On a roll- the ballistic month of January

My life has been a little bit ballistic as soon as January 1 kicked kicked in. The month of January literally just passed by without me noticing that its February already (the love months--ack!)

Excited as I was to go home to cuddle snuggle with my dogs that day, I wasn't able to do anything but go through with the patience-trying challenges of a 33 hour domestic flight delay. If I wrote this entry a day after I got home from the delay, I would have written bashful thoughts about the airlines and everything that went on around it. However, as I look back now, the Lord gave me nothing but grace. 

1. The hotel I stayed in gave me an unsolicited 25% discount (it was a 2 minute walk away from the airport-- so it was a super great deal). Come January 2, the morning the airlines said we'd be on a bogus 'special flight' back to Manila...
2.  I earned an airport friend (as we lost touch the moment we went our separate planes) while waiting, jumping transports to Cebu, complaining to airline officials, and claiming refunds. She made me a calmer and a better person, not wanting to unleash my bratty side, because the flight delay could cost her her job. While I am just upset about loosing my cuddle snuggle time.
3. I also earned a boat friend (as we lost touch the moment I stepped out of the ferry). He was an IT specialist from HP Malaysia; he was here to help the typhoon victims of Yolanda. He said he just came here on his own to do his own relief thing (parang nagpapaimpress lang); sounds like he's rich eh, pero I couldn't care at that time kasi I was super tired. Kaya sorry pero I kinda slept on him while we were having a conversation; Remember. I was super tired.
4. Free taxi ride from friendly strangers. Imagine me alone, on the busy and chaotic port of Cebu, beside the busy and chaotic highway, with my back pack and my game face on, at nakikipagagawan ng taxi from three grown men. It was a little bit crazy, but they were able to call the taxi already, and when it came near us I tried to talk to the driver, pero as I did that, they offered me a ride anyway. Ang bruha got the front seat, while the three grown men (2 pinoys and a foreigner) tried to fit themselves in at the back. Tapos they didn't let me pay for the taxi pa! Oh diba. how cool is that.
5. Now as we arrived at the Cebu airport, we tried to rebook our flight. However since it was holiday season, the next available flight was on January 3 already. Booked that flight for security, but got rebooked again on the same day at a later time lang. So I was able to arrive home in LB at around 1130pm January 2.
6. I was dead tired because I started my journey at around 9am January 1, 2014 from my Lola's place and arrived at around 1130pm January 2, 2014. 38 hours more or less. Only by grace, that I was able to survive strong and in happy spirits.

Then, the weeks after that were filled with reunions and parties. January was a weekend heavy month. 

January 4: A dinner date with some of my best bratty buddies at church. This one, I know, they will leave on me and tell na ako lang ang bratty. But these are good times. Definitely.

January 10: New yEEr's party. With my awesome team!! batch -- (dash dash). We almost won, we got in for second place. Pero it was all fun anyway, and I had an awesome team! I sincerely hope they graduate already. Hehehe (hanapin niyo ang mga teacher! )

photocredits to some student on facebook :)

January 11: Bee Party at Lobo Batangas. It was a three-in-one party: Mommy Beth and Pastor Nelson's 35th wedding anniversary, Heather's several years delayed debut and MayKC's baby shower. Was honestly honored (chos) to be invited to this party, got free food, free games (that's us winning the parlor games. see photo!) and was finally able to visit the famous Malabrigo Light house! breath taking! Sulit the 4 hour journey with 5 vehicle transfers and alot of whatevers. It was great and sulit!

photo credits to ate KC

January 13: CEAT New Year's party: well no pictures of that one. Hehe. It was just the food and the umm department presentation that I'd rather not talk about. Hehehehe.

January 17: A family reunion with my Mother side cousins. The last time that we had our photo taken together was when we could all still fit on Lola's folding bed. That's not going to happen now. We are all big and grown up already. Look!

photo credits to warren

And we all had a great time at Yakimix MOA. It was a great idea to have a reservation for the place. It was jam-packed when we got there; and I was feeling a wee bit special when they called my name and had everyone else look at us as we entered first into the restaurant. Now its gonna be several years wait ulit when these cousins come home from Ireland.

photo credits to warren

January 18-19: Wenggay's Birthday Bash. I have a really cool friend who scheduled two parties to accommodate all her friends. Some kasi could not come on a Saturday but can come on a Sunday and vice versa, thus the two parties. Kaya lang, the lola could not come to either kasi I had other schedules. So. I stayed with them over night na lang to help her out with the Sunday preparations and to attend church with them on Sunday morning. Then I had to run back to LB to attend my January 19 PM commitment

January 19: Ginny's bridal shower. Well I'm at that season now. Bridal showers. Weddings. Baby showers etc. I had to go back to LB (despite the tight schedule) kasi she was a dear friend and I had a part in the program din. 

January 24-25: Attended the CCF All His Seminar. It was GREAT! I was inspired, rebuked, and reminded about a lot of things in the conference. It gave me peace to know and be reminded that I am not my own, but the Lord's. He owns me. Explanation to this one would have to be another entry, basta it gives me comfort to know that someone as big as our God owns me. I like that. Plus plus! I saw Hayden Kho in person-- he was super gwapo, (hihihihi) and matangkad, and gwapo (i said that already ano). I saw din ate Czarina, and the Ate Em and Kuya Joel. Plus plus ate weng gave us baon pa for the conference. Feeling school kids ulit kami ni Tiah with our packed lunch complete with fruits, healthy meal, rice and coffee. I just loved it!

January 26: LBCRC's 35th anniversary. A great celebration of God's faithfulness to my home church. 

January 31: The Tagaytay Reunion with the remnants of tropang Char char. Andrew and I arrived at Tagaytay at around 2pm (it was a 3 hour journey because of the heavy Tagaytay traffic) I had to leave din agad at 330pm kasi I had a 5pm appointment for Ginny's rehearsal. It was short. Pero nothing beats seeing old friends once in a while. I took the photo kaya I was not in it pa.

January 31: Ginny's rehearsal. Syempre I was an hour late na for this appointment. Pero thanks to abbie she covered for me during the first part of the wedding rehearsal. 

and lastly, (kahit hindi pa kasama sa January)

February 1: Ginny's wedding. It feels like I am getting good at coordinating weddings. I ENJOYED this wedding, regardless of the pagod and the stress. I enjoyed it. I had a great wedding coordinating team with me. Super gwapo and pretty and cooperative ushers pa and all the freebies. See my wedding photos? Hehe. I was trying to conceal myself from the camera:

Photo Credits to kuya Abet

Pero the best part of the wedding was the after party. whoa! dude. there was dancing and some drinks (this one I really liked hehehe). As in classic hard core ballroom dancing with DI. Syempre nagsayaw ako, and its a good thing there was no pictures of me dancing. Ito other people dancing.

February has yet to unfold itself. Pero mukhang busy na; it looks like I'll have a business meeting on the 14th (note: a meeting. not a date). All of these stuff are on top of my teaching load and the other deadlines that got in the way. I had to forgo the Palarong UPLB this year. I've resolved that I am not sporty and that scrabble is not a real sport; so I busied myself instead at finishing an ASEAN thing deadline for the department. We had a great team for that deadline as well. I got rejected at the Sweden scholarship because my academic qualifications are not yet enough (I still have to get 2 years masters to qualify). But I have no hard feelings-- yea I felt sad for a day. But, the Lord is teaching me to rest in His promise that He knows what's best for me. I am deciding to thank Him for whatever results those scholarships give me. And anyway, this is a great life after all. :) More things to be thankful for than to be sad about.