A Glimpse of San Pedro y San Pablo Parish, Loboc, Bohol - before the earthquake :(

One of the churches that was declared National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum is the San Pedro y San Pablo Parish Church located at Loboc, Bohol. We were lucky that we were able to visit this church April of 2013 before the disastrous earthquake destroyed the church on the 15th of October, 2013.

Photo courtesy: http://photobento.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/churches-of-bohol/ But after the earthquake, this remains of the said church.

Photo Courtesy: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/510381/pedrito-dolls-relaunched-to-help-rebuild-bohol-churches

 This was supposed to be the oldest church in Bohol. It was built originally in the year 1602, but for some reason I actually don't know, it was reduced into ashes. Then again they built a stronger one on the year 1638.

 Here are some of the pictures we've taken last year;

This is a photo of me with my father, having the church's belfry on the background.

Inside the church we saw old paintings on the ceiling dating way many years back.

There is even this painting on the ceiling with the date Nov. 26, 1876 written on it. It dates back to a century ago.

This is the altar during the day;

Then, here's a photo of me showing the entrance of the church,

As you can see on the upper right portion of the picture, there is what we call as a pipe organ. This instrument also dates back to many years from now, and guess what, it is still capable of playing! :) from before the earthquake of course. I don't know what has become of it after the earthquake. :/

Here's a picture showing a pulpit, which for me is something new. I mean, I haven't seen any of these in any of the churches in Davao City. :3

For those who, like me, are still not familiar with the pulpit, Dictionary.com defines a pulpit as a platform or raised structure in a church, from which the sermon is delivered or the service is conducted. So basically, from what I was told, years ago, the priest goes to the pulpit when he says the homily.

It was used in the Holy Bible only once;

Nehemiah 8:4 "And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattihiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zecharariah, and Meshullam."

In my opinion, it is used so that the people would find it easier to listen to the priest. In Mt. 5:1, even though Jesus did not use a pulpit, He went up on a mountain to deliver his sermon.

Anyway, that is just for additional information. Personally, I still need more research on the use of pulpits to understand it fully.

On the other hand, it really broke my heart when I heard of the earthquake. Other religion or maybe even some of my fellow Catholics may call this as a punishment from God, but no. I strongly, firmly and absolutely believe with all my faith that this is not a punishment from God. I don't know about you, but I could not worship a God who punishes millions of innocent people for the sins of a few. Rather, I worship a God who wills fullness for the life of all. I worship a God full of love and mercy. How about you? Do you worship a punishing God?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKING KAPWA TAMAD :*

TADAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BERDEY XAAAAAIIIII! ♥

So uhm, di lang ako nag sabay sa kanila greet para special ba. Para mapansin mo talaga greet ko. too mainstream kasi ang collage sa insta ba. HAHAHAHAHA. hi xaaaaai! happy birthday! haha alam ko korni pero thank you msyado sa friendship. isa ka sa mga naging pinakaclose ko sa college kahit di man tayo naging classmates jud na classmates. i mean, lahat kasi ng ating klase na classmate tayo ba kay gisabutan natin na classmate tayo. noaimsain? haha ay basta. yun na yun. sana mas maging matagal pa ating friendship. kung pwede pang sabihin ang i cant live without you, sabihin ko na yun sayo ba. pero baka pagkamalan tayong tomboy so wag nlang. HAHAHA. pero btaw, anjan ka man gud kahit san ba, so kung wala ka di na ako sanay. ACHECHE! HAHAHAHHAA uyyyyyyyy natouch sya oy <333 hahahahahhaha pero dba, aminin mo na gud. miss mo rin ako no? HAHA kay since frst year magkasama na man tayo forever. practices pag intrams, tas sa summer classmates tayo. tas pagkasecond year practices parin sa intrams tas sabay pa talaga tayo nag enter varsity. tas pagkasembreak, practices nnmn varsity, tas classmates na tayo every sem. tas pag summer, classmates napud, etc etc etc. NGAYON LANG TALAGA TAYO PINAGHIWALAY NG TADHANA. hahahahaha tas ikaw lang sguro ang tao sa world na makaunderstand  saking pagiging tamad ba. kay duh. tamad ka man rin. hahaha tama na oy korni na msyado. di bya tayo ganito. chuy bya tayo. hahahaha happy birthday oy! love you! :* :* :*

P.S. I MISS YOU TOO :> AYEEEEE HAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Man-made Forest

Before we reached the Chocolate Hills, we passed through Bohol's man-made forest.

These are mahogany trees stretched in over a 2-kilometer area in the border of Loboc and Bilar towns. What actually makes this attractive is the trees' uniformity in height of the big trees. As we entered this part of Bohol, I noticed the change of temperature. It's probably because of the prescence of the dense trees. You can see from the pictures that the trees block a lot of the sun's rays. I don't know if it's true, but I heard that it rains more often than not here in the man-made forest. It's a wonderful experience having the chance to walk here. There's fresh air and a really peaceful feeling reigns in me.

me and my cousins playing with the fallen leaves :D

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

(Genesis 1:27)

The man-made forest reminded me that we are created in God's own image and likeness. Not that we are like Him in every aspect, but that we can also create things if we really like it, and also if it is according to His plan. Men are not made to be little gods. Rather, men have limited abilities almost similar to God's unlimited abilities. :D

I hope you could also get the chance to walk under the leaves in this beautiful man-made forest.

Ciao! :)

Something Beautiful :)

I experienced something beautiful just this morning. I was on my way to Paradise Island's boat dock in Sasa, and the jeepney driver who drove me there was already a very old man who seemed like he already forgot how to smile. I have this thing involving the elderly, my heart softens immensely when I see old people still working so hard. It so happened that I brought with me Otap,so I got two pieces from the pack and gave it to the jeepney driver.

Me: Nong, gusto mo otap?

Jeepney Driver: ah dili, okay lang.

Me: okay lang rin po, sa inyo na yan, pangmerienda.

Without waiting for his reply, I put the otap above the dashboard and I saw him smile as he said "salamat ha". The smile he gave me was the kind of smile which breaks my heart. Its the kind of smile that old people give whenever they're touched. I don't know if you get my point, but its just the kind of smile that I would like to receive from old people.

When I reached the entrance of the boat dock, I said,

Me: Dyan na po ako sa may paradise.

Driver: ay paradise ka? hatod na taka sa sulod. salamat ha.

and so he drove me inside, still having that smile on his face. That was a very big help for me too, cause I was going to walk I think a long way til I reach the boat dock location itself. Just because of the otap, I avoided the long walk and at the same time, I contributed a part of my happiness to the old man.

Sometimes we tend to forget that the elderly are still trying hard to be happy. We tend to forget that theyr'e still there, and we sometimes forget that we need to make them feel special. I don't know if you feel the same way about me, but an old man's/woman's smile, that's something beautiful. :)

Cause of Death

Cause of Death is a game by EA games (Electronic Arts) that deals with crimes and serial killers. Ive downloaded this game last year and I just remembered to play it awhile ago. So Ive finished the first volume in less than 7 hours. That was still the volume one and if vol. 2 is available for download, I'd try to download it now.

It's a game that lets you decide on what to do on certain circumstances. Its really an awesome game and contains some twist. I didn't even expect that "he" was the killer! I got 505 out of 600 detective points for volume one so I was able to watch the bonus scenes. (You could get to see the bonus if you score at least 500 detective points by the way) Two thumbs up for this game!

For all who have ios devices and loves to play games, you should try this now.

ciao! :)

Chocolate Hills

On April 3, 2013, we went to one of Bohol's most famous tourist attraction - the Chocolate Hills. :D

          Before seeing this view though, we had to climb up 214 steps. But it's not really that tiring cause you can rest once in a while and enjoy the view.

          I've read of two legends on how the Chocolate Hills were formed. One is about two giants throwing stones and sand at each other. When they became friends, they left the island, not cleaning up the mess they made. Another legend is about a young giant who fell in love with a mortal girl. When the girl died, the giant cried bitterly and his tears turned into hills as a proof of his grief.

          These are just legends though. In reality, the geologists still don't know how they were formed although they formed theories regarding its formation.

with my brothers cousins :D

jumpshot with my brother

This is one of Philippines' must see tourist spot. Find time to visit it yourself! :D

ciao! :)

Im Baaaaaack! :))

Hiii guyyyyst! :)) how are yoooooooooooooou?! im baaack and I brought you Chocolate Hills from Bohol. hihi. I've just arrived in Davao awhile ago at about 11:30AM. I'll be sharing my vacation with you on the next days. I'm really tired.

ciao! :)

I'll be coming back.

Hi Guys! I think it would take some time before I could create my 8th post. My family is going on a vacation and I think I wouldn't have the resources to create posts there. lol. When  I come back, I swear I'm gonna share my experiences on our travel this summer. You take care! God bless! :)

Starbucks Night

Since yesterday was Black Saturday, we didn't celebrate my brother's birthday with our other relatives. After going to church, we went straight to Starbucks Abreeza.

Coffee Jelly, Java Chip, Strawberries and Cream, and my Asian Dolce Latte :D

Eclair was fine. I forgot what the next one's name is but it was absolutely delicious! :) I felt like I wasn't in the Philippines while I was eating that. Lol. The next one was also just fine. And the strawberry cheesecake was good. :)

My Asian Dolce Latte tasted good when I first sipped. I made a mistake when I stirred. The taste I loved was gone. haha. Although I am not sure if it was meant to be stirred. But if it was up to me, I shouldn't have stirred it because after, all I tasted was the espresso. :(

my brother, me, and my mom.

my younger brother and my dad getting comfy. haha!

How about you? How was your Starbucks experience? hihi.

ciao! :)

BOYFRIEND POTENTIAL SURVEY

I am really bored right now and as I was scrolling through my Facebook page, I found this.

thought I might change some of it. the answers with these are my answers on October 28, 2010 that I thought I'd have to change :))

BOYFRIEND POTENTIAL SURVEY:

1. Dapat ba gwapo? 

siguro. :> haha.

2. Matalino?

kahit hindi, wag lang ung oa na pagkabobo. :)

oo. kelangan matalino. di yung tipong matalino sa academics, kundi yung tipong matalino sa totoong buhay. xD

3. Preferred Age?

same sakin, or older. wag juuud mas bata. pag maglampas ng june 2 1993 ang bday nia, ayoko na. :))

still applicable. pero 5 years ang maximum gap. :))

4. Preferred height?

mas matangkad kesa sakin kahit mag heels ako.

 5. How about sense of humor?

dapat lang!

 6. How about piercings?

 looooooove! ♥ pero sa ears lang. haha.

7. Accepts you for who you are?

ai duh.

8. Pink hair?

 eow?

for short, NO.

9. Mushy or no?

ye. ye :)

dapat nasa lugar, k lang, :))

10. Thin or fat?

tama tama lang oy. ovary.

11. Moreno or chinito or mestizo?

date, chinito. pero ngaun ok lang kahit anu, basta may pierce na hindi mukhang tambay? ay, haha joke.

preferably chinito. but anything will do basta kay mas matangkad! :))

12. Long hair or short hair?

shaaart.

13. Plastic or metal?

 glass.

14. Smells good?

uh-huh!

15. Smoker?

 ayaw jud! kay naah.

16. Drinker?

 should be able to control XD

17. Boy-next-door type?

 poyde.

18. Musically inclined?

yis.

kulang ng conviction. YES! HAHAHA

19. Plays piano?

better! pero ok lang man kung hindi. :)

 20. Plays bass and/or acoustic guitar?

hell yeah! haha

21. Plays violin?

k lang.

22. Sings very good?

k lang :D

23. Vain?

dont like. bayuta.

24. With glasses?

nah.

25. With braces?

k lang.

26. Shy type?

wag. di yan makayaman sabi ni dane. haha.

ABSOLUTELY NOT, HAHA

27. Rebel or good boy? 

rebel na good boy. good boy na may pagkarebel.

28. Active or passive?

aktib.

29. Tight or bomb?

tight? :D k lang.

 30. Singer or dancer?

 singer. teeheee. pero ok lang man kung wa sa dlawa.

 31. Suplado?

 oh. pero minsan lang uy. kahilak man sad ta ana. haha.

32. Hiphop?

panget.

 33. Earrings? 

yes! :)

35. Torpe?

panget.

36. Mr. count-my-ex-girlfriends-until-you-drop?

bayuta.

 37. Dimples?

aww. better! pero ok lang man wala. haha.

38. Bookworm?

k lang.

39. Mr. Love letter?

sweeeeeeeeeeeeet! :D

40. Makulit?

yep! wag lang mas makulit kesa sakin. haha :)

yes! mas mabuti kung mas makulit kesa sakin. haha.

41. Flirt?

asa lage.

 42. Poem writer?

dont like.

 43. Serious?

yeeeea. pero humorous puud.

no. dapat seryoso lang pag may problema na. haha

 44. Campus crush?

 k lang hindi. maraming kaagaw pag campus crush :( haha.

pero pwede rin. :))

45. Painter?

k lang.

46. Religious?

yea.

Christ-centered.

47. Alaskador?

samana?

48. Computer games geek? Or internet freak?

k lang. para may kalaro ako, haha.

i didnt even answer the question.  haha. computer games geek para may makalaro ako. :))

49. Speaks 20 languages?

cgebaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

50. Loyal o faithful?

boat. :))))

Happy Berdeeeeeeey Aya! :P

OLA! haha. hoy. happy birthday. haha. uhm. haha. haha. haha. atik lang. haha. di bitaw, hoy ba. HAPPY BERDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY JEDIBOOOOOOOOOOOY! HAHA. jediboy. sounds familiar? username mo yan sa counter nuon diba? yung yagit ka pa. haha. happy birthday btaw oy! sorry wala juy akong gift. holy week man gud ba. di ako makalabas. sana sana sana, maforgive mo ako and sana may gift ka parin sakin sa berdey ko. hehehehehhehehehehe. :> maging korni ata ako konte kasi berdey mo. pero okay lang man dba? at least minsan lang ako korni dba? ikaw palagi kman korni. haha. atik lang. pero btaw, wla gud ako balak itong igreet ka through this. pero tulog naman kasi ang mga people tas hangover pa ako sa city hunter. sabi mo maganda msyado ang ending?! or nag sabi ka ba? ah basta. bitin keey ang ending makasapot. kaya mag greet nlang ako oy. samok. haha.

anyway, let me start with thanking you sa everything. thankyou for being a great math teacher sakin nung grade school and high school. although hindi jud teacher as in teacher pero sa pag inspire na kahawd mo sa math tas ndi ako mag payag na ndi rin ako maging magaling sa math. naging idol kita nung grade school kay favorite mo ang math. at dahil sundog2 man ako na manghud (oo ginaamin ko na, na gnagaya ko mga favorite mo) favorite ko na rin ang math. haha pero naging favorite ko man rin kasi talaga syaaaa. pfft. thank you for being a handsome brother and a beautiful sister. naremember ko tuloy yung pag costume2 mo na babae ka tas giilad natin yung kasambahay dte na classmate kita. tas sge tayo tawa kay nauto sya. tayo pla ang nauto kay nauto tayo na naniwala sya. noaimsain? haha and uhh thank you for being a chuy na bodyguard sakin. yung may napaiyak ka nung high school kay gigara-garaan ako. kahit kaya ko na gud yun paiyakin na ako lang isa oy. mapapel ka lang talaga ba. haha. thankyou rin kay aside kay papa ikaw ang aking next na ginaasahan na kunan ng advice. oo na. magaling ka na. magaling ka naman talaga eh. kwhatever. haha and thankyou kay maunderstand mo ang mga nagapaluod sakin sa buhay. noaimsain? yun gud mga ginachika ko na lalaki na korni msyado. buti gni kampi ka sakin. luod man kasi talaga dba. haha and thankyou for being the second best chef in the world. ayeee :> si papa kasi tlaga ang first. sorry. di mo tlaga yan sya malampasan kahit birthday mo man ngayon. haha. eto o. sampol. haha

yum yum yum! haha. masarap gud talaga to. ang problema, kaya mo bang ulitin? haha. sge oy. kaya nlang. baka may makabasa nito, mapahiya ka pa. ayaw baya kita mapahiya. diba. ayaw man jud kita mapahiya. speaking of hiya2, makahiya no na jejemon tayo tingnan dte. HAHAHAHAHA

OMYGOD. I HAVE TO DELETE THIS PHOTO IMMEDIATELY. HAHAHAHHAHA PERO IKAW LANG GUD ANG JEJEMON TINGNAN. DI KASI TALAGA AKO NAGING JEJEMON, ETO PA O. HAHA

OMYGOSH SUCH A DISGRACE! HAHAHAHAHA.atik lang. wala man sguro mag read nito aya no. kahaba nito para basahin nila. di lagi nila makita yang jejemon face mo. hahahahahhahahhaha lovevyou hahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahaha thankyou nag change ka hairstyle hhahahahhahahaha loveyou ulit hahahahahhahahahhahha

anyway mag ayos na ako. haha. bawiin ko na lang yang pics mo. mag post ako ng pics mo na pogi ka. eto o.

oops. wla ka. ikaw man gud ang photographer nito. alam ko. pero cute man gud kami dto. hahahahhaa atik lang. ito nlang.

yan naaaa.

were so cute riggght? haha.

etong sunod mag picture sna ako na tulog ka kaso nagising ka kalit. look how funny your face is. hahahahahhahaa

hahahahahhaa happybirthdayiloveyouhahahahahahhaha

oy. sana oy di kana msyado maging tamad. alam mo ba tamad ako kasi tamad ka? hahahahahhaha. di man sa nga rason ako ba pero dapat bawasan mo na yang tamad2 mo. aaand, sana ngayong 23 ka na matuto ka nang ioff yang alarm mo kay maingay msyado ako nlang nag sge off. haha.

sorry kung pasaway ako msyado na kapatid.and sorry sige ako interfere sa lovelife mo since birth. pero meron man jud akong point dba? you learned your lesson bro. makinig dapat always sa litttle sister. little sisters know best. haha. pero okay nlang yun uy. at least namayat ka dba. HAHAHA. ngayon wala jud akong reklamo kay ate aileen. okay lang kahit may hawig sila ni sarah g. bhala na. basta kay mabait msyado. cute pajud. ayee. kilig pud sya o. korni bya msyado makilig. hahahahhaha atik lang! hahahaha. pero btaw, two thumbs up for your taste this time choy. first time tong wala akong angal! haha. im happy napahappy ka nya although naga selos ako paminsan kay feel ko gnabigyan mo sya chocolate tas ako wala. hahahahhaha kaya bigyan mo ako palagi ha. haha

and finallyyyyy, congratulations for passing the ece board exams! your little sister is so very very proud of you. makapressure lang jud kay pag ako di makapasa nitong cpa board,nah ambot nlang. disgrace. haha

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BERDEY AHIAAAAA!

GOD BLESS!

i love you always and forever :P

- ej. the coolest little sister ever. duh. xD