Tokyo, Japan 2015: Sensoji Temple (Part 3)

Day 2 (2nd stop):

Sensoji Temple. May 12, 2015. 

For Day 1 (Arrival) click here

For Day 2 (Ueno Park & Zoo) click here

Legend says that two men brought a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, but the statue returned to the river afterwards. In remembrance of the incident, Sensoji temple was built in honor of Kannon, which is why it is also known as the Asakusa Kannon Temple. It is the oldest temple in Tokyo. 

My APEC Experience

Last year, I was at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 every week for my National Service Training Program (NSTP), encoding OFWs’ papers into the POEA’s data systems at their booth. For each of those times, I would always pass by a board with the logo of APEC 2015: Philippines. What did it mean to me back then? I found it exciting that several world leaders would be coming into the country, but felt more eager to see what the Philippines can do as a host country.

Fast forward to Tuesday and Wednesday (November 17 & 18), I found myself among the CEOs and Economic Leaders as a volunteer stationed at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. What a dream come true. 

Halfway through the Night

Cardona, Rizal

I find it really hard to concentrate on my studies lately. Too many things are happening every day and my thoughts just jump around the entire place and when I find myself in front of a reading, the urge to skip it and spend time outdoors and in a conversation is too much that I usually do just that. When did I become so chill? J) Now, it’s hard for me to sit down and concentrate on reading or writing and get what I wanted to say out and organized them in this paper until it’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I’m the only one awake. I finished it like magic.

...

faith

good morning.

Tokyo, Japan 2015: A Morning in the Park (Part 2)

Day 2: Ueno Park and Zoo, Sensoji Temple, Tokyo Skytree, and Akihabara. 

First up: Ueno Park & Zoo.

Hurray for clear skies and sunny weather! 

If you recall, in our first night at Tokyo, it was raining really hard. It was so cold too. We were relieved to wake up the next day with no sign of the storm at all. Thank God!

My family and I decided to spend our first morning in a nearby park since we've been city-dwellers in Manila all this time. 

This was one of the places we passed by on the way there. I'll never forget the sight of it.

Tokyo, Japan: All Things Kawaii and Sugoi (Part One)

What started out as a spur of the moment decision boiled down to six days of absolute kawaii and sugoi adventures in Tokyo.

I didn't even feel the excitement yet as the days rolled closer and closer to our flight date because of the extremely busy schedule for everyone in the family. Missing a weekend trip to Pampanga with one-half of the fam bam and Adam Young a.k.a. Owl City play live for free in Bonificio Global City was worth the rest before flying off! 

Cardona, Rizal Facing Laguna de Bay (Summer 2015)

Laguna de Bay, May 2, 2015 (Click the photos)

Church Summer Conference 2015, granted me this view for three days from a balcony. 

We stayed at Cardona, Rizal, and later learned we were overlooking Laguna de Bay. During the first day, a friend, my brother, and I were debating whether it connects to the sea or a lake, and specifically, which sea or lake this was. She insisted it was the sea while my brother said it was a lake. We then brought up the name of the resort to help shed some light on the water's identity. It was a "bay resort". As I listened, "Laguna Bay" first came to mind, but we weren't sure. The next day, I got my hands briefly on a fellow camper's internet connection and alas, Google Maps finally cleared things up. It was actually Laguna de Bay.

The Prison Letters: Philippians

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7

I silently read among a group of five other girls seated in a circle, Bibles laid in front of us. The words had spoken right to me and calmed me down in my latest worries.

The Living Word continues to be a blessing in my life that I shouldn’t stray from.

And in the process of attending this Bible study session, I’ve met four cool gals with the same fangirl love for Kpop boy groups.

...

faith

photo not mine

Graduation Season '15

Graduation photos and sentimental writings flood my Facebook Feed once again – the primary signs telling me, and everyone, that it’s graduation season. As fun as it is for me, comparing photos and their final goodbyes to the life they've known for four years, the graduates, on the other hand, must be feeling the same intensity of sadness.

9th Spring Film Festival: Gala Night (Part One)

Friday the 13th never looked so upbeat. That night, the Ateneo de Manila University's premier Filipino-Chinese organization, Celadon, held its 9th Spring Film Festival at the Grand Atrium of Edsa Shangri-la Mall. Celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Ram, the festival is a ten-day event and will showcase six award-winning Chinese films, ranging from thrilling action to contemporary drama; from comedy to romance, with English subtitles, for FREE, at the mall's cineplex from February 13 to 22, 2015.

Terror and Tragedy

"I am Charlie"

May 5, 2013,

Around 7:25P.M.

It was a Sunday. The whole family split ways inside SM Megamall. Dad went on his own way towards the hardware store or the men’s section of the department store. Mom, my brother, and I stayed at Komoro Soba, a Japanese restaurant where we were supposed to meet at for dinner, but Mom needed to go to the restroom, and the restaurant didn’t have one. Placing all our bags and shopping bags on the table, she leaves my brother and me, waiting for our order to arrive. He plays with his phone. I tend to have wandering eyes on the people who pass. 

In a matter of minutes, screams could be heard. Wow, people are really worked up on the sale, huh? Then, people are running, running towards the exit near where we were. Is there a celebrity? Finally, a huge wave of crowds is running in panicked terror. Screams intensify. “May pumuputok! (There’s a shooting!)”, “Takbo! (Run!)”, “Bomba! (Bomb!)”, they yell. 

My brother and I looked at each other with a sudden realization of what was happening. And the sound just seems to drown out from you.