Magandang GenSan!

SARANGANI HIGHLAND:)

Located on a hilltop overlooking Sarangani Bay. It has an awesome view of both the sea, downtown Gensan and majestic Mt. Parker and Mt. Matutum on a clear day.
While in Sarangani Highlands, you get really closer to nature. It takes great pride in its beautiful landscaping. Lush plants, flowers and a neatly trimmed lawn welcome you upon entering the garden.
You will surely forget all your troubles when you breathe in the fresh air and fill your senses with the spectacular view. :)

CEBU!

Cebu City is the largest city in the Visayas. It is the oldest city in the Philippines. It is centrally located which makes for convenient travel to other areas of the Philippines. The Airport located on Mactan Island is an international  port of entry which makes it possible to fly directly into Cebu from elsewhere in Asia. The number of airlines that fly into Cebu is on the increase so there are more connections from abroad every year. There are also numerous inter island flights to take you to other destinations in the Philippines. 

The anticipation for my first plane ride was building up inside me. I keep thinking that I will be air sick and vomit. We arrived at the airport 2 hours before our flight, so it was quite a long wait. When our flight was finally boarding, I can’t help but feel excited. During the take-off, I couldn’t help but feel really nervous, but when we were finally in the air, I felt better. We landed at Mactan International Airport at 7:10pm.

my first plane ride

Cebu City Tour:

Our first stop was the Magellan’s Cross. At the back of Magellan’s Cross is Basilica del Sto. Niño. It’s one of the oldest churches in Cebu.

Magellan’s Cross

Basilica del Sto. Niño

Our next stop was the Mactan Shrine, where the Lapu-Lapu Shrine can also be found. 

Mactan Shrine

The Taoist Temple was our next destination. It is located inside Beverly Hills Cebu, where the rich and powerful lives.

The Taoist Temple

Next was the Mountain View Nature Park (Sitio Garahe, Busay).Overlooking the city, it is situated near the cool flower gardens of Busay. This park comes with a mini-zoo, accommodations, and canteen.

 Mountain View Nature Park

I have always enjoyed my time in Cebu. I am looking forward to my next trip there. :D

N.B.S.B No Boyfriend since Birth.

This phrase used to really pull me down, especially when I reached college.  At first, it wasn’t a big deal. But as I saw my friends beginning to date one by one, until almost all of them had boyfriends already and it was only me left without a special someone, I became alarmed. /omg

I had a friend who already had five boyfriends but I didn’t have any yet, not even one. Those who didn’t date yet at least already had guys admiring them.

Then I noticed that, everywhere I looked, there was always a lovey-dovey couple, holding hands in the canteen, in the classrooms. Even outside the comfort room for girls, there were guys waiting for their girlfriends.

I started to look down on myself. I looked at myself in front of a mirror and saw that it wasn’t because I was totally not good-looking… but I wasn’t pretty at all.

And I didn’t have the body. Who would ever appreciate me? I told myself, if I were a guy, I myself would never give a second look at the girl that I was looking at.

It was really depressing. Why did I have to look the way I did? Why did God choose this body to be mine? And why didn’t have the money to be in a parlor every day, or buy new clothes every so often. 

I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I wanted to stay somewhere where I can be invisible or at least, alone. A place where no one could see me. I thought of the chapel. But, I thought, what could God do for me since He was the one who gave me this body in the first place? I believed, it was impossible for God to change my physical appearance. This was how I looked and I’d look this way until I got really old.

But even though I had doubts about what prayer could do, I still tried. I knew what my heart’s desire was and that was what I told God... :D

I am Beautiful!

All of us have had times when we were envious of others, wishing we were as pretty or as tall as whoever. We fantasized about what it'd be like to have bigger breasts or hour-glass bodies. Oh, how we prayed to wake up one morning looking exactly like the cover girl of Cosmo Mag! We have led ourselves to believe that being beautiful on the outside is the only way to get the attention we need-- more so the love we want. Come to think of it, what is beauty?

 is it →

  ◘    the long black hair we see in shampoo commercials

  ◘    skinny, long legs

  ◘    artistahin skin

  ◘    sexy brows, neatly plucked

are we →

 ◘    drop-dead gorgeous

 ◘    a must-have

 ◘    a dream girl

 ◘    a "can-do" girl

 ◘    can't-stand-to-look-at-girl

 ◘    better-facing-back-girl

There is always something beautiful in US, and that something is worth all the flaunting that it can get. We are all made beautiful. And we are all made to be happy. Believing this is what will make us the cover-girl-material that we want to be.

A girl with staple-wire-hair may look unpleasant, but she may have a smile that could launch a thousand ships! Miss nerdy dorky with her thick-rimmed glasses may stand out and shine the brightest with her brilliant mind!

Beauty is how we find it. We should stop looking at other people but rather learn to appreciate God's design for us. We learn to bring out the best of what we are. J.Lo had excess pounds when she started, but she made it to being one of the most beautiful people in the world!

God's design is always beautiful. We are beautiful. Be beautiful. :D

A Letter to the One God Has Prepared for Me

I am wondering at this very minute if you are thinking of me, if you like me, maybe you too are wondering what is taking us so long to find each other. Many times I thought I finally found you only to be disillusioned by the fact that my wait has not yet ended. I get up each morning hoping, dreaming, longing to meet you.

I am thinking of how we will meet, would it be as romantic as the one I have seen in movies? Or is it possible that I have known you all my life but we have yet to realize that we are meant for each other? Oh how I wish you were here right now because you are the only one who has the answers to all my questions. Sometimes I ask myself if I have ever really known “love”. I do not have the answer to that question either but I believe that, more often than not, we will never really know what love is until we find that right person…and since I have not found you yet, then maybe I do not really know what love is!!You just don’t know how often I dream of finally knowing what it feelslike to be in your arms. Even at this very moment I am imagining how you will simply sweep me off my feet. Perhaps I would be drawn by your smile or your eyes, or maybe how you manage to make me laugh by your silly little ways! I don’t really know for sure but I am praying that God will help me recognize you when the right time comes. I think of all the pains that I have gone through in the past and of how much I have cried since the day I began my search. I just wanted you to know that I find my strength in clinging into my vision of the beautiful life ahead of me—the life I shall spend with you. In my mind and in my heart I know you are worth all the pain and sacrifice. After all, the tears have become a part of my life and I believe that they are slowly washing away my flaws so that I would become perfect, not perfect in its truest sense, but  perfect—for YOU! I wonder if you've gone through so much pain as well. I wonder if you've been hurt too many times along the journey. But my dearest one, please don’t ever give up because I am right here…patiently waiting for you! I ensure you that when we finally find each other I would slowly heal all those wounds by my love.At night, I would look at my window and stare at the beautiful sky, hoping that somehow you are also looking up and wondering about me. I utter a silent prayer and send all my cries to the heavens above thinking that I time they would reach you and when I feel impatient, I just close my eyes and believe that you are on your way and that you are longing to see me as well. It seems that, for now, that is the only place where I can hold on to you. In my dreams you would kiss away my fears and wrap me with your arms of love.And all this, all the more, makes me want to wake up and face the new day ahead with the hope that soon enough, you will no longer be a dream but a reality and once again I am assured that you are worth the wait. And when that time comes, everything will fall into its place, just as I had imagined, just as I had thought and dreamed, just as I had believed it would be! By then, I would simply look back and smile at all that I have gone through, in spite of the pain and amidst the simple joys of life—and I would be very thankful because they all led me to YOU!

In the meantime, take care of yourself for me. Hold on to our dream and don’t even think of letting go. Believe in your heart that we will find each other no matter what happens. God has planned the course and it is up to us to follow the directions. Don’t worry, don’t be afraid about getting lost, God saw to it that all the roads, no matter which one you choose to follow, leads to me. :D