I was tagged, and Tag was my favorite game. Actually, I never quite outgrew the joy of just playing Tag. Sure there were variations like Monkey-Monkey, Stuck In The Mud, and Langit-Lupa, but nothing beat the joy of just plain Tag. The thrill of running with someone chasing you...If he was faster than you, then you had to change directions often so he couldn't catch you, or hopefully lead him to someone else to tag. If you were faster than him, then...mwehehehe. Anyway, my reverence for Tag demands a response when I am tagged. As such, here is my 7 Things thing.

Seven things that scare you:
1. Something bad happening to family or friends
2. Not being ready (which is rare)
3. Living a mediocre life
4. Frogs
5. Toads
6. Some scary movies
7. When I hear the tires on my car skid like they did during my accident before

Seven things you like the most:
1. Chai Tea Latte
2. Caramel Affogato
3. Jamaican Patties
4. Brie Cheese
5. New England Clam Chowder
6. Thin crust pizzas from CPK
7. Having good talks with friends

um, okay, maybe these aren't things i like THE MOST...but i like them anyway

Seven important things in your bedroom:
1. Bible
2. Laptop
3. iPod
4. Pillows, all 6 of them
5. Cellphone
6. Books
7. Knife collection

Seven random facts about you:
1. I love it when it rains: watching it, walking in it, driving in it, everything, except for the traffic caused by it.
2. My desire for good grades has been on a decline since grade school.
3. If I could be anyone, I’d be Batman, minus the emotional gunk.
4. I like war movies, but enjoy romantic comedies too, provided they’re good, witty, and not sappy.
5. I have a high tolerance for pain. I just don’t feel it sometimes. I don’t think it makes me macho, just dense. hehehe
6. I’m undergoing a gustatory renaissance right now.
7. While I’ve got huge dreams, goals and everything, I find personal contentment in reading a good book in bed with some cookies and milk nearby.

Seven things you plan to do before you die :
1. Tour more of the world
2. Walk barefoot in Valencia, Spain
3. Eat in Italy and order in Italian
4. Give people houses, cars, and other stuff I can’t afford right now
5. Watch the sun set at the beach with a nice bottle of wine and some good cheese. I dunno why this is so important to me.
6. Fly…either like Superman, or through hang gliding, or, at the lowest level, as a pilot.
7. Take over the world…just kidding…I think

Seven things you can do:
1. Eat
2. Sleep
3. Walk
4. Talk
5. Compartmentalize
6. Read, sleep, or concentrate even with a lot of activity or noise around me.
7. Forget names in a heartbeat

Seven things you can't do: I’m gonna add “RIGHT NOW” to these things. Coz I think with God’s help, I can do anything eventually, if it’s worth doing, that is.
1. I can’t fly
2. I can’t tolerate people who fish for compliments.
3. I can’t stand fakers.
4. I can’t drive a car off a 20-story building and land it on a 3-foot square trampoline.
5. I can’t understand why some people blog the things they do.
6. I can’t appreciate modern art that much.
7. I can’t think of anything else for this.

Seven things that attract you to the opposite sex:
1. Faith
2. Love for God
3. Depth
4. Sense of Humor
5. Intelligence
6. Looks (hard to say what exactly)
7. Security. A secure woman is just so attractive, fun to talk to, and a delight to be with, whether she be a friend, an ate, a cousin, or whatever else.

Seven things you say the most are known for saying: (I'm not sure the question is phrased right.)
1. Shut up.
2. Stupid.
3. That doesn’t make sense.
4. That’s a great idea!
5. Hmm…
6. Hey. Good to see you. How are you doing?
7. Anyway…I’m off to bed…

Seven celeb crushes (whether local or foreign):
1. The Old Lindsay Lohan
2. Leizl in the Sound of Music
3. Alizee, this French singer. I dunno what she stands for or anything, I just saw a picture.
4. Emily Mortimer’s character in The Kid
5. Eva Green
6. Diane Kruger
7. Keira Knightley, just coz of Pirates of the Caribbean, even though she can’t seem to close her mouth. She always has her mouth slightly open.

Seven people you want to torture see take this quiz :
This is the hardest question yet…
1. No one
2. Everyone
3. Some people
4. Most People
5. Exactly half of the people
6. Everyone who reads this blog (So that means YOU!)
7. Everyone who reads this blog and hasn't taken it yet

Alright...I'm back on blogger because it allows me to link to friends who aren't on the same Blog-whatever I'm in, something Xanga or Multiply never let me do. (Well, it's probably possible or possibly probable but I never could figure out how.)

I've been travelling quite a bit for the last month. I'm now on my fourth continent in as many weeks. It's been fun, exciting, tiring, lonely, trying, educational, worrying, challenging, and inspiring. There are so many things I could write about, but today I want to focus on the little, unplanned, unexpected things that made my trip special. I started planning for this trip in December 2004. I've written emails, made calls, bought tickets, etc. But some of the best things that have happened are the unexpected, unplanned, sometimes little things that make such a significant impact. And here they are:

1.) Getting all those cool pics at Dubai with Paul - I was really planning on taking cool, silly pictures but to have Paul Pajo with me, and for him to come up with funny, silly, ideas too was really fun. For a detailed listing of all said pics, check out his shutterfly page. I don't know the link to it, but you can probably find it in his blog. Click on the link to the left, the one with his name of course. Clicking on any of the other names would result in you going to the respective person's blog. *END OF LINKS LESSON*

2.) Having the Muteena Family celebrate my birthday - It was my birthday last March 7. It didn't really feel like one because I wasn't with my family. But the people I was staying with in Dubai, bought me a cake, a gift, and even wrote me a card. I was so surprised! I'd never met any of them before, except Paul. I was really touched by everything they did.

3.) Running into Pastor Ferdie and Tito Banjo in Frankfurt - I had a 15 hour stop-over at the Frankfurt airport. What worse is, I didn't have a Schengen visa so I couldn't leave the airport. I was stuck there the whole time. It was my very own version of the Terminal. After just 2 hours, I was starting to crack so I started filming myself talking to the camera about the different features of the airport. Then I ran into Pastor Ferdie and Tito Banjo. They were on their way to Poland and they had a 12 hour stop-over. So we just hung out and talked most of the time. It was so much fun...much better than the alternative. You can't plan that sort of thing.

4.) Going to a game reserve in Durban, South Africa - I was already having a good time in Durban, when someone suggested I go to a game reserve. The next day, Fien from Nigeria and Nklibi from Sierra Leone (I think) took me to the Itala Game Reserve which was an hour's drive out of Durban. Neither of them had been there before, so it was an exciting experience for all of us. It was so much fun! We saw zebras, warthogs, rhinos, ostriches, impalas, hippos, blesboks, and many other animals that I only used to see on tv or in books. (Notice how the animals are listed in reverse alphabetical order. Wala lang.) We had a blast. There was this one time that Nklibi and I leaned out the windows to take pictures only to realize that the car had started swerving into the grass because Fien, who was driving, had stopped looking at the road and was looking out the windows too.

5.) The trip to Port Elizabeth - Port Elizabeth is another coastal city in South Africa, south and slightly west of Durban, and east of Cape Town. I wasn't really planning on stopping there at all, but the pastor in Durban suggested it and set it up with the people there to host me. So I flew to Port Elizabeth, where I met Jida and Eugene, two of the campus workers. They put me up in this beautiful bed and breakfast by the sea. It was just amazing! Afterwards, we had a quick prayer meeting at the beach with the sun setting. I got to speak to a number of their youth leaders and stuff; it was really fun. I also got to meet Lisa in Port Elizabeth. Many of my friends in Manila had met her and told me to look for her when I got to South Africa. I thought she would be in Cape Town, but I was wrong. But providentially, I still got to run into her at PE. Best of all, the church paid for my stay so I didn't pay for anything. It was like God was showing me that he could easily give me the best things without me worrying or even planning for it. By then, I had firmly decided to stop all my silly worrying and just trust Him.

6.) The moonlight in Cape Town - This isn't as big as any of the other stuff in this list. But I really like it when the moon is bright enough to make a shadows on the ground, and when there aren't other artificial lights around to ruin the effect. I was in Cape Town for a week and I stayed with Pastor Luther and his family. They let me stay in the servants quarters, which are in a different building, right next to the house. The full moon came out while I was there, and every night I'd cross from the kitchen to my room, I'd see my shadow on the ground. Several times, I'd stay out a bit longer to look up at it. It was really beautiful.

7.) Finding out that Angela's flat had wireless internet - For my last two nights in London, I stayed at my friend Angela Padilla's flat. She lives with this British couple, and they were kind enough to let me stay in their living room. Now, I had been looking for a wireless internet place in London that was free the whole time I was there. Most places I found made you pay, and I was already spending a lot on other stuff (like delicious crepes with Belgian chocolate and bananas! yum!), so I didn't want to do that. Then when I got to Angela's I found out that she had wireless internet! I was so happy I slept at 3 am the first night and 530 the next. hehehe

8.) Going to Covent Garden in London - I had a small list of things to look out for and visit in London, stuff like watch Les Miserables, see Big Ben, etc. But there were so many other things that I hadn't expected or planned to see, foremost of which was Covent Garden. Angela took me there one night, and it was just so amazing! That's where Henry Higgins met Eliza Dolittle for the first time in My Fair Lady. She was a flower girl, and Angela told me that Covent Garden used to be a flower market. I have a few pictures of it, and it looks like the set in the movie. (Or was it shot there? I dunno...) Anyway, it was really cool seeing it. If we'd stayed a bit longer, I would've started singing.

P.S. When I got to St. Louis, the family I'm staying with was watching My Fair Lady just as I got to their home. I immediately told them that I got to see the actual place where Eliza and Professor HIggins met. hehehe

9.) Getting Bumped Up to Business Class - I was late in getting to the airport, so I was the last person to check in for the flight. But this probably was a blessing in disguise (so thanks Angela. hehe) because they must've found out that there still were free business class seats, so I got bumped up to business class, which was a real blessing, coz it was a pretty long flight. It was so fun, being able to recline fully...stick your feet out...eat real food...etc. They really spoil you in busness class. And I loved every minute of it.

That's it. Of course, there are so many other things I did and experienced in my trip that were also very significant and meaningful. This is just a short list of the little, unplanned, unexpected things that made it extra special.

I was driving from St. Louis to Chicago last Tuesday. This song started playing on the radio, and I started listening to it. I'd heard it several times before, but never really listened to the words. This time I did, and before I knew it, tears were welling up in my eyes, and I was gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles were turning white. This should be the anthem for Youth on Fire or something. As Christians, we should realize that everything we do is for the detriment or benefit of future generations.

For Future Generations
The signs are obvious, they are everywhere
All that we hear about is the gloom and despair
Too many would be prophets saying
"It’s the end of it all"
‘Cause mother earth can’t take much more
The hammer’s gonna fall

So nature has its needs, that’s a lesson learned
But it appears to me there are greater concerns
‘Cause we can save the planet
Thinkin’ we will somehow survive
But father time is calling us
To save somebody’s life

Chorus:
So I won’t bend and I won’t break
I won’t water down my faith
I won’t compromise in a world of desperation
What has been I cannot change
But for tomorrow and today
I must be a light for future generations

If we could find a way to preserve our faith
So those who follow us
See the price that was paid
Then maybe when they question
What it’s gonna take to survive
They’ll find the strength to carry on
In what we leave behind

So I won’t bend and I won’t break
I won’t water down my faith
I won’t compromise in a world of desperation
What has been I cannot change
But for tomorrow and today
I must be a light for future generations
Lookin’ in the eyes of the children
Knowing that tomorrow is at stake
When the choice is up to them
Will they have the strength to say

We won’t bend and we won’t break
we won’t water down our faith
We won’t compromise in a world of desperation
What has been we cannot change
But for tomorrow and today
We must be a light for future generations

We won’t bend and we won’t break
we won’t water down our faith
We won’t compromise in a world of desperation
What has been we cannot change
But for tomorrow and today
We must be a light for future generations

I am sorry to say that I will cease (temporarily or permanently) to update my blog here on blogger.com. It has served me well, and I am very happy with it.

I am moving to www.xanga.com which my brothers and some other friends told me about. I opened an account there with apprehension but I quickly found that uploading pictures onto the site was much easier than the system I used here on blogger. Therefore, I will continue what little web journalling I do there.

Should anyone wish to visit it or create a link to it, my personal site is at www.xanga.com/arkalion.

As a final tidbit, Arkalion is the elvish name I received when I used the Lord of the Rings Name Generator at www.barrowdowns.com. I kept it as handy username or id since "joe" is always already taken, as well as every other possible variation on it. I'm a little creatively-challenged when it comes to making nicknames so any sugestions would be appreciated.

So this is, at least for now, goodbye.

Adios patria adorada
Region del sol querida
Perla del mar de oriente
Nuestro perdido eden

Wow...I memorized that thing 6 years ago, and it's still there.

Pictures!


This is me speaking at the youth service of the Every Nation church in Mandeville, Louisiana. Notice how quickly my head jerks back. This is essential when preaching. The jerk drives a point home, lightens the mood, or builds on the tempo, depending on the direction.....Just kidding. I have no idea what I'm doing, or why I'm jerking my head back, while my body stays still. hehehe...weird.


This is the Chicago skyline. The tallest building is, I assume, the Sears Tower, which was at one point the tallest building in the world. The body of water in the foreground is Lake Michigan, which is what they swim in in the absence of a real beach, which we all know is only found in the tropics. The smoke comes from the airplanes, as this picture was taken at an air show.


I was washing the dishes one night, and the water hit the bowl on the spoon. Immediately, this curved sheet of water ensued. It was so smooth, and it looked so cool, I had to take a picture of it. hehe...


We were driving to this mall, and I was bored. So there...I have around 8 variations of this picture. hehehe


This was taken on the way back that night.


This is the St. Louis Arch. St. Louis, Missouri was once called the Gateway to the West, being the last big city before the wilderness that was the western United States.


This mother and daughter from the church in St. Louis took my dad and me up the arch. Look at the trees!!! All the greenery!!! This is in the middle of the city...It's not some exclusive village, it's not a country club, it's just something that any person in the city can enjoy. One day, I want the Filipino people to be able to enjoy simple, but meaningful benefits such as these.


This is the view from the top of the arch. The river is the Mississippi, and beyond it is the state of Illinois.


This is the view from the other side. It's a beautiful view of downtown St. Louis.


This is a trash can in St. Louis. Taking pictures of garbage cans was a habit my brothers and I started a few years ago. Our hosts couldn't understand why I did it. women...


Fudge!! Look at it! So creamy...This was taken at a store display in a mall in St. Louis. Unfortunately, I was too full to have any. So I'll have some when I go back.


And they have so many variations too!! If you look closely, you can see a ghost of fudges past at the upper left. Just kidding, that's Stephanie, the daughter in the park picture.


I wanna try them all!!!!

Last Monday, August 30, 2004, was one of the longest days of my life. It was tiring, dangerous, and scary. But there was so much favor all throughout, I just know God was there with me.

Prologue:
I've been in Chicago for around a month now. But last week, I found out my dad would be in St. Louis, Missouri. Seeing as it's only 6 hours south, I took a bus down last Wednesday, and stayed with him till over the weekend. Then, on Monday morning, our hosts dropped him off at the airport, and me at the bus port so that he could fly to LA, and I could take the bus back to Chicago.

I was dropped off at the bus station at 9 am, but since my bus wasn't arriving till 11:30, I slept, with my legs and arms intertwined with my luggage to keep it from getting stolen. Not exactly the most comfortable position, but it sufficed. Eventually the bus came, and I boarded it. Unfortunately, I made a mistake, and instead of taking me to Chicago as I expected, it went to downtown St. Louis, where I had to buy a ticket and board another bus.

The bus ride was long and tiring. I eventually got to Chicago at 6:30 pm. I took a cab to my car, which I had left parked in the city. I had to refill the radiator with this antifreeze solution because the car has a silly habit of emptying itself. Unfortunately, I forgot to replace this rubber stop cap, which connects the reserve tank to the rest of the radiator. So basically, the reserve tank had the antifreeze which would keep it cool, but since it wasn't connected, the car was going to overheat.

I drove to the house I'm staying in, which is an hour and a half away from the city. Along the way, while on the interstate, the car started smoking (which is such a bad habit, and a terrible example to today's young people). I was going too fast though that I didn't notice it. And another motorist was running along beside me, and he signaled to me. I pulled over to the shoulder and sure enough smoke started coming out of the hood. So much of it was pouring out, I was afraid the car would catch fire, so I pulled my bags out. This was around 8 pm.

Basically, I had no choice but to wait for the car to cool down before I could drive again. Good thing I had my laptop, so I played games to pass the time. These cars and trucks would whiz by me in the next lane, and they were going so fast my car would rock everytime one of them passed me. I was glad it was still light, when I broke down. But it got dark so fast I had to push the car under a streetlight while I waited for it to cool.

When it finally did cool down, I drove it, but didn't go farther than half a mile before it overheated again, and I had to cool it off again. Fortunately, the family I'm staying with was eating at a restaurant at the next exit, so I only had 6 miles to go. So I maintained that pattern...drive for a bit, let it cool down for 15-20 minutes, drive a bit further, let it cool down again...lather, rinse, repeat. And I finally got to the restaurant at 9:30 pm...more than 12 hours after I had left the house in St. Louis. I ate first, then my friend accompanied me to the gas station to have my car looked at. We couldn't get it to stop overheating though. So we left it at a hotel and went home. I got home at 12 midnight. I had taken a 15 hour trip.

Epilogue: Looking back, I see how dangerous my carelesness was. I could've been hit by a car or truck since I was parked right beside this busy highway. I could've been mugged or something too. And I could've permanently damaged the engine of the car. But God is faithful, and He protected me. Today, I went back for the car, and it worked fine! Thank you, thank you, thank you, God!!! So there. The trip was a pretty tiring, scary, exhilirating, and envigorating experience. And I've learned several valuable lessons. I also got to share the Gospel to this old man in his 80's while waiting for my bus, so it was pretty fruitful too. I gotta say, this trip has changed so much in me. Oh well...love the independence.

This is another serious post. I bought the new Newsboys album. They're this Christian band that played at the World Conference in LA. These are the words to their song In Christ Alone. I played this over and over again last night, it's so beautiful.

In Christ alone,
My hope is found
He is my light,
My strength, my song

This cornerstone
This solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought
And storm

What heights of love!
What depths of peace!
When fears are stilled
When strivings cease

My comforter
My all in all
Here in the love of Christ
I stand

In Christ alone
Who took on flesh
Fullness of God
In helpess babe

This gift of love
And righteousness
Scorned by the ones
He came to save

Till on that cross
As Jesus died
The wrath of God
Was satisfied

For every sin
On Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ
I live

There in the ground
His body lay
Light of the world
By darkness slain

Then burst him forth
In glorious day
Up from the grave
He rose again

And as He stands
In victory
Sin's curse has lost
Its grip on me

For I am His
And He is mine
Bought with the precious blood
Of Christ

No guilt in life
No fear in death
This is the power of Christ
In me

From life's first cry
To final breath
Jesus commands
My destiny

No power of hell
No fear of man
Can ever pluck
Me from his hand

Till He returns
Or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ
I'll stand