A Tribute to Papa Henry

hehe.. ang cute!

Live Life!

Simbang Gabi and Christmas Chorale at Ortigas Park

where: f. ortigas jr road (formerly emerald avenue)

when: december 15 - 23, 2009

time: christmas chorale presentation 5:15pm

simbang gabi 6:30pm

there'll be a Banchetto from 3:00 - 11:00 pm!

so you can easily pick-up your Chef's baked goodies at their booth. see you there!

Being Successful Where It Counts

i can so relate to this...i oftentimes want to BE different persons at the same time...however, i fail to BE who I should BECOME...he is right: "The
question is not *will* I succeed, but *where* must I succeed? What caps must
I be successful in wearing?

hay.. read on na lang =)

by Dennis Rainey*
http://www.heartlink.org/boardlink/A000000739.cfm

Consider all the caps you wear, all the responsibilities you've taken on.
And if you suspect you're "trying to do it all," maybe it's time to take
inventoryand consider where in your ministry (and in your family) you can't
afford to fail.

Okay, I'll confess: I'm addicted to baseball caps. When I travel it's all I
can do when I walk by a sporting goods store not to stop and buy a cap
displaying the local pro team or university. I know I can only wear one at a
time.

It's just been fun collecting caps that display all sorts of team insignias,
messages, and logos. I have caps from several baseball teams including the
Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and the Cantrell Lawn and Turf, my boys'
Little League team that went 1-14 two years in a row.

I have a cap from a second-rate Dallas barbecue joint that a good friend
claims has the best barbecue in the world. My other caps advertise a variety
of vacation spots, deer and duck hunts, float trips, and a couple
lesser-known corporations. I would have had two dozen, but I gave my Mom my
favoritea royal blue Dallas Cowboys cap.

So when we reorganized our closet, Barbara said I had too many and had to
get rid of "a few." Painful as it was, I filled a good-sized garbage can
with half my original stock. My shoes fit neatly on the shelves again, I
still have my emotional favorites in my possession, and I saved my marriage
in the process!

*The Caps We Wear*

Those caps serve as a reminder of all the different roles and
responsibilities I wear as a man. Recently my schedule was getting the upper
hand, so I decided to take a year-end inventory of the "caps" I was wearing
to see if I could reorganize them or shed a few. A few from my list were:
employee, Sunday school teacher, friend, speaker, counselor, recruiter,
citizen, manager, motivator, writer, hunter, painter (I sling the stuff for
Barbara a couple of times a year), fisherman, taxpayer, financial planner,
husband, father, and grandfather.

Like all my caps, these responsibilities reveal that at times I want too
much out of life. Too many objectives, too many expectations. The result?
Overload. Many of us live by the philosophy I saw on a t-shirt the other
day: "I want it all."

But we can't have it all, or do it all, can we?

One thing I noticed about my list of "caps" I wear as a man is that many
represented people I am responsible for: As I contemplated all those
responsibilities, something I frequently ask myself came to mind: The
question is not *will* I succeed, but *where* must I succeed? What caps must
I be successful in wearing?

Sometimes it takes some hard but loving words to jar us out of a wrong value
system. A turning point in James Dobson's ministry occurred when he was
traveling to one of his numerous speaking engagements.

He opened a letter from his father which read, "Your daughter is growing up
in the wickedest section of a world much farther gone into moral decline
than the world into which you were born. I have observed that the greatest
delusion is to suppose that our children will be devout Christians simply
because their parents have been, or that any of them will enter into the
Christian faith in any other way than through their parents' deep travail of
prayer and faith. But this prayer demands time, time that cannot be given if
it is all signed and conscripted and laid on the altar of career ambition.
Failure for you at this point would make mere success in your occupation a
very pale and washed-out affair, indeed."

What made the difference in Dobson's life, however, was not the piercing
truth of that letter, but the decision he made as a resultno more speaking
engagements. Instead, he produced a film series called "Focus on the Family."
The result of Dobson's hard choices? The blessing of God: an estimated 50
million have seen that film series, and Dobson has been able to fulfill his
responsibility to his daughter and son.

*Being Successful Where It Counts*

As I consider his example, I can't help but wonder if we limit God by trying
to do it all ourselves. More hours. More commitments. More, more, more. One
would think that Dobson's ministry would have gone backward as a result of
his lack of availability for public ministry. But it didn't.

Let's look at three practical tips the scriptures give us in wearing our
many "caps" and being successful where it counts.

*1. Be wise*

*"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise "
(Ephesians 5:15).*

Wearing all these hats demands wisdom, or godly skill in everyday living.
Skillful decision making. Skillful shepherding of the needs of your family.
Skillful managing of all the "caps" (responsibilities) you wear.

A good friend of mine who found he was giving only his leftover energy to
his family determined to pace himself better in his workload. A reminder to
pace himself remains on his desk. A note scribbled on a three-by-five note
card propped up against his desk lamp reads, "Leave Some for Home." Many of
us would do well to follow that advice.

*2. Be a good time manager*

*"Making the most of your time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:17).
*

What does it mean to "make the most of your time?" Among other things, it's
a combination of the following:

[image: *] Eliminating the time-wasters (like
TV and procrastination)

[image: *] Regularly planning and setting
goals together as a couple or family

[image: *] Being strategic with your activity,
not just busy

[image: *] It means living life daily in light
of eternity

Life should not be something that just happens. It isn't a random collection
of minutes, hours, and days. God is Sovereign. He is in charge. He has
delegated to us the responsibility to lean upon him and to manage our time
wisely.

*3. Discern God's will*

*"So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of God is"
(Ephesians 5:17).*

Repeatedly in the Old Testament, we see men and women whom God placed in
positions of responsibility arriving at a fork in the road, a key decision,
and failing to ask God what they should do. Scripture teaches that a person
who fails to consult God on decisions and directions is a fool.

God may test us with what looks like a small decision but in reality may be
one of the most important choices of our lives. Do you want God's will in
just the big decisions or in the little ones as well? The Christian life is
composed of both!

In her book, *Days of Glory, Seasons of Night*, Marilee Dunker has written a
bittersweet biography of her father, Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision.
It's a daughter's perspective about her father's ministry to the hungry and
the choices which took him away from home for months and even years at a
time. The story is a troubling one, a paradox of a Christian man's
compassion for the homeless and neglect for his own home.

Dunker summarizes an erroneous belief of her father's with the following
startling revelation: "Daddy had an agreement with God; He would feed and
care for God's children overseas, if God would take care of his wife and
children at home. Unfortunately, the agreement was Daddy's and not God's."

A daughter's suicide, his wife's poor emotional and physical health, and the
final destruction of his family by divorce all give credence to her
statement. Bob Pierce built an incredible ministry, but he failed in
building his own home.

The warning of others' failures ought to be sufficient to motivate us to
avoid the same errors. Why not take a little journey into your calendar,
take inventory of the caps you're wearing, and do a little house cleaning
and rearranging. You and I only have one lifewe need to wear our
responsibilities well.

*Dennis Rainey is the president of FamilyLife, a subsidiary of Campus
Crusade for Christ. Dennis hosts the nationally syndicated "FamilyLife
Today" radio program and has spoken at conferences around the country.*

- as shared by sis Sally Zenarosa of usapangbabae

No Toothaches at SM Hypermart Pasig

there's a newly opened dental center at SM Hypermart Pasig. grand opening was last December 1, 2009 (tue). shop's name is..

Dacanay Dental Center

dr dacanay (the father/owner) was very friendly and accommodating when we passed by yesterday. he said that they actually don't charge a dime for the initial consultation (very nice!).

services offered are:

- tmj disorder mgt

- dental implants

- orthodontics

- invisalign (transparent braces made in the US; no wires, no brackets)

- gum problems

- crowns and bridges

- teeth whitening

- laminates/ veneers

- pediatric dentistry (available every thur and sat)

- tooth fillings (starts at P700/surface)

- tooth extractions

- impacted tooth removal

- xrays (peri apical, panoriamic, cephalometric)

- casts and photos

tons di ba? so what are you waiting for? you now to have your teeth checked! =)

Winter Wonderland .. Ready KNB??

if you or any of your relatives/relatives is going to have a snowy christmas this year and haven't purchased the right outfit, try dropping by Pret-A-Porter. Their biz card says "Winter Wear Specialist".

their shop is located at the Centermall of the Greenhills Shopping Center. though mahirap makipag-haggle sa presyo, i still want to recommend them esp if you have a small budget only as their prices are relatively easy on the pocket. they have a lot of items din to choose from.

when we were shopping for some winter clothes for jouie last october, this is where we bought most of his stuffs. it was actually our second time already. our first was last year when jouie went naman to China. you may look for Mila Dayo (the proprietress) or call her at 0917.531.3185 (hopefully she hasn't changed her number yet).

enjoy the snow!

Our Wedding Rings -- Part 2!

no we didn't have our renewal of vows (for me, minimum is 5yrs).. hehe

then why another pair??

'coz jouie lost his only a few days after our wedding (nanibago, di sanay.. ayun.. naiwan sa house ng tita ko at di na nakitang muli huhu), buti na lang super mura lang yun from ongpin.

so feeling ko, better if we just have another pair made. same design kasi yung old rings namin. so dapat same design also for this second pair. and since i've been hearing from people that the cheapest place to buy jewelries from is in Meycauayan, we went there last week to purchase ours. Meycauayan pala isn't that far from Manila. Traffic wasn't heavy din when we went so travel time was pretty short.

After visiting some shops, we finally settled on Austinnikka House of Jewelry. Saleslady was Len. She's very accommodating. The gold price per gram at that time was P1400 (their nearest competitor was selling it at P1600/gram). Theirs is the cheapest we found among the 'authentic-looking' shops we went to.

And since there were only 3 wedding bands available, and the designs weren't to our liking, we just requested for a customized pair. She showed us some mags to choose from. But I already had an idea in mind -- simple band na tricolor. So when I saw this triband in tricolor, we requested Len to give us a quote agad. Happily, it fit our budget.

After a week, we met the kind and very accommodating owners here in Pasig to get our much-awaited wedding rings. Hay! Super happy =)

They were made as agreed -- with the right thickness, width, design and color. Good quality too. We were very impressed. Plus factor pa was, the owners were really nice.

Here's a second look on our rings.. simple but elegant. Just the way we want them.

Just a thought... ok lang ba magpagawa ng earrings bearing the same design as your wedding band hehe? =P Parang feel ko... hehe



Austinnikka House of Jewelry
0917.884.6443 (look for Mr/Mrs Cruz)
278 Contreras St
Calvario, Meycauayan City
Bulacan

The Irreplaceable Void .. (a good read for parents)

The Irreplaceable Void

4 years ago, an accident took my beloved away and very often I wonder,
how does my wife, who is now in the heavenly realm, feel right now? She
must be feeling extremely sad for leaving a husband who is incapable to
taking care of the house and the kid. 'cos that is the exact feeling that
I have, as I feel that I have failed to provide for the physical and
emotional needs of my child, and failed to be the dad and mum for my
child.

There was one particular day, when I had an emergency at work. Hence, I
had to leave home whilst my child was still sleeping. So thinking that
there was still rice leftovers, I hastily cooked an egg and left after
informing my sleepy child.

With the double roles, I am often exhausted at work as well as when I am
home. So after a long day, I came home, totally drained of all energy. So
with just a brief hug and kiss for my child, I went straight into the
room, skipping dinner. However, when I jumped into my bed with intention
of just having a well-deserved sleep, all i heard and felt was broken
porcelain and warm liquid! I flipped open my blanket, and there lies the
source of the 'problem'... a broken bowl with instant noodles and a mess
on the bedsheet and blanket!

Boy, was I mad! I was so furious that I took a clothes hanger, charged
straight at my child who was happily playing with his toy, and give him a
good spanking! He merely cried but not asking for mercy, except a short
explanation:

"Dad, I was hungry and there wasn't anymore leftover rice. But you were
not back yet, hence I wanted to cook some instant noodles. But I
remembered you reminding me not to touch or use the gas stove without any
adults around, hence I turned on the shower and used the hot water from
the bathroom to cook the noodles. One is for you and the other is for me.
However, I was afraid that the noodles will turn cold, so I hid it under
the blanket to keep it warm till you return. But I forgot to remind you
'cos I was playing with my toys...I am sorry Dad..."

At that moment, tears were starting to run down my cheeks...but I didn't
want my son to see his dad crying so I dashed into the bathroom and cried
with the shower head on to mask my cries. After that episode, I went
towards my son to give him a tight hug and applied medication on him,
while coaxing him to sleep. Then, it was time to clear up the mess on the
bed. When everything was done and well past midnight, I passed my son's
room, and saw that he was still crying, not from the pain on his little
buttock, but from looking at the photograph of his beloved mummy.

A year has passed since the episode, I have tried, in this period, to
focus on giving him both the love of his dad and mum, and to attend to
most of his needs. And soon, he is turning seven, and will be graduating
from kindergarten. Fortunately, the incident did not leave a lasting
impression on his childhood memories and he is still happily growing up.

However, not so long ago, I hit my boy again, with much regret. This
time, his kindergarten teacher called, informing me of my son's absence
from school. I took off early from work and went home, expecting him to
explain. But he wasn't to be found, so I went around our house, calling
out his name and eventually found him outside a stationery shop, happily
playing computer games. I was fuming, brought him home and whack the hell
out of him. He did not retaliate, except to say, 'I am sorry, Dad'. But
after much probing, I realized that it was a 'Talent Show' organized by

his school and the invite is for every student's mummy. And that was the
reason for his absence as he has no mummy.....

Few days after the caning, my son came home to tell me, the kindergarten
has recently taught him how to read and write. Since then, he has kept to
himself and stayed in his room to practise his writing, which I am sure,
would make my wife proud, if she was still around. 'cos he makes me proud
too!

Time passes by very quickly, and soon another year has passed. It's
winter, and its Christmas time. Everywhere the christmas spirit is in
every passer-by... Christmas carols and frantic shoppers.... but alas, my
son got into another trouble. When I was about to knock off from the
day's work, the post office called. Due to the peak season, the post
master was also on an edgy mood. He called to tell me that my son has
attempted to post several letters with no addressee. Although I did make
a promise never to hit my son again, I couldn't help but to hit him as I
feel that this child of mine is really beyond control. Once again, as
before, he apologized, ' I'm sorry, Dad' and no additional reason to
explain. I pushed him towards a corner, went to the post office to
collect the letters with no addressee and came home, and angrily
questioned my son on his prank, during this time of the year.

His answer, amidst his sobbing, was : The letters were for Mummy.

My eyes grew teary, but I tried to control my emotions and continued to
ask him: " But why did u post so many letters, at one time?" My son's
reply was: " I have been writing to mummy for a long time, but each time
I reach out for the post box, it was too high for me, hence I was not
able to post the letters. But recently, when I went back to the postbox,
I could reach it and I sent it all at once..."
After hearing this, I was lost. Lost at not knowing what to do, what to
say....

I told my son, " Son, mummy is in the heavenly kingdom, so in future, if
you have anything to tell her, just burn the letter and it will reach
mummy. My son, on hearing this, was much pacified and calm, and soon
after, he was sleeping soundly. On promising that I will burn the letters
on his behalf, I brought the letters outside, but couldnt help opening
the letter before they turn to ash.

And one of the letters broke my heart....

Dear Mummy,

I miss you so much! Today, there was a 'Talent Show' in school, and the
school invited all mothers for the show. But you are not around, so I did
not want to participate as well. I did not tell Dad about it as I was
afraid that Dad would start to cry and miss you all over again. Dad went
around looking for me, but in order to hide my sadness, I sat in front of
the computer and started playing games at one of the shops. Dad was
furious, and he couldnt help it but scolded and hit me, but I did not
tell him the real reason. Mummy, everyday I see Dad missing you and
whenever he think of you, he is so sad and often hide and cry in his
room. I think we both miss you very very much. Too much for our own good
I think. But Mummy, I am starting to forget your face. Can you please
appear in my dreams so that I can see your face and remember you? I heard
that if you fall asleep with the photograph of the person whom you miss,
you will see the person in your dreams. But mummy, why havent you appear?

After reading the letter, I can't stop sobbing. 'cos I can never replace
the irreplaceable gap left behind by my wife....


____________ ___
For the females with children:
Don't do so much overtime. If you cannot finish the work, it must be some
kind of problems within the company, and it is not your sole problem.
Feedback to your boss. Endless overtime may not necessary be the answer
to the problem. Take care of your health so that you can treasure and
take care of yo ur little precious.

For the married men:
Drink less, smoke less, cos nothing can replace your good health, not
even business nor clients.

Try thinking this way, are you able to work till your clients are totally
dependent on you? or your boss is totally dependent on you? In this
society, no one is indispensable.

Take care of your health, so that you can take care of your little
precious and your loved ones.

Pre-Christmas Warehouse Sale (Dowell, Krups, Moulinex, Sharp, Thermos, iRest, Eglo, Omron, A-Plus)

brought to you by:

Collins International Trading Corp

sale dates:

Nov 11 - 14 and 23 - 26, 2009

venue:

#412 Amang Rodriguez Ave, Manggahan, Pasig City

contact number:

02.681.6166

enjoy shopping!

Q: What's you're take on ADVANCED birthday celebrations?

here's my dilemma... JC will be turning two (2) on Jan 9, a Saturday. though it's a good thing that it's on a Sat, concern ko is it's very near Christmas and New Year. we will celebrate Christmas in Naga City kasi this year (last year we didn't go home and w/ our lolo's recent demise, i want to be w/ the clan this Christmas), but the New Year here in Manila. My Mom always wants us to celebrate the New Year at home para di daw kami layas the whole year hehehehe! =P

i'm thinking of letting JC celebrate his 2nd birthday in our hometown this time. this way, he'll get to celebrate with his cousins, aunts and uncles who weren't able to come to Manila last year. ang dami pa naman nila! i feel mas meaningful since lahat ng pupunta are kapamilya. kaso if in Naga City, it would have to be around Christmas time -- maybe on December 26 para Saturday and no work. problem is, this is 2 WEEKS early!! =( we'll have a second celebration na lang here Manila on his actual birthday. siguro blow na lang ng mini cake and wear party hats kaming 3 hehehe!

so what do you think? i read kasi before that when it comes to birthdays, it's better to celebrate late than early. really? may mangyayari bang masama sa anak ko? cyempre ayoko!

sana you can help me decide.. hirap magsimula magplano kapag wala pang venue at date. but surely very simple and low budget lang this time. but if di talaga recommended to celebrate early, sige pipilitin ko ang sarili kong ok lang na dito ulit sa manila hehe. mahirap kasi bumalik na naman sa Bicol after just being there. Malayo. Matagal ang travel time kapag by land. Mahal naman via air. hay...