one later, but she told me this is an exclusive piece and we are not producing any more stocks next year. This morning, I just found the cute thingy on my desk! :) It works as a laptop or PC accessory that lights up whenever an IM buddy gets online and flaps its wings once you received a message on MSN. Microsoft rocks!

Because I wasn't able to give her anything for Christmas, I created a CD of songs for her as a New Year's present. It's a good thing her name is a virtue so thinking of a cover design was easy. Hehehhe.

When she received the cd, she went wow so many times and showed it to all our sales staff telling everyone how pretty the girl on the cover is. I'm so happy she liked my gift.

Wow, 2008 zoomed in quite fast! What a year indeed. I remember it was not long ago when I was just jotting down my faith goals, and now I need to come up with a new set this soon! Well, I had my share of highs and lows this year, but I am utterly grateful on how this year has turned out for me. I just want to share some of the most important highlights and blessings I received this year- only by Grace:

1. Mummy Ana Manzano & the rest of my cell group. I was waiting to be connected with a group in my previous churches here in Singapore but after a few months of seeking, I was still shepherd-less. One day, my best friend Danzen who is working for Proudly Filipina, told me that they featured Connie Reyes in their show, and after the shoot, Connie Reyes prayed for her! Then, I remembered that Connie Reyes goes to VCF. I went into its site and found out that it is a member of Every Nation Church. I clicked on the link and found Mummy's name in their online list of leaders. I got attracted to the name (also because it's very Filipino. yay!) Our group has really provided a lot of support and has helped me mature in my faith, develop a sense of divine perspective, and learn more of the things that truly matter. I just love being in fellowships with them.

2. Having met Marian Jarquin- American slash Taiwanese slash Nicaraguan babe and one my best friends in Singapore. We went through a tough time in our previous job, but looking back I am grateful that we were together for encouragement, companionship and prayer. She's now in California and I hope to visit her soon (or vice-versa). I'm going to miss having lunch with her and watching her eat the same thai fried rice every day because that's the only thing her picky tummy can bear.

3. Turned 25 this year! I believe I am becoming more and more responsible and discplined by the day. Uhm honestly, being 25 doesn't feel any different than being 21 or 23 or 24. But I notice that I have become wiser, increased my level of persistence, become more patient and yielding, and of course- have grown more beautiful! :-)

4. Shifted to our new flat! This place is nicer, less expensive and closer to the MRT & my workplace.

5. FREE swimming lessons with Coach Lingam @ NUS Campus. I was actually willing to pay a hundred bucks for a personal coach but this came as a blessing. Goodbye salbabida, hah!

6. My new, shiny pink Sony Vaio- the most expensive (monetary-wise) unexpected blessing I received. The story on this miracle is a whole new blog entry altogether. So thanks be to God whom we can never outgive.

7. Friday dinner dates with Nipsy. This year, Nips started to work with Unilever Singapore. From Unilever-Manila to SG, Nips has her own incredible testimony to share. :) I look forward to our upcoming dates, Nipso!

8. MBA Applications- finally came around to accomplishing this. It took me months to actually pysch myself to review for the gmat and take the whole mba frenzy seriously. I've been to a lot of mba tours and have received career advice from the experts, so I really feel that I'm on the right track. I'm really praying hard for a UBC-Sauder scholarship to land on my mailbox. Just believe!

Here's to a more exciting and brighter year ahead! I pray that you will be taken to greater heights in all aspects of your lives, dear friends. Let's 'fix our [future] thoughts on what is true and honorable, on what is right and pure, and lovely and admirable- things that are excellent and worthy of praise.' (Ph 4:8)

Blessed 2009, Everyone!
XOXO from Super hot & Sunny Singapura!

Mwah!

Home Alone on Christmas Eve!

This is my first time to spend Christmas away from my family. Since moving in here in Singapore, I've been doing quite a lot of things on my own, but I occasionally fly back home for special events- holidays, weddings, and the like, but this time I couldn't afford it and I didn't want to. Surprisingly, I don't feel sad at all. In fact, I feel contentment, joy and blessings overflowing in my life. God is just amazing; He has always been.

A month ago, I lost my job. I didn't even think that I would have a very merry Christmas. Back then, everything didn't matter so long as I found a job to cover the next month's rent. But now, God has placed me in a company of generous, cheerful, pleasant, and lovely co-workers! They gave me gifts and encouragement as if I were working with them for a long time. I could have been hired by the other companies I previously applied to, but God has other plans and He indeeed has a reason for everything. After all, He does all things well :)

Right now, I'm watching Love Actually (for the 3rd time I think). It is one of my favorite feel-good holiday movies. I'm waiting for my housemates to arrive from work so we can all feast together. But I'm savoring this wondrous feeling that is a blessing in itself- solitude. The rain has just stopped and I can sense the dampness of the chilly air blowing from my window. The grey clouds are still and the sun is beginning to light up the horizon though not as harsh as on a sunny day.

Allow me to bask in all this- the quiet holiday break, piles of dark chocolates from friends, a good book on my bedside table, the pleasantly cold weather, sunlight from my windowpane, singlehood and independence, and the opportunities to celebrate the ongoing works of Jesus in my life.

The Antidote.

Thumbing through the loose threads at the knees of my trf jeans
I listen to the huskiness of Paolo Nutini’s voice as he strikes a soft G.
I wonder why the neighbour’s dogs have stopped barking
Could it be that they’ve lost their voice?
Or perhaps bashfulness is at their senses’ reach
If only I could sniff just as well...
But maybe they’re also like me
Picking up the pieces
Of whatever’s left of the pellet on the floor
And maybe just like me
Summer is their favourite season
A time of rice cakes and strawberry milkshakes
Sunsets and cheese omelettes
Bicycle rides and ipod tunes
Whistles and stares
(Though I wouldn’t be bothered)
Making dog-ears in my beloved paperbacks
Rendezvous with my polygamous lovers-
There’s Coke after lunch
Ice creams at supper
And Cadbury whenever
Poetic License. Geraniums.Orchids.Daffodils.
Treading barefoot
Along my custom-made valley
A prerequisite for the mountain heights
Whistling on a rainy Sunday
With a drenched cardboard for cover
Listening

Seeking

Waiting

Enjoying

Living for moments that take my breath away...

On Our Way Home

An entry by Mary Southerland for Girlfriends in God Series.

One of my favorite movies is "Apollo 13" in which we first heard those famous words, "Houston, we have a problem", an understatement, to say the least. The astronauts faced seemingly impossible odds of getting back to earth but refused to give up the fight until they splashed down in the waters of home.

Life is much the same. We are often thrust into a daily life of foreign and often frightening worlds, shaky circumstances, and impossible trials with no obvious way of escape. It seems like we will never get home and our world will never be right again.

I have discovered a truth that surfaces in my heart every Christmas holiday. We all come into this world with a sense of being lost. Tucked into the corner of our souls is a feeling of restlessness...a longing for home, for something eternal. That longing will never be satisfied outside of a relationship with Him! God holds each today and every tomorrow in His hands. Nobody and nothing can fill the "God-shaped" hole in our heart.

I have come to cherish that desperate heart cry that drives me to my knees and into the lap of my Father! Each and every time I come to Him, He whispers, "It will be all right. You are not home - yet."

I do not want this broken and torn world to be my final home, but merely a place I am passing through. While I am here, I have a God-sized job to do, an extraordinary mission to complete and a wonderful purpose to fulfill. Is that awesome or what? Absolutely! But it is only the beginning of the eternity for which I was created. It doesn't get any better than that, my friends.

So as you dive into your hectic schedule, remember that one day, we will be home - with Him - but until then, let's celebrate here! Guard your hearts and mind by filling them with God's Word. Hold fast to the true meaning of the season and don't let go! Look for ways to share the message of the manger, embracing that longing for home as a sweet reminder that one day we will celebrate His birth in Heaven. What a Christmas that will be! And we are on our way home!

the Script is ♥

`Cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even'...


At first I thought they were just another boy band coming around the bend. The Script describes their music as the new 'Celtic Soul', combining pop melody with soul and some rock dynamics. (Even if it were cuckoo music, I would still have listened).

Well, I am utterly captivated - the lyrics AND the Irish accent made the difference. Plus, it didn't hurt that Danny O'Donaghue (lead, 25) is a hottie! But more than anything, I fell in love with the voice (oh, man!) and how the lyrics transcend beyond the simple use of narratives and rhymes.

SO I AM gathering up my skirt and exposing my bare toes, ready to soak them in the puddle. Everything else does not matter for too many nights have fallen for me not to notice the countless, gorgeous stars embedded in a blanket of black. Existence IS bliss...this is my silver and I'm loving it!

After Pilates class, I went back to our flat only to find a surprise from my housemates :) This Princess is indeed very, very happy! Looking back, I realized that I am truly blessed in more ways than I had initially thought.

A few weeks before my birthday, I posted an entry concerning a crisis I was going through. It was not severe (like a lemme-see-a-shrink crisis) but I definitely felt that there was something wrong with me and it was not just simple PMS-ing. I became insecure with my status quo and I felt that I needed to do something but I did not know what. I longed for the past yet I also wanted change. The alarm went off in my head and my friends told me that I was having quarter-life crisis. Then I realized (perhaps from reading too much Time & Newsweek) that crisis starts when uncertainty sets in. But I also learned that uncertainty ferments trust, faith, dependence, and a desire to seek wisdom, all of which are necessary to make us all the more human.

Well, I don't think I'm still in a crisis. The emotional waves have subsided (and I'm being poetic again :p). 25 is a good age; and I know some people would die just to become 25 again (e.g. my hunky boss).

This also marks a complete year of living alone... living on lychee puddings, instant noodles, bottles of Coke Zero, and pipe dreams handwritten on recycled springbound notebook...while realizing that this stage is a paradox in itself- characterized by a need to learn more and a desire to secure one's innocence.

I am grateful to the people who have blessed me with their friendship; who have kept me grounded; who have encouraged me; who have rebuked me; and who have allowed me to be hurt, to suck it up, and to grow . More importantly, I am grateful to Him whose promises are always fulfilled AND whose Princess is so loved and favored upon.

More celebrations, testimonies, and photos to come!

QLC: Everyone's going through it!

QLC stands for Quarter Life Crisis and I'm currently in it (I think). Marian, my best bud in the office, and I were just discussing how she's been having the blues lately. We both don't know what we want in our career and our relationships, and we are simply not content with what's in front of us.

She sent me an email describing the symptoms (from Wikipedia I think) :

• feeling "not good enough" because one can't find a job that is at one's academic/intellectual level
• frustration with relationships, the working world, and finding a suitable job or career
  confusion of identity
• insecurity regarding the near future
• insecurity concerning long-term plans, life goals
• insecurity regarding present accomplishments
• re-evaluation of close interpersonal relationships
• disappointment with one's job
• nostalgia for university, college, high school or elementary school life
• tendency to hold stronger opinions
• boredom with social interactions
• loss of closeness to high school and college friends
• financially-rooted stress (overwhelming college loans, unanticipatedly high cost of living, etc.)
• loneliness
• desire to have children
• a sense that everyone is, somehow, doing better than you

Bathroom Conversions ensued...

Marian: You know Jules, I met this PR Manager in a hotel last Tuesday night. She added me in FB and I looked at her blog and she stated she's going through symptoms of QLC as well!

Jules: See! It's not only us, we're sane...I'm relieved!

Marian: I know. It happens to all of us I guess.

Jules: Uh-huh.

Marian (in a singsong voice): But I found a solution.
His name is J-E-S-U-S! :)