The Journey of Happy Hearts (2016 Christmas Outreach at Isla Verde in Batangas)

 All of us have a share of suffering, hardships and trials in life. But these do not hold us back to share a piece of ourselves to those who are in need.

Christmas is one time of the year where we can share the love in our hearts to other people who need to be cared for.

This Christmas, let us spread the love. Let us trace a smile in the face of these people. Let us pour joy in their hearts. Let us comfort them with the warmth of our hugs.

Let them feel that they too, are loved. May their Christmas be merry and bright.!!!

You may click the link or the photo to view the Christmas Outreach of our group!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2miKgFS4Kc

What is Advent?

Advent Season is the preparation for Christmas. A time where we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ.

As everybody says, it is the most wonderful time of the year because Christ will come again to live in our hearts.

Apart from the meaning of advent, its significance is to look back at the first coming of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and to look forward for the time that He will come again.

The importance of advent does not lie on how busy we prepare for Christmas but how we see and feel the spirit of Christ and the presence of Christ in our lives amidst this ever changing world of hate and love.



This Christmas, when Christ will come, let our sight be filled with the fullness of life that God entails us to have.

As Christians, we are called to live in harmony with each other as we nurture and share the love of God in our words and deeds.





Advent Recollection
November 29, 2016
Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guia
Ermita, Manila

Salesiana, I will always be! (58 @58 Reunion)

  As they say...

It is always glad to be home....🏡🏠🏡

It's nice to see old faces, friends, classmates, schoolmates, teachers, and the Salesian Sisters (of course)  we spent most of our years studying. And today, we feel the Salesian spirit again and hope to live it with our hearts every day.

I've attended the reunion held at the Don Bosco School in Sta. Mesa, Manila where once again I was brought back to the beautiful memories of my elementary and high school days with the Salesian Sisters we all dearly love.

The Mission of Television and the Church

After every video presentation in this seminar, the moderator will ask "Are there any questions, comments or suggestions?" I will look around to see who is brave enough to shout his/her mind.

I am always hesitant to raise my hand and voice my thoughts for I might not express myself well.

Each video production showcased in this seminar, is a product of big ideas from great minds of diverse people with common goal: to strengthen the image of the Church by producing materials that will keep the Christians connected to their faith and love for Christ.

The participants during the TV Seminar in Taipei, Taiwan
Grabbed the photo at SIGNIS

The Church being the mother to mankind must be heard loud by providing spiritual and moral guidance to the people and develop value formation extracted from the teachings of Christ.

This is the challenge that the televisions and video productions must take. The task is never easy but no one says it can't be done. If there is a will, there is a way.

In this fast changing world, nobody should be afraid to speak his/her mind. As Pope Francis said, we must go out of the periphery. Nowadays, there are platforms to express your mind. This again, is one of the challenges television should undergo.

Television (including video productions) should offer variety in their programs. At least, offer a new flavor or speak your language during this present generation as you proclaim the Word of God. As they say, go out of the box and do not be confined wihin the four corners of your room.

Remember, there are so many stories to tell. There will always be people whose passion and calling in life is far beyond their duty. There will alwys be dedicated people along the way. There will always be people whose hearts are bound to serve.

I was in awe after watching all the videos and was amazed after hearing the wisdom behind every story that was told. As an observer, I want to put emphasis on a very strong point which I believe matters the most --- There is mircle in every struggle.

In life we struggle to survive. In television, they struggle to come up with an effective video that will open the communication between the Church and it's mission to the people.

The struggle to come up with a powerful video with a substantial content; the struggle to look for money; the struggle to look for people with dedication and perseverance; and the struugle to be alive despite these struggles perceived as Miracles.

It is a miracle to say because today becomes a gathering of people from the different parts of the world working together, coordinating with one another towards commiting a common aim: to Evangelize the people through Television.

And the most important thought I really want to share, apart from all of these is that, God is good. God always provides. He never leaves His child empty handed. God is one with us because I believe He sent down the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of these people. The Holy Spirit is with us, too.

I hope these make sense.

Television as a Tool for Evangelization

Life is a matter of survival and we face various travails that will test our faith.

The Church is not only an institution that provides assistance during disastrous times or a place where we pray and hear Mass. The Church should stand firm to their function of revealing and communicating the Word of God.

The Philippine delegation welcomed by Bishop Huang
photo by: Yifeng Ferng

Television, being one of the most powerful tools in evangelization has a big role of telling the big story that is God. Christians have rich faith in God but the big challenge is how to maintain and keep that faith using this medium.

Borrowing Sharon Isla of TV Maria's words, television should re-tell the story of faith and hope. While one of the participants said that anything that is good, joyful and beautiful should be proclaimed.

At the end of the day, we come to realize that the Church should be the main source of hope, light and love. The Church should cultivate and nourish our faith that is rooted in the salvation history of mankind. — in Taipei, Taiwan.

Humility in Life

Be glad when somebody trusts you despite your many betrayals.

Be happy when somebody believes in you when the whole world turned their back from you.

Be thankful when somebody shows kindness despite your stupidity and stubborness.

Be grateful when somebody remains at your side when you had your share of victory and defeat in life.

Be appreciative when somebody stand still in your life despite all your failures and disappointnents.

Be glad when somebody does not give up on you despite your blurry dispositions and decisions.

Most of all be blessed thinking that there is somebody who is taking her time from her busy world to care and pray for you even though she also has her own share of luggage to carry.

Nowadays, only a few people are authentic in showing kindness.  In return, take time, too, to appreciate her efforts instead of being ungrateful and boastful.

It is also during these times, where anger and hate encompass a portion of humanity that we should be humble and meek. It is not degrading, rather, it is uplifting to show some humility. Why don't you try to show one? A single act matters a lot.

My Daughter is my Bestfriend

She may not understand the things I uttered to her when I am depressed, but she is the person whom I can talk to without her judging me.

She may wonder what are the things I am telling her, but I feel relieved every time I convey my emotions to her.

Jeraine - My Loving and Beautiful Daughter

At night when I cry, when I am telling her all my pains,

she will wipe my tears, tap me on my shoulder and gives me that big hug.

Her eyes are sincerely looking at me, telling me "hey everything's gonna be okay."

Her ears that willingly listens, her charming smile that takes my blues away and all her sweet gestures totally unburdened me of the load I carried throughout the day.

Without a word from her lips, only her mere presence, is enough reason for me to smile. Her goodnight kiss eased the weariness away. 

She is not only my angel. She is my princess. She is my best friend. She is my DAUGHTER.

Thank you, Jeraine. mommy loves you dearly!

I remember you today, Mom

Exactly one year ago from now since I had talked and seen my mom.

At this time, she was in the hospital and the doctor was telling us she was in state of coma. She had a brain stroke and there was a very slim chance of living. Any time she will leave.

This was the most painful news I've ever heard my whole life. My mind didn't absorbed what the doctor told us. I couldn't believe it. And i cannot accept the fact that sooner, she will be gone.
April 2 she died. And she was gone..How could Mommy left us so early?

It was hard living without her. The thought that Mommy will never come back is one of the hardest things to learn.

Today, I remember you, Mommy in the most special way. I relive the memories of losing you though painful because it is the only time I can hold you back. it is the only moment I can be with you again.

I miss you everyday, Mommy...I love you...

Daddy Groovy turned 70

My daddy turned 70 years old last February 26, 2016. And we prepared a surprise birthday celebration for him on his big day. We wanted to reminisce on the years that molded and shaped him as well as to look back on past memories with family and friends. More importantly, we wanted to say thank you to him for all the years that he's been a father to us. We wanted to thank God for giving him 70 wonderful years and we ask God to give him many more years ahead.

Before I go on to the details on how we were able to come up with the party, let me give you a brief background about my Dad.

He is the second to the eldest among the children of Wenceslao and Angelina. His siblings are Josefina and Helen. A true blooded Kapampangan, Daddy found his passion in the arts. He took up Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in España, Manila. Shortly after graduation he landed in an advertising agency. Branded as a silent water that runs deep, Daddy is a man of few words. But he is so articulate in expressing himself. He worked in various well-known and prestigious advertising agencies in the Philippines and one of those was DYR-Alcantara.

Because of his art works, he was able to capture the heart of our mother, Minda. In short they raised six lovely angels namely: Joyce, Jheng, Joan, Jaramine, Janelle and Jennica. Our family grew in number when the three of us got married and have children we call our own. Now, Daddy is already Lolo Dad to his 9 grandchildren.

Life caters not only happiness but also slices of sadness. Our Mommy died last April 2, 2015.  We didn't expect it to happen but we hold on to the thought that God has a reason. Whatever it is, we believe it is for good.

ORGANIZING THE PARTY

When my Mommy was still alive, we were planning to have a party for Daddy because he will turn 70 then. But there were no concrete plans yet. Until this year when February is fast approaching, me and my sisters Jara, Nica and Janelle had a meeting on the surprised party.

I also called and informed my two sisters, Joyce and Joan (who are living in abroad) about the plan. Without any hesitation, I got their Yes! We were very excited as the days passed by.

The preparation includes the finalization of the date of the party, the venue, the time, the caterer and the guests list.

When we finalized the whereabouts of the party and who were the invited people, my sister Joan made the invitation. I sent her the details of the party and she made a lay out of the invitation, the backdrop and the poster.

We also thought of coming up with a button pin as our souvenir give away.

We sent the invitation through Facebook, while we texted the other guests to come.


THE INVITATION 
This is the invitation we sent to the guests through Facebook and Email.

THE BACKDROP 

We placed this one at the wall to be part of the decoration of the stage.

THE POSTER
We used this as decoration for "Daddy's Corner" instead of a photo booth.

THE SOUVENIR

We thought of a button pin that serves as our souvenir for the guests who came so that they will have something to look upon as they remember this event in my Daddy's life.

THE STAGE

The stage was decorated by Bong, one of our maintenance staff in the office. The stage was surrounded with green plants symbolizing greater hope for more years of happy life.

DADDY'S CORNER

Instead of renting a photo booth, we thought of creating a corner where they can take photos of themselves and with the birthday boy.

THE CAKE

The cake was very simple yet attractive and meaningful as it seem. It was the gift of my sister Janelle and his boyfie, Harold.

THE SURPRISE

Before we started the surprise party, the venue was already set. The decorations, catering, the props, sound system were already set. The guests were all gathered inside the venue. While waiting for Daddy to arrive, we have old photos of him with his family, relatives, friends and colleagues. It was accompanied by playing some of the oldies but goodies songs from his generation.

We started the program with a surprise. Here's how we did it.

"One of the best things in life happens in a surprise! It's Daddy's 70th Birthday! Without his knowledge, a big surprise birthday party awaits him. Making it possible to gather all the people that matters in his life excitedly waiting for him to arrive at the venue.

How we were able to bring him at the party?

Days before I told him that there is a media event in the office and we were looking for volunteers. There were many raffle prizes to be given away. Talking out loud to my sisters (so that Daddy can hear) whom I asked if they want to volunteer.

On Saturday, February 27, at 2pm, I was already in the venue and I called Daddy saying, "Dad, aalis ka ba? Pwede mo ba ako sunduin sa office mamaya. Di ba kasi may event kami. nanalo kasi ko ng washing machine. Tulungan niyo ko ni Nica iuwi para maisakay sa FX." Then, he said, "sige."

At around 5p.m., Jennica, my sister called saying, "ate Jheng, malapit na kami." As they arrived, I said, "Dad, dun tayo sa 4th floor nandun kasi yung napanalunan ko." At the door, before we entered, I called Janelle, my other sister to signal tht we were already about to enter. I knocked and I said, "kuya pakibukas naman po yung pinto, ibababa lang po namin yung washing machine."

As the door opened everybody was there to surprise him. His family, relatives, friends and colleagues were all there for his big day.

It was a connivance between us, his family and the rest.

Special thanks to Ms. Ggie Bernabe for capturing these significant moments.



THE PROGRAM

We started the program with an Opening Prayer led by Jennard, the eldest among the grandsons.

Dear Lord,

We are gathered here as we celebrate the 70th birthday of NESTOR MANALANG.

Today, we are given the opportunity to once again celebrate the gift of life you give to Nestor. We are given the chance of thanking you for those times of celebrations as we remember the amazing days of his life.

Together, we bow our heads with so much thanksgiving on our lips and with joy in our spirit for giving Nestor the gift of long and wonderful life.

We ask you to always bless him and his family. Continue to shower them your undying love and care.

Protect him with your loving arms. Stand by him either in his victory or defeat. Make him count on you in everything he does.

Make him see the glory of your name as he goes through the different stages and seasons of his life.

We pray that you continue to bless him your wisdom and fill his life with your mercy and grace.

We ask you to always pour him your unending grace as he continue to be the strength of his family.

Lord, be with him as he continue to journey his life. Make him see the gifts you bestowed upon him and his family as he reflects and looks back over the years of his life.

As he begin to start another chapter of his life, make it more meaningful and fruitful. Shower it with blessings ahead of him.

Grant him also good health and many more years so he can continue to serve, care and love his family.

These we ask in the name of Jesus Christ and with the help of our Blessed Mother, Amen.  

After the prayer, an Opening Dance Number was presented to set the party into a more festive mood. Chelsea, Caitlin and Jeraine danced to the tune of All About the Bass  and they called themselves "Lolo Dad's Angels." 

After these cute little kids graced the celebration, my sisters Janelle and Jennica read the reason of the celebration.

Today, we are gathered here to celebrate the 70th birthday of our daddy, Nestor. 70 wonderful years of existence is indeed a blessing to be thankful for to the Lord and as they say, cheers for 
the years to come!

This celebration is not just to show or let daddy feel how much we love and care for him but a wonderful opportunity to know him better and deeper.

This celebration also opens the door for us, his family to start a new chapter in our lives. Her wife, our mother, Minda passed away on April 2, 2015. We are grieving for almost a year. After she left us, we tried to live our lives without her. Damn hard! But we have to. We have to move a step forward, of course with her memories always in our hearts. Life goes on as they always say. This celebration could be a lot happier if Mommy is here. She was waiting for this celebration to happen as well as their golden anniversary. But I believe, wherever Mommy is, she is happy to see us all together here. She is happy to see daddy smiling.

After giving a brief introduction of what the event was  all about, a short video presentation was prepared by Jennica to mark the milestones in Daddy's life as well as to look back at the old memories and to look forward in creating new memories.

The grandchildren we're called in front of the stage to join their Lolo Dad as they present the birthday cake for him to make a wish and blow the candles.

When the cake was presented, Richard, my husband, who is in another country gave his message and birthday wishes to Daddy.

Some of us have traditions during birthdays. One of those is the symbolical gifts. In Daddy's 70th birthday celebration we have chosen 7 important people in his life that will give him a symbolical gift and at the same time to give their message and birthday wishes. They were: Helen (sister), Gay (cousin), Luz (cousin), Gigie (colleague; she also represented Ms. Grace Chong-boss of Daddy), Amy (kumare; in behalf of Sixto) and Long-Long (kumpare).

An acoustic rendition of the songs Living Legacy, Let it Be and You Were There were performed by Mark and Nimrod taking the party into a lighter mood. Those songs were (we think) among Daddy's favorites.

Dinner was served after Mark and Nimrod rendered their soulful version of the oldies but goodies songs from Daddy's generation.

Shortly after we ate our dinner, we showed the video message of my sister Joan and her partner, Con. They are in Australia and they also wanted to give Dad their birthday greetings and wishes.

After the video was shown, we then proceeded with the 7 Dance. You might be wondering why there is a seven dance?

We usually see a father and daughter dance during a debut. But this time, in this very special occasion, we took the opportunity to have a dance with Daddy. All of us his daughters and grand daughters had a dance with him. This was a reminder that once in daddy and mommy's life, they held us their children in their embrace. Their daughters who were once babies, turned into ladies, turned into women.

The seven dance were: Jeraine, Caitlin, Chelsea, Jennica, Janelle, Jaramine and Jheng.  

After the 7 dance, a video message of my sister Joy with her family was shown. They wanted to greet Dad a happy birthday and to extend their wishes for a happy life. It was followed by a dance number from Dan, her husband and son, Elian.

The Lolo Dad's Angels had their opening number by dancing All About the Bass. These good looking grandsons of Daddy would let this celebration passed without performing something for their Lolo. They sang "Ang Huling El Bimbo" by the Eraserheads.

Singing doesn't run in our blood. But for their willingness to please their Lolo, they did. 

The boys were: Christian, Jennard, Christoff and Carl.

After the performance of the boys, we came to one of the highlights of the celebration. The 7 Toasts or the Birthday Toast.

A birthday toast can be viewed in different ways. You can help the guests remember the celebrant in good light. A toast can also communicate how much the speaker values his/her experiences with the celebrant. A toast can also state thankfulness or a toast can speak of the ways the celebrant can continue his legacy. And what is important about having a toast is to remind us that daddy still has time left to live. More years to live for him to make more memories with us.

The 7 toasts were: Isting, Rudy, Jun, Ross, Chris, JQ and Allan.

And the toast to the years that passed and for the years ahead...Happy Birthday, Nestor!!!

  

We heard so much about Daddy. This time it is the time to hear from him as he delivered his message and gratitude to those who remembered and came over the party.

We ended the celebration with a closing prayer led by Christian Ribay.

Dear Lord,

We are so much thankful and grateful for an occasion like this. Thank you for gathering us all here to celebrate Daddy’s 7Oth birthday. It was indeed an unforgettable and wonderful moments that we will all surely add in our library of happy memories.

May we all keep in touch with Daddy as he continue to write new pages in his life.

We will not close this celebration, for everyday is a celebration of life for daddy and for all of us.

Grant him good health and many more years to live. Bless all the people he love and the people that love him.

Guide our footsteps as we go home.

These we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, with the help of Mama Mary. Amen.

Here are some of the photos during the Surprise Birthday Party...

In behalf of my family we would like to say thank you to all of you who remembered and came over our surprised party for our Daddy. We thank you and we are looking forward to seeing you making memories with us.

The party was hosted by Jara and Jheng (we're his daughters).

We thank the following:

Santos family, Prado family, Ribay family

Jennica for the Video Presentation

Janelle and Harold for the Cake

Joan for lay out of Invitation, Backdrop, Poster and Souvenir

Jara for the Balloons

Jheng for the Script and Program/Coordinator

Tita Helen 

Ggie Bernabe for contacting the DYR colleagues

RCAM for the venue

Vikoy's Catering 

Bong for the stage and Daddy's Corner decorations

Ajie for the technical support

Pastoral Secretariat for the LCD Projector

RCAM guards 

If I forgot someone/something,,,,please bear with me...Thank you and God bless us all!!!