Anyway, last Saturday evening, my hubby and I decided to take a break from work.  It was a timely break for both of us, since we had been so tied up with work continuously for a couple of weeks.  Our weekend break began with a couple of bowling games, and hubby had some good exercise with a few rounds of bowling at the SM City Bowling Lanes.  After that, we proceeded to The Wave Ballroom where we had great dinner and I had great dancing too!

i have always loved the swing.  of all the dance steps I have learned throughout my younger years, the swing has been my all-time favorite.  For me it’s a dance that’s full of energy.  You exercise while dancing it…especially with the double-step swing.    And when you’ve learned to dance the steps well, you feel so awfully beautiful while dancing it…and yessss that’s the best part of it, isn’t it?

I haven’t been dancing constantly for several years now, but last Saturday night, at The Wave Ballroom, I was quite amazed that I could still dance the swing.  In the beginning, I wasn’t confident that i could still dance, but as the music went on, I let my feet follow the beat of the music.  it was wonderful!  I just needed that exercise!  I guess I should go dancing more often again!  

Below is a video taken of me by my hubby as I danced the swing last Saturday night at The Wave Ballroom located at #39 Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City.  It’s a great dancing place, great and inexpensive food, the music – wow, its for modern ballroom dancing… you can actually ballroom dance to the current songs you love!   And if you need a dance instructor when you feel like dancing, you can just contact the manager Jonas (cel #0922-8183207) and he’ll recommend and connect you to the available instructors (male or female) for the evening!  

 So do you have to wait till you grow old before you realize that dancing is good for you?  Dance away now!

Meet our pets

Daffy the Black Labrador

&

Yogi the Chocolate brown Labrador

There are times in our life we become such forgetful human beings.  It’s such a sad reality, but it happens.  God showers us with blessings and we enjoy them, yes we do!  And while we enjoy everything He bestows upon us, we tend to forget.  We tend to forget where it all came from…from Whom it all came from.

Our God is a faithful God.  He never forgets.  He is always in our midst, listening to every word we say, watching us in everything we do.  He brings us happiness… and knows when things aren’t doing well for us.   It’s just a sad reality that sometimes, we only remember Him when things go wrong.  And stil, inspite of our iniquities, our shortcomings, our forgetfulness, He is always there to lift us out of our pain and misery.  He is such a Wonderful God!  And I am just an overwhelmed human being.  I get so disappointed with myself when I forget.  I hate myself, I am so undeserving.  But He forgives us.  He is a loving, a forgiving God.  I am so sorry my Lord…I pray for a faithful heart, Lord, as faithful as Yours, that I may never forget Your presence in my life.  I am truly grateful for this Wonderful Love You never fail to give me… and I pray that I never have those moments of forgetfulness.. take it all away from me, O Lord..

Our God is truly an Awesome God!  He has kept an eye on us through all the good and bad times.  There have been moments when I would just feel so tired, so burnt out…and wonder if I still could go on. But as I go over everything at the end of the day, I just can’t help but be truly grateful for this life I have!  

Some people strive to find work everywhere in despair.  Thank You Lord for these opportunities you continually shower upon me! Some people struggle with relationship problems… and here I am with a husband who loves me and supports me in everything I do… oh I just love this man so much!  Some mothers have kids who do nothing but rebel and disobey every word they say…. and here I am with two obedient teenagers and a 6-year old child who showers me with happiness I just can’t ask for anything more!   I’m so undeserving and this is all too amazing!  I don’t have enough words to show my gratitude!  Thank you, Thank You, Thank YOu LORD! 

Amazing Love

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,

I’m accepted, You were condemned.

I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,

Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love, How can it be

That You, my King, should die for me?

Amazing love, I know it’s true.

It’s my joy to honor You, In all I do, I honor You.

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,

I’m accepted, You were condemned.

I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,

Because You died and rose again.

You are my King

Jesus You are my King 

You are my King

and a

Prosperous New Year to all!

Happy Relationships Throw More Parties

Guy 1: Cecilia is so beautiful.
Guy 2: Oh yes. She looks like Demi Moore in Ghost. (Note: This conversation happened centuries ago.)
Guy 1: If given a chance, would you want to marry her?
Guy 2: Uh….no, not really.
Guy 1: Why not?
Guy 2: How should I put it? Cecilia’s uh…not a happy person.
Guy 1: You noticed that too?
Guy 2: She’s gloomy. She’s a negative person. She may be beautiful, but I don’t want to live with a negative person for the rest of my life.
Guy 1: So unlike Stella.
Guy 2: Now there’s a cheerful girl. I really like her. So kind. So friendly. Always has a lovely smile.
Guy 1: She’s not as beautiful as Demi Moore.
Guy 2: But she’s the kind of woman I’ll marry.
Guy 1: What? You have a crush on her too?
Guy 2: Hey, fall in line bro.

This conversation actually happened some twenty years ago between two of my single friends. In fact, we were all single. And believe me, Stella was like a guy magnet. Five of my friends had a crush on her.

Except for me, of course. I was immune to crushes. Because I looked at all females the way I looked at common furniture. Because my heart was focused on God alone. (And my nose is getting longer right this minute…)

Here’s a lesson for single people: I’ve learned that guys may lust after physical beauty, but when it comes to marriage, they’ll look deeper. One of the most important things they’ll look for is a happy woman.

Why? Because a guy knows that one of his roles is to make his wife happy. If he marries a happy woman, his job will be so much easier.

Because at the end of the day, we all want happiness.

Are Your Homes Happy?

After one of my talks, a very anxious mother approached me and asked, “Bo, can you help me? I have a problem with my 18-year old daughter. She’s like a bed spacer in our house. She goes home only to sleep. She’s always with her friends…”

I had very little time to talk to her, so I took my best shot. I asked her, “Is there happiness at home?”

Here’s my belief. I believe kids will love to go home if there’s love in the home.

Have you heard that great old song from 1964? (For your information, I didn’t hear the original version. I heard this song in a revival in American Idol.)

A chair is still a chair even when there’s no one sitting there. But a chair is not a house, and a house is not a home, when there’s no one there, to hold you tight, and no one there, that you can kiss good night…

Friend, is there happiness in your home?

I’ve noticed that the happiest relationships have a rhythm of celebration. In other words, they throw parties.

I don’t mean a party with balloons and clowns (though that’ll be great too), but putting a “party spirit” in your relationship.

 I’ve got four fantastic suggestions.

1. Make The Family Meal A Party

I know of a man who has 11 children.

When he goes home from work, he does a very important ritual before entering his front door. He mentally unloads all his problems at the front porch. Because his kids need a happy Dad.

When he enters the door, he shouts, “Hi kids!” And 11 kids rush to him to give him a hug. He then wrestles them on the floor and they play together.

And when mealtime comes, he makes everyone laugh. He inspires everyone with his stories.

Alas, the typical family meal isn’t like this.

Jack And Jill Went Up The Hill

The typical family meal is where parents hold court and pass judgments and vent anger

Let me give you an example.

The father turns to his eldest son, Jack, and asks, “Pass the rice. By the way, how was your exam this morning?” He doesn’t allow him to answer. He answers for him, “I won’t be surprised if you got a zero. Because I don’t see you studying. The good news is that we can save money because we can sell your schoolbooks next year as brand new!”

He then turns to his daughter, Jill, (You know, Jack and Jill…) “Pass the gravy. By the way, where were you last night? With your ugly boyfriend again? Can you tell me what planet he comes from? I can accept earrings in the ear. But why does he have earrings on his nose? Is he a cow?”

He then turns to his youngest daughter, Hill. (You know, Jack and Jill went up the hill…) “Pass the salt. And you, were you born with a telephone in your hand? You already were with your obnoxious friends in school, why do you have to spend three more hours talking with them on the phone?”

And finally, it’s the youngest son’s turn, Pail. (Okay, they really like this Nursery Rhyme.) “Pass the cake. And you, what did you do today aside from wasting your time playing those crappy video games! And are you deaf? Your music is either very loud or extremely loud. Go to the doctor and have your ears checked!”

No wonder the family meal is an endangered species.

Parents, please. Make your meals happy!

Here’s a rule you should write on stone: Ban all sermons when you’re around the table. Instead, feed your children with dishes of laughter, platefuls of inspiration, and trays of encouragement. Make every family meal a joyful occasion.

2. Hold A Family Night Each Week

My kids love Family nights.

If they had it their way, it’ll be done every night.

Sometimes, we watch a movie at home, with a barrel of popcorn. (According to my son Benedict, a movie without popcorn is a horrific crime.)

Sometimes, we play games together. Monopoly, Charades, Pictionary, and Trivia.

Sometimes, we all play video games together. Obviously, the kids always win and the parents lose. But that’s okay. Instead of banning video games from our kids, we enter into their digital worlds. Doing so makes us able to guide them against violent games.

 Sometimes, we go to a bookstore and eat ice cream.

I believe the weekly Family Night is a mini-party that you should never miss. Believe me, when you’re old and grey (or old and bald), you’ll look back at these times and thank God you had them!

3. Weekly Dates With Each Family Member

I date my wife each week.

I consider that a mini-party too.

Years ago, we had very little money.

So we had dates in our garage.

Sometimes, we took a quiet walk in our neighborhood.

One day, I thought of something crazy. We ate at home, dressed up really well, and went to a 5-Star hotel. We entered the hotel like we were millionaires. No one knew we had very little money in our pockets. And confidently, I ordered a glass of Coke. And for 2 solid hours, we enjoyed the violin music and beautiful ambiance—all the while sipping our Coke very slowly.

I date my kids each week, too. Those are mini-parties. Sometimes, it’s just donuts. Other times, we walk around a mall. Other times, we play a game together. The key is to make it fun.

I also date my mother every other week. This is such a simple thing, but it means the world to her.

I have regular dates with my friends, too. Our spiritual community, Light of Jesus, is organized around small groups called Caring Groups that meet weekly. Amazingly, I have four Caring Groups, so my weeks are pretty busy having fun times with my many friends.

One last suggestion…

4. Annual Family Celebrations

Create your own Family’s “Liturgical Calendar”.

Sit down and block off the most important dates of the year.

For example, plan everyone’s birthdays.

Many times, it’s very spontaneous. “Oh, it’s your birthday today? Let’s have dinner…” So why not plan a bit more?  Go camping in the backyard, or visit an orphanage, or invite your child’s friends for a sleepover, or go out and have a mini-vacation together.

Mark off also your wedding anniversary, Valentines, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Grandparents’ Day.

One Valentine’s Day, I did something I cherish to this day. I set up two chairs and a little wooden table in our backyard. I scattered candles all over the grass, dressed in a coat and tie, and brought out my CD player to play Kenny G romantic music. I then ordered pizza. Finally, I got my guitar and sang an original song I wrote for her that day…

Ikaw ang awit ng buhay, Ang tinig ng langit

Ikaw ang himig at kulay, Ng pusong nagmamahal sa iyo

Refrain:

Biyayang galing sa taas, Anghel sa lupa’y naglalakad

Ikaw ang awit ng puso ko…

That happened a long time ago, but I still remember my wife’s tears that special night.

— 0 —

Look at the big Feasts of your faith—Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, etc. Example: During the entire Advent season, we light the Advent wreath as a family for 4 weeks straight before Christmas.

Other important days: First day in school. Last day in school. Graduation. First Job of the new Graduate. It could be Jimbo, the pet dog, giving birth to four puppies.

Hey, if there’s a reason to celebrate, throw a party!

3 Ingredients For Throwing Parties

Let me share three things to make these parties work.

Ingredient #1: Gratitude

 

Someone might say, “But Bo, I’m a melancholic person. I’m not like you. I’m the loner and shy type. I really don’t like these party-spirit thing.”

Excuse me, but I’m melancholic too.

Every psychological test I’ve taken confirms without a shadow of a doubt that I’m melancholic. Remember that there are 4 personality types: Melancholic (that’s me), Sanguine (Bubbly, cheerful types), Choleric (Those with cholera), and Phlegmatic (Those with lots of phlegm).

I love being alone. I’d rather be quiet than talk. (Honest!) But I had to adjust. I had to do things that weren’t natural to my personality.

Here’s the truth: Celebrating your relationships doesn’t depend on having a bubbly or cheerful personality. It depends on your depth of gratitude.

You throw a party because you’re grateful to the person for being there in your life.

If you believe that the people in your life are your greatest gifts from God, then you throw parties often to thank them.

Even if we know it’s a lot of hard work.

 

Ingredient #2: Hard Work

Have you ever prepared for a birthday party before?

It’s always hard work.
But who said love isn’t hard work? As I said before, love is about dirty hands, not just beating hearts.
Finally, the third ingredient is very important too.

Ingredient #3: Creativity

Throwing parties requires some creativity.
Do you want to be more creative?
Copy. Get inspiration from others. It’s the secret of the greatest artists in the world: Leonardo de Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso, Rembrandt, Bo Sanchez, etc…
You don’t know how to express your love in a playful way?

Ask others what they do. Do some research.

Through the years, I’ve given many cards to my wife. Let me share with you two of them today. You’ll notice that I’m not very original. I stole all these from various sources…

Card #1

I framed this card. I basically got the text from an email I received. Probably Spam. Not much originality. But she loved it so much, it’s still on her bedside table after all these years.

My Dearest Valentine,

You are the… apple of my eye, mango of my pie, palaman of my tinapay, keso of my monay, teeth of my suklay,  fingers on my kamay, blood in my atay, sala of my bahay, foundation of my tulay, seeds of my palay, best clothes in my ukay-ukay, calcium in my kalansay, calamansi on my  siomai, knot on my tie,  toyo on my  kuchay, vitamins in my gulay, stars of my  sky, sand of my Boracay, beauty of my  Brunei, highlands of my Tagaytay, mole on my Ate Guy, baba of my Ai-Ai, spinach of my Popeye, sizzle when I  fry, wind when I paypay, tungkod when I’m pilay, feeling when I’m  high, shoulder when I cry, wings when I fly, prize when I vie, cure  to my “ARAY!”, my honey even after I die…

                                                    From your one and only,

                                                          HAPPY VALENTAY!

Card #2
Here’s my final example.

Again, I stole the photos from the internet too, but I edited the text to fit my purpose.
A PSYCHOLOGY TEST TO MEASURE LOVE

It has already been proven that someone in love has a keener sense of observation. His mind is more alert, his perception more accurate. Doctors suggest that this is so because heightened emotions of love cause blood circulation to flow more freely in the right hemisphere of the brain. Today, you will be shown a photo of two almost identical dolphins. Here’s the test: You can now measure whether a person is in love by the number of slight differences he sees between the two dolphins. The more differences you see, the more in love you are. Turn this paper now and count the many differences you can see between the two dolphins—and find out how in love you really are…

 

(By the way, I took the test and realized how insanely I’m in love with you. Love, your husband.)

Let me end with the story of prodigal son.

When the “bad” son came home, his father threw a party. The son wanted to beg for forgiveness, but the father wasn’t even listening. Instead, he said,  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast!

God loves parties.

And God loves to throw a party to people who don’t deserve a party. If you’re reading this, thinking of your sins, wondering if God still loves you, let tell you: God is throwing a party of love for you right now. He loves you more than you can imagine.

Receive His love today.

And learn to throw more parties in your life.

Your relationships need them badly.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

Nice..

We all want happy relationships, we all want a happy home! 

Happy reading!

There’s something in your eyes
Makes me wanna lose my self,
Makes me wanna lose myself in your arms,
There’s something in your voice
That makes my heart beat fast
Hope this feeling lasts
For the rest of my life

If you knew how lonely
My life has been
And how long I’ve been so alone
And if you knew how I wanted
Someone to come along
And change my life
The way you’ve done

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back
where I come from

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back
where I belong

A window breaks down on lumdard street
And a siren rings in the night
But I’m all right
cuz I have you here with me,
And I can almost see through the dark there is light

Well if you knew how much this moment means to me
And how long I’ve waited for your touch
And if you knew how happy
you are making me
I never thought that I’d love anyone so much

It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back
where I come from
It feels like home to me
It feels like home to me
It feels like I’m all the way back where I belong
It feels like I’m all the way back where I belong.

So on the morning of the 30th, I got up and checked the weather.  Wow, it was a sunny morning!  I was soo glad!  I quickly called the school to ask what time the party was supposed to begin.  Teacher Cris advised me to make sure that Angelee was in school by 9:00AM.   I hurriedly woke the little girl up to prepare her for the event…she looked really cute in her new dress!  And  she was so excited! 

Anyway, the weather turned out to be very cooperative that morning.  The sun was shining really warm!  There were several performances by the pre-schoolers, games and trick or treat!  The children had so much fun!

Here’s a slideshow and video of the party and Angelee’s dance number with her pre-school classmates at TCAPS…

We’re expecting the stormTyphoon Pepeng – within the next few days and this is what we just saw on this site:

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/sohemi/sohemiloops/shirgmscolw.html as of 11:30 this morning, Wednesday Sept. 30. 

I hope everyone gets the chance to see this too, and be prepared for whatever happens.  We don’t want the same disaster to occur again in our country.. Please, everyone, please be prepared!  If Typhoon Pepeng moves away, Thank God, but if it doesn’t, let us all be ready! 

Philippine flood victim hailed a hero

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/articles/20090928115327/Article/index_html

2009/09/28

MANILA: Muelmar Magallanes braved rampaging floods to save more than 30 people, but ended up sacrificing his life in a last trip to rescue a baby girl who was being swept away on a styrofoam box.

Family members and people who Magallenes saved hailed the 18-year-old construction worker on Monday a hero, as his body lay in a coffin at a makeshift evacuation centre near their destroyed Manila riverside village.

“I am going to be forever grateful to Muelmar. He gave his life for my baby. I will never forget his sacrifice,” said Menchie Penalosa, the mother of the six-month-old girl whom he carried to safety before being swept away himself.

Magallanes was at home on Saturday with his family when tropical storm Ketsana unleashed the heaviest rains in more than 40 years on the Philippine capital and surrounding areas.

At first the family, long used to heavy rains, paid little attention to the storm.

But Magallanes and his father quickly decided to evacuate the family once they realised the river 800 metres (2,600 feet) away had burst its banks.

With the help of an older brother, Magallanes tied a string around his waist and attached it one-by-one to his three younger siblings, whom he took to higher ground. Then he came back for his parents.

But Magallanes, a strong swimmer, decided to go back for neighbours trapped on rooftops.

He ended up making many trips, and eventually saved more than 30 people from drowning, witnesses and survivors said.

Tired and shivering, Magallanes was back on higher ground with his family when he heard Penalosa screaming as she and her baby were being swept away on the polystyrene box they were using in an attempt to cross the swift currents.

He dived back in after the mother and daughter, who were already a few metres away and bobbing precariously among the debris floating on the brown water.

“I didn’t know that the current was so strong. In an instant, I was under water. We were going to die,” said Penalosa, her eyes welling with tears and voice choking with emotion.

“Then this man came from nowhere and grabbed us. He took us to where the other neighbours were, and then he was gone,” Penalosa said.

Penalosa and other witnesses said an exhausted Magallanes was simply washed away amid the torrent of water.

Neighbours found his body on Sunday, along with 28 others who perished amid Manila’s epic flooding. The official death toll stands at 86 but that excludes those recovered in Magallanes’ village, called Bagong Silangan.

Standing next to his coffin, Magallanes’ parents paid tribute to their son.

“He always had a good heart,” said his father, Samuel.

“We had already been saved. But he decided to go back one last time for the girl.”

His mother, Maria Luz, wept as she described her son as incredibly brave.

“He saved so many people, but ended up not being able to save himself.” — AFP