________ New Year!

          Happy, awesome, cool, fun-filled, prosperous, bonggacious, enthusiastic New Year! That's how I'm going to put my New Year. It may not be what you think how I celebrated it. You may be thinking we bought fireworks, had a big party, had a lot of shoe shopping (for that party) and had friends invited. No. We had a really simple family New Year celebration. My cousin, my uncle and my grandma's sisters were with us this New Year. We had singing and dancing for awhile as we waited for 12 o' clock. :)
          So, it's the first time I spent a New Year on a Sunday. It's awesome-er on a Sunday. ><
          January 2012! Isn't this cool. I wonder what God has in store for me this year. I'm excited for that.
Christmas break is almost over. I don't want it to end! But hehehe... I guess it has to. So my New Year was great. We had the BIBA and everyone enjoyed the money and the candies. It was fun. And my New Year became more complete because the pastor in our church declared blessings to all the families bringing them back to God. That was a really good way to start the New Year!
          So I'm going to end it like this: Thank God for EVERYTHING. As in, EVERYTHING. His favors, His  love, kindness, mercy, blessings and provisions he has given last year or YESTERDAY. ><

AWESOME NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

My NY Teaser

         NY is New Year. >< Not New York.
          It's like 30 minutes before January 1, 2012! It's another month but a different year. :)
          I have to get used to writing 2012 in my school notes. Just like how I got used to writing 2011 when we got back from Christmas break. And right now, I'm thinking all about ending my year right. >< First, I want to have my hair cut like neck-length. But (hehehe), I'm not confident. And second, I want to smooth out a conflict with a friend but I'm not sure if he is willing. :( So much for ending my year right. I'm going to try though!
          Right now, we're "chilling" in the living room waiting for 12 o' clock.
          Every year we have this tradition where we toss coins below where people are as well waiting to grab them. :)) Okay, I don't know how to explain it in english. But we call it BIBA here in Bugo or in Cagayan de Oro or in the Philippines. Nyahahaha...
           Hoping that this will still be an awesome New Year for the Sendong Victims. It's a week since Sendong hit Cagayan de Oro. And the affected areas are still full of mud. Thick mud. But by the grace of God, they will survive and God will sustain their strengths.

   Go, CDeO!

I'm gonna tell you how tell you how my new year'll go later! January 1, 2012, HERE I COME! Yehey!

My mom and my sisters "chilling".  Nyahahah ..

In the Eye of the Storm

Yes, it has been years since I've blogged. No, not really... It's actually just months. Life offers a lot of activities to do. In other words, I was kept busy, busy, busy. But it's Christmas Break, so now I'm free, free, free! A lot has been going around lately and I have tons of things to share:

First of all, Bagyong Sendong visited the Philippines 3 days ago. And it was really devastating. So far, the worst storm that hit the Philippines affecting thousands of people. The most affected areas in Cagayan de Oro were Balulang, Macanhan, Kala-Kala, Macasandig, Consolacion and other areas. The flood washed out most of the houses in the affected areas. Hundreds of people were found missing and hundreds of people were found dead as well. The water level reached its highest point: it reached the rooftops of the residences of the affected areas. I saw cars in a pile and in canals in Balulang. Mud was everywhere. Everyone was busy cleaning their houses. And every time they go out of their house, they are covered with mud. What was unfortunate in the affected areas was that they didn't have enough supply of water and food. Other people slept in the streets and others fled to evacuation centers.

Churches, families, organizations and institutions donated what they could donate. The whole Country was in the atmosphere of love helping one another.

Faith was tested during this calamity. And there is no trial that God allows to happen in our lives that we can't handle. This goes to show that there is nothing and I mean nothing greater than our GOD. In our life there are (once again) trials and obstacles we may face. But we should remember that God will never leave us alone nor forsake us. Yes, disappointments in our life is inevitable but discouragement is a choice. If we fall, it is our choice to get up, dust ourselves off and start anew, or stay in the ground and feel discouraged, and trampled all your life. Everyday, we make choices. We make wise ones and foolish ones. And right ones come from God, to lead us to the right path where we are kept safe in his arms.
Despite all these trials we face, let us thank God for Everything he has done in our lives. EVERYTHING means no exception. Yes, even the calamities, we have to thank HIM. Because this is a leap of faith. And through this, we will stay strong in Him.

Conferences, Boring??

          The first time I heard the words, “Myles, you’re going to Cebu for a student conference,” from my mom I was super excited. I was like, Wow, I’m finally travelling and going out of town. And I totally forgot that I was going to a conference - not malls, hotels, and restaurants. But still I kept thinking of malls and all.

          Two weeks before the conference, we were reminded and followed up with our requirements then I got more excited. When I hear the word conference, I think BORING. But I gave it a chance anyway.

          So, there I was, waking up early in the morning preparing for the flight and waiting for my schoolmates. I was excited! I looked forward to the plane ride. And I brought all I had to bring – especially my camera.

          We arrived early in Cebu at around 7:30 am. The conference was to start by 3:30 pm.

          The conference was so far good. Then when the sessions, devotionals, and the debriefings began, it all came to me. God sent me there for His purpose, for a good reason. I have learned a lot more about Him and His words for us – as leaders in the school. The conference was a Christian conference. And I really loved it. I enjoyed listening to the word of God and feeling His presence there with me. I enjoyed the Christian environment and I enjoyed the bonding moments with my schoolmates. I got to know them better too!

          I have learned the importance of sharing the word of God and using your position as a President or even as a high school student to influence people around you. As leaders, we should be open to our members’ ideas and opinions. And that all our plans will be of success if we offer them all to God. And I believe I have changed since that conference. I look at leadership differently now. I believe I won as a secretary because God wants to use me mightily for His Glory.

          So, I thank God for sending me to Cebu for the best conference ever. And I thank my parents and my grandparents for supporting me. I thank Ms. Romina for her patience and for being there with us and for being a good influence to us! That was the best 3 days of my life, I’ll never forget.

Children's Vacation Bible School Summer 2011

          Last May  23, 2011, the Blessed Hope Christian Community Church International lighthouses held Vacation Bible Schools for children. It was held at Suntingon, Bugo, Cagayan de Oro City. This was held everyday for one week. My sisters and I with Ate Grace were assigned in Barangay Bugo. So we were A.K.A. teachers!
          I enjoyed the teaching experience with my co-teachers. We told stories about Jesus and His disciples.  We also taught them Bible verses and other lessons. We made them color and do other arts and craft activities. The kids were cooperative and were good listeners, too. And after all the discussions, and the arts and crafts, we give the children snacks like juices and bread.
          Another thing I enjoyed with the children was when I drove them to their homes. It was like the first time I did serious driving. Heheh... The children enjoyed the mule ride with me too! I was blessed when they prayed the sinner's with Ate Grace. And I thank God for giving us the patience and blessing us with more children. Because we started at thirteen kids and then we ended with 23. To God be all the glory!

Conray, Patrick, Domenic, Kherren, and Renami smile for the camera!

The children's 2nd day arts and crafts.

The children with the lighthouse minister (AKA, My dad!)

To the Beach!

          Last Saturday, April 23, 2011, my uncle and his fiance with our family went to Duka Bay Beach Resort. We left our house by 7 o' clock and prepared for a long trip ahead. We passed Tagoloan, Villanueva, Jasaan, Sugbongcogon and a lot of other barangays.
          My sisters and I were so happy to be out of the house for a day since it has been a long time since we visited a beach. So anyways, it was like a 3 hour drive to Duka Bay Beach Resort. But it was worth it because when we arrived at our destination safely (THANK GOD!), we finally get to ride the BANANA BOAT.

 Tita Queennie positioned at the back of the boat.

          The boat was tied at the back of a jetski. It was really fun because we went really fast. We went as far as we could go. Then somewhere, in the middle of the sea, my Tita Queennie, always the adventurous one, asked the jetski driver to tip the boat over. And we didn't even know! So when the jetski went as fast as it could go, the boat tipped over and all of us fell into the water! I thought I was going down very deep already because I tried to swim back up. Good thing there was a life vest! But yes, it was really awesome!!!!! All of us enjoyed it a lot. We were like smiling the whole time!

          When we finally went back to shore, everyone started talking about the awesome Banana Boat ride. It was soooo cool. Then I tried the kayak. It was my first time and I guess I did well. I paddled and paddled through the water. The dark shapes underneath scared me a little but I eventually overcame it. 

          The day was long and we get to eat a lot after a lot of swimming! Then we went home with a lot to talk about.

Me on the kayak.

Another Blessing...

        This net book was given to us by our cousin. They were so cool to give it to us. I also thank God. We always wanted a laptop!

A Bird's Masterpiece

           A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Their nests are made out of twigs and weeds I guess. Birds make their nests carefully. 
          I have witnessed a bird making its nest in our own house. And it was so cool! I didn't watch it make it the whole day though. We had classes. But maybe after 3 or 4 days, I saw its result! It was really cool! It had a small door for it and maybe its young. 

God's Blessing!

          It was the 25th of December, 2010 and my father and my grandparents discovered a flowing freshwater source in our property nearby a tree. As my grandma said, it was flowing and was clean. My uncle tasted it and so did my grandparents. So I decided to try it and it wasn't bad at all. The water current was fast and if we make a pool in that area, it would be possible that the water could fill a 50 meter pool overnight (according to my uncle).
          We were so blessed to have that flowing water. We enjoyed the cool feeling of it in our feet. Then we decided to pray for it and thank our Almighty Father because of what he gave us.

My sister and I decided to make a video just for fun in the water!

Sorry for the quality. I just took it through my cellphone.

OTHER PHOTOS

THANK GOD!

High Waist, a fad?

          High waist bottoms were a fad during the 1860's. Seriously, it would be hard to sell long high waist bottoms in 21st century. But how can we show teenagers or even middle-aged women (today) the high waist bottoms in a different light? I'm only 13 . . .but to me, high waist stuff seems like a good idea!
          Last year, my cousins and I raided our grandpa's shoe store where we found shoes (of course), second-hand CD's, bags and PANTS.
           "These racks are filled with high waist pants", my cousin observed. We scoured the racks for our sizes and found some. Since it was long pants, my cousin decided to cut it and fold the remaining cloth until it looked neat and until it was a few inches above the knees. 
It was a good idea. . . so I cut mine, too! 
             Every Wednesday at school is a washday. So today, I decided to wear my inspired high waist pants with a black belt. I tucked my printed blue shirt in and wore Converse shoes with pink stripes and colorful stars in it.

I'm after uniqueness!

I folded the ankle part because it was too long. 
It is a new style, too!

           One classmate told me, "Myles, you have a weird style but that's cool!" I was touched with her compliment! Maybe by the next Wednesday you'll find me wearing high waist pants again.
    

A Cherokee high waist bottom.
(The result of cutting the lower part and folding it twice or thrice)

    

Grandpa Celebrates His Bonus Year

           August 7, 2010 was a special day for my grandpa because he was to celebrate his 80th Birthday at the Pryce Plaza Hotel, 5:30 in the afternoon.
          It was a big preparation for all of us in the family. Relatives from abroad decided to celebrate grandpa's bonus year with us (so basically, they were coming home!). When the invitations for the big celebration was distributed, grandpa's friends and relatives were excited! They all thought celebrating at Pryce Plaza was really huge and special. And it was!
           It was an exciting, awesome and a very nice experience for my sisters and I (as well) because we rarely stay at big places like this.
           Early in the morning, on the day of grandpa's celebration, we took off for Pryce Plaza. As my sisters and I entered our room, we quickly made a dash for the soft and bouncy bed. We scoured the view from the room window and found Cagayan de Oro City below. We loved the neatly covered beds, the smell of the clean room and we scanned the big bathroom. We explored the whole place and discovered the pool! The whole hotel was super awesome!
            With our newly made dresses hung and our new sandals arranged neatly at the foot of the closet, we prepared for the hour of the celebration to come. . .
             After we have served the food and all, we had started our performances. My sisters and I played the piano and the guitar. My cousins Eva and Joyce sang. Eva played the violin as well. All of us were in the atmosphere of music and everyone enjoyed our performances! After those, everyone ruled the dance floor!


That was a really special night to remember.

My grandparents, my cousin and my sister.

Shane, Eva, Myles, Page and Joyce

Julius Raboca's Family

The whole family takes the stage!

Smiles everywhere!

A FRIDAY

     My week has been a busy one and thank God, tomorrow's Friday! We've been given quizzes, a lot of seat works, and our teacher was able to discuss new lessons. I've learned a lot, though! During the week, I've been blogging as well. That's one thing I was also busy with. I still hadn't gotten over with the colorful backgrounds.
      This month in school, we are going to celebrate ENGLISH MONTH. I'm actually pretty excited about it. I love the English subject and I love my teacher. She's good! My best friend and I, are to compete in the elocution. I'm doing "Brutus Defense" while she's doing "Dirty Hands". (Laughs) Not to brag or anything but. . . the both of us are good in elocution. Or should I say. . .HMMMM. . public speaking? Yeah, that's also one thing that me and my best friend share.
       I'm looking forward to a fruitful weekend! Chao! 


     

A K-POP CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER

        Whenever I hear the word CHRISTMAS and DECEMBER, I think of Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, gift-giving, joyful singing, rejoicing and family bonding. When I hear the word CHRISTMAS, I remember, most especially, Jesus Christ. As what we believe, Jesus was born on that day and on that month. Children look up to December days. I look up to December days, as well because I love giving. I really do! 


        Last December 10, 2010, we celebrated our Christmas Party. And the theme was KOREAN-POP. Everybody loved the idea! A week before the party, girls in all the grade levels kept nagging their parents to buy this and buy that. My sister and I kept reminding our parents, too! We both had wonderful ideas of clothes to wear to the party. And we both wanted to follow one of the famous, talented and beautiful 2ne1 member, Park Bom!

A cool leather jacket over a black graphic tee with black tight jeans and black stylish boots.

So cool with a colorful tress and white leggings!

        And the most awaited day arrived. Everyone went to the party in different styles. One had her hair colored purplish red with a short sleeveless dress and black (net) stockings and cool gloves. The night was long. Everybody had fun! There, too, were dance performances from every grade level. And I couldn't forget this: everyone left the party with smiles on their faces!

Me!

I wore a purple stretchy top, short shorts and net stockings.
I wore a pink vest with  sequins in the side.
I also wore a long necklace. I also wore cool white gloves.
Myles (left), Demi (right)

These are one of the famous female K-pop groups:

4minute

Miss A

Girls Generation

Wondergirls

2ne1

Fighting Gravity ---- Isn't it impossible?

Fighting Gravity is a ska-pop music group based out of Richmond, Virginia. This group were the season 5 America's Got Talent finalists. I enjoyed all their videos . . . You should too!

                       Fighting Gravity All Performances 2010

Fighting Gravity Top 48

Fighting Gravity - Semi Finals

Fighting Gravity Hollywood Audition

MY GRADE SCHOOL GIRLFRIENDS

There were 8 girls in our class when we were in the 6th Grade:

The outgoing, nature and animal lover, Jamie Marien.

She loves the color blue and she loves anime, too!

The city girl with an awesome personality, Mariell Tiffany. She loves the color blue and pink and she loves watching Phineas and Ferb and Bleach.

The fun-loving and outgoing, Jallamae. She loves the color brown and blue.She watches the TV series Queer Eye. Her usual expressions are " Whatever!" " Churva!" "Ang galing galing" and " Palakpakan!"

The smart, kind and thoughtful girl, Faith Isabela.

Her fave color is yellow. She plays a lot of instruments since she is an active member in her church.

The smart, friendly, and adventurous, Ria Richedith. She loves the color blue, violet and orange. She hides in her room when she feels it.

The good friend to everyone and the class genius, Izzeah Phi.

She loves the color blue, red violet, green, white and black. She loves anime movies like Avatar and Bleach. She is a bookworm. . .

The kind, thoughtful and with an excellent personality, Natashia Alexandra. Loves blue and violet and she loves to read books too.

The cheerful, helpful and the tallest girl in class, Myles. She loves the color red and violet and pink. She loves to model although she's not officially one and she could play instruments like Faith.



HERE WE ARE . . .

Graduation Pictorial
(There were a lot of cameras. . . so for awhile, we felt like stars and celebrities)



AIN'T ABOUT HOW FAST WE GET THERE, AIN'T ABOUT WHAT'S WAITING ON THE OTHER SIDE . . . IT'S THE CLIMB