HOP AROUND

Mount Banahaw

>> Friday, July 13, 2012

four years ago, with my boy-cut hair, i had my first activity with the guidance team. 
do you guys, still remember this? this was just one of those days. just so amazing! 

 They say that great individuals don't make great teams, but the guidance office has to contradict with this notion.  It is undeniable that the guidance office is composed of bright and intelligent staff.  With this fact, it has conquered not just the basic guidance and counseling for the students, but has been continuously excelling in academic terms to ensure excellence and quality service in the nature of the job that the office is handling.  Thus, fulfilling its vision and mission.
 The key to a great team is having the right ingredients cooked together, wit, brains, skills and talents are essentials but not enough - the main ingredient is right relationship. To intensify the team's relationship, the guidance staff went on a two-day group intensification activity at Mt. Banahaw, Dolores Quezon, away from the busy street of the everyday life, with the guide of the outbound team from Lakbay-Kalikasan., July 21 to 22, 2008.

The start of the Journey
Around 5:30 in the morning, the 9 guidance staff along with the Vice President for External Affairs (VPSEA), Atty. Jesus Mayo and his secretary, Mrs. Humilis Almarez, geared up with hiking suits and backpacks gathered in the university parking lot, all set for the 2 days trekking to Mt. Banahaw. Exactly 9:45, the group arrived at Brgy. Kabuhayan, where backpacks were unloaded with unnecessary stuff. Facilitated by the outbound team, S’John, S’Raffy, and TL Ron, the staff was gathered in a meeting place of one of the sects in the barangay, Tres Personas Solo de Dios and was briefed with the dos and don’ts. It was also forbidden to mention the word “cult” for it might be a foul word for the residents. Right after, the staff had themselves ready by doing some stretching and kicking and was soon walking toward the foot of the mountain where there were makeshift of souvenir stores. Thus, starting the journey to the first campsite - Crystalino Falls, a 30 meter waterfall, almost two hours away from the foot of the mountain, where the group enjoyed the adobo lunch packed in banana leaves. During lunch, the expedition leaders, told about the process of climbing Mt. Banahaw. Pilgrims would first cleanse their sins in the Crytallino Falls; the second stage is the Salamin Bubog where one should see his own reflection in the water. Not seeing your own reflection would mean that you are not yet fully cleansed and have to start from the foot of the mountain again. But one’s you see your reflection; it’s a sign for you to walk to next stage called Durungawan. Once you peep into the Durungawan, you must see the virgin forest which looks like bouquets of broccoli from afar. A place they termed “paradise”.  Again, if for any reason and one fails to see the paradise, it means, he is not yet ready and need to repeat the process all over again. The whole group was all excited but with three to four days to reach the top, there might be a need for a whole off from work first. Right after the hefty lunch, the team went down to Brgy Kabuhayan, which just took 45 minutes of slides and lending hand, to get the things needed for the overnight camping. With this, the group recognized the value of responsibility and concern for the other members.

The candle in the Cave 
 The next stop was the “Batong Namamawis”, where it was believed to be producing oil despite any weather. Before the group was allowed to go near the place, it was advised to remove sandals and hats as a sign of respect. The group offered a prayer and each one was given the chance to go around the huge colored black rock and feel it’s moist before entering the cave. The very first activity was performed in the cave, the staff was divided into two, and the first group who entered the cave first was given candles to guide their buddies who were still outside the cave.  And by two's, the group entered the tunnel leading to one of the river, with cautious in each and every step for there are portions that are slippery and surrounded by sharp, protruding stones. One wrong move would give one a bumped in the head. The group was gathered in the middle of the cave to share each buddy’s experience. In the said activity, the importance of dependency and responsibility were highlighted.  Each one realized the importance of having some one to guide them in the dark and the responsibility to give light to the other person. With this, it was realized that giving a candle for someone doesn’t just help the other person but lightens one’s own path at the same time.

The night in the mountain
   Right after the activity ,the group headed up crossing rocky and slippery pathways, each one giving a helping hand to each other. When the destination was reached, the group built tents in front of the altar which serves as a vigil place for pilgrims and devotees.   After bathing in the cold and fresh water from the river, the group headed for sinigang dinner which was followed by a group activity called “helium stick”. Using a 3-meter stick, the group was divided to two. There is really no helium in the stick; it is the way that the team works that makes the stick go up. Each group should place the helium stick on the ground, have it up again and walk to the center all together. The stick should be on the back of the members’ index finger. This is the only way for the group to support the stick and not be parted to any of the members’ finger. It sounds easy but it’s actually triply hard. The stick would typically go up instead of going down. Everyone’s move should be synchronized.  It took time for the two teams to complete the task. It took a lot of practice, suggestions and tries but no one gave up. In this activity, the group was reminded with three things: (1) that a group always has a leader to lead, therefore, members should learn how to submit their selves to the leader’s voice; (2) although there’s a leader, there should still be openness to suggestions from group members, and; (3) sensitivity to the needs and weakness of the team as a whole.
            The night won’t be complete without the social night. Led by Atty. Vic Mayo, the group gathered in a circle, each one gave praise to God for the blessings that each received within the group. A sharing that led into tears and laughter, teasing and revelations. Although, all tired and muscle ached, each one still found time to share stories and giggled with new discoveries. In this activity, each one learned to understand things that were not revealed before and at the same time,   appreciate each one as a whole. 

The Second Day, July 22: Trusting in the dark
 Everyone was already awaked by 7 am. While waiting for the breakfast, the group took pictures as everyone made different poses. The group ate itlog na maalat, daing, dried squid, rice and pancit canton for breakfast, enough carbohydrates to keep the group going for another half day of activity in the mountain. After enjoying the sumptuous breakfast, the group fixed the tents and packed things up for the last activity which is “Trust Walk”. Who ever think that “Trust Walk” is not possible in the mountain and in the rivers should have a change of mind, because the guidance group just did. Again, it was divided into two groups, the first group was the one blindfolded in the mountain course while the second group’s turn was the river course. Different location but both were difficult. Tracking the mountain slopes was slippery and there were lots of uneven trails while on the river course, there were lots of stones in different sizes. As everyone would know trust walk is a matter of trusting your partner. Believing with what he commands you and not listening to destruction around you. It is a challenge both for the one blind folded and the guide. The guide is solely responsible for the partner’s safety and should be the navigator to avoid obstacles. The guide, therefore, learned about the challenge and responsibility of taking care of another individual’s well-being.  The one blind folded learns to trust, listen and rely to the other person. The group hollered  as everyone surpassed all the obstacles without getting wounded, without giving up amidst the absence of something, and trying the best to cover up for each other’s flaws. When everyone’s finished with the course, the group headed to one of the mountain rivers, which was said to be 30 ft deep. Everyone wants to reach the mini falls, but for one to go taste the water of the falls, one needs to cross the 30 ft deep river, however, not everyone knows how to swim. The group worked hand in hand helping those unable to swim to cross the river. Finally, everyone was able to taste the natural mineral water and freshened each body with cool splashes coming from the mini falls.
All soaked with the river’s water, the group headed back to the campsite ready to go back to the city. The group thanked God for the sheer joy, fun, excitement and safe achievement of the activity.  And for another reason, the fact that the guidance staff is not just a group of intelligent people working together for personal gain but a team that will work all together for the achievement of the whole.
 Great individuals don’t make a great team. This will only serve as a myth for the guidance team. For as long as the team understands each other and accepts each other’s weaknesses, the guidance staff will remain as a great team- a strong and effective team.  It doesn’t matter how many countless steps and slips did it take the team to reach the destinations. No one mind knowing. The team is all but busy looking and caring after one another, determined to reach the destination, making sure that no one was left behind. 
  
and so, this is beauty!



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Ippon Yarri

>> Sunday, May 20, 2012

I'm calling all foodtrippers with an overheated love for Japanese cuisine, i just discovered a wonderful one located at Lima Square, Lipa City. - the one that made me forget about Tokyo-Tokyo - oh, wait, you gotta exclude Tokyo-Tokyo's Shitake burger there! -
So, everyone, welcome to:
 Ipponyarri Japanese Restaurant.
 
 一本槍
What's that again?
一本  is the symbol for ippon which literally means one full point; then this is for yarri which according to Atty. B means spear.
 And according to my google friend, it's an idiom for, one great effort.
 by the way, happy birthday, Chinnie! Thanks for posing ala-Japanese.
And thank you to our Japanese-looking boss who patiently detailed each of the menu for us, and of course, for this wonderful treat!

Let's see what's inside:
 As you enter the resto, you will be greeted with files of Japanese reads, should i say, Manga?
and this thing hanging on the corridor's wall. I think this is a list of their "special menu" for the day.
 I was trying to capture the corner of the resto where you can eat in seiza-style. Hihi.

Now, let's see the food worth chowing:
 
 
We were served with mixed vegetables and tea right after we gave our orders. And yes, you don't have to bother to go to the washroom to wash your hands. They got wet towels for each guest. (i'm just thinking if it's hygienic, but for the sake of first-time experience, i used it!)
Atty. B got this noddle soup which comes with nori seaweeds, bean sprouts, meat topped with leeks. hey, i love that wooden ramen ladle!
This is grilled Sanma or Pacific Saury. This elongated fish tastes like our very own tulingan, only that, it's tastier. It was always a question to me how Japanese manage to eat something like this without using spoon and fork. And now i know!
This one is tufo. I'm not sure if this is the old and well-known Japanese dish, agedashi tofu.
but i skipped trying this one since there's still lots in our fridge! 
I suddenly missed grade school days with this bowl of soy beans, or utaw. We used to grow this in our grade school gardening subject. But this one was bigger than what we usually get from our market, and yummier. 
Chinnie had this chicken bento menu. It looks like chicken karaage. This was served with some appetizer, a bowl of rice, miso soup and a glass of green tea;
the appetizer: a slice of tea egg, a small portion of tomato based-pasta and some dried seaweeds.
The miso soup: It tastes like the one in Tokyo-Tokyo, only that it's richer in flavor.
And here goes the colorful mixed sushi with pickled ginger. Let me check if i can recall what's in the plate: the two wrapped in nori are fish egg and sea urchin. then the ones in thumb-length pillows of rice are with raw fishes, i think salmon and tuna, squid, crab stick and chicken egg on top. I think Japanese mouth are quite big if they consider this bite size!
 
And this one, my favorite, the one that perfectly fitted my picky (?) taste buds (and mouth): tuna sashimi with fresh umi budo (or sea grapes, a kind of seaweed) and radish. The tuna tastes so fresh and sweet while the umi budo's salty and it has this crunchy effect, it felt like having to pop plastic balloons inside your mouth (i do not know if i described it correctly, though) and the radish, it served as the one that balanced the taste of the tuna and the saltiness of the seaweeds. Opps, do not forget to dip this in soy sauce with wasabi. Combine these four in your mouth and you'll surely can't deny heaven.  
oh. this! this is rice wine in ceramic pot. Just like any alcohol, it's best served when cold.
And my cherry-blossom love affair with these eye-candy Japanese food ended with a glass of iced-cold coffee. Solved! 
 Bye, Mr. Japanese Man. I'm dying to see you again soonest!


Ippon Yarri Japanese Restaurant
Lima Square, Malvar, Batangas City




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phchurpchurp is the newest social media community!

>> Tuesday, May 15, 2012

CLICK TO EARN REWARDS!

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Somewhere, there's a place for us...

>> Sunday, May 13, 2012

 

My mother's favorite. I was surprised when i heard my 6-year old niece singing this. 

We’ll find there's a way of forgiving
Somewhere... Somewhere... Somewhere...
There's a place for us
A time and a place for us
Hold my hand and we're half way there
hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow...
Someday, somewhere...

i still believe that somewhere near the steepy mountains and rocky roads, there is a nice place for us.



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HAPPINAS

>> Thursday, May 10, 2012



Lipeno Youth Art Club's Annual Exhibit will display their beloved 70 paintings on May 12 - 19  at the 4th floor of Gateway Mall, Araneta Center. The proceeds will benefit the indigent children of Lipa City.

In this exhibit, LYAC artists aims to share the severe happiness they have and their love for their country, Philippines, thus came the exhibit title - HAPPINAS (Happiness + Pilipinas). 

Let's be there for these kids and let them be a source of inspiration to many.




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Figaro Cafe

>> Wednesday, May 9, 2012

It's Sunday noon and everyone knows that the best way to spend it is with people blessed with so much positivity, and when you talk about optimism, that calls for my friend, Engr. Karen P. Almarez!
 And we had our noon talk at Figaro Cafe, where you'll find their figaro classic design;
and very accommodating yet polite outlet crews. They even gave us a foldable figaro fan which says, You know coffee. It's free for every single receipt purchase of P350.00 from March 15 - May 15, 2012. So grab your summer fan now!
Like other coffee shops, they also got their magazines and newspapers corner!
 
The staircase leading to the plain 2nd floor will give you a taste of artful designs hanging on the wall.
and the food, i think it's never plain. we just had our lunch so we're still full when we got there, we just wanted to have a taste:
We wanted to try their grilled eggplant gourmet sandwich (P139) and pesto pasta (P179) but sadly, both weren't available.
So we had Pasta Arrabbiata (P179).
Imagine stewed fresh tomatoes sauteed in olive oil with herbs and spices then sprinkled with parmesan cheese. That is Figaro's Arrabbiata pasta!
and their Mediterranean Strawberry Cheesecake (P135)
Karen said: it's so creamy, Ate! 
I said: this is the warm strawberry icecream version!
For drinks: Karen had Cappuccino Frost (P135). She said she loved it!
While i tried their Raspberry Milk Tea with Yakult (P90), for the sake of finding out what's with the craziness over milk tea. My verdict? Well, i don't think anyone can beat Chowking's Nai Cha. =P 
Anyway, for milk tea lovers, Figaro Lipa offers four more promising Milk Tea Craze flavors:
 
 Strawberry Milk Tea with Yakult (P90); Taro PuddingMilk Tea (P89), Strawberry Lemon Iced Tea (P75), Taro Pudding Chiller Feast (P100)
 
Next time, i'm going to starve myself and try all these!
i like this line i captured from their wall, Always fresh

Figaro Cafe - Lipa Branch is located at Ayala Hi-way, Lipa City Batangas Philippines 4200
They are open 9AM-12MN during Sun-Thurs and 8AM-1AM during Fri-Sat.
Call them at (043) 757 6346 and check their FB account Figaro.Lipa
http://www.figarocoffee.com/
 

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11 Things to Know at 25(ish)

>> Saturday, May 5, 2012

Some months ago, i had my  birthday celebration with dear friends and some familiar kids in the street of Metro Lipa. And i promised myself that i would post this article (which link i got from my beautiful friend, Olivia dela Rosa) for the sake of those twentysomething people who might find this helpful, too. 

What you need to know to be a real adult.


When you’re 25-ish, you’re old enough to know what kind of music you love, regardless of what your last boyfriend or roommate always used to play. You know how to walk in heels, how to tie a necktie, how to give a good toast at a wedding and how to make something for dinner. You don’t have to think much about skin care, home ownership or your retirement plan. Your life can look a lot of different ways when you’re 25: single, dating, engaged, married. You are working in dream jobs, pay-the-bills jobs and downright horrible jobs. You are young enough to believe that anything is possible, and you are old enough to make that belief a reality.

1. You Have Time to Find a Job You Love

Now is the time to figure out what kind of work you love to do. What are you good at? What makes you feel alive? What do you dream about? You can go back to school now, switch directions entirely. You can work for almost nothing, or live in another country or volunteer long hours for something that moves you. There will be a time when finances and schedules make this a little trickier, so do it now. Try it, apply for it, get up and do it.
When I was 25, I was in my third job in as many years—all in the same area at a church, but the responsibilities were different each time. I was frustrated at the end of the third year because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next. I didn’t feel like I’d found my place yet. I met with my boss, who was in his 50s. I told him how anxious I was about finding the one perfect job for me, and quick. He asked me how old I was, and when I told him I was 25, he told me I couldn’t complain to him about finding the right job until I was 32. In his opinion, it takes about 10 years after college to find the right fit, and anyone who finds it earlier than that is just plain lucky. So use every bit of your 10 years: try things, take classes, start over.
 
2. Get Out of Debt and Stay Out of Debt 
Part of being a healthy, mature adult is learning to live within your means all the time, even if that means going without things you think you need, or doing work you don’t love for a while to be responsible financially. The ability to adjust your spending according to your income is a skill that will serve you your whole life. 
There will be times when you have more money than you need. In those seasons, tithe as always, save like crazy, and then let yourself buy fancy shampoo or an iPad or whatever it is you really get a kick out of. When the money’s not rolling in, buy your shampoo from the grocery store and eat eggs instead of steak—a much cheaper way to get protein. If you can get the hang of living within your means all the time—always tithing, never going into debt—you’ll be ahead of the game when life surprises you with bad financial news. 
I know a lot of people who have bright, passionate dreams but who can’t give their lives to those dreams because of the debt they carry. Don’t miss out on a great adventure God calls you to because you’ve been careless about debt.
  
3. Don’t Rush Dating and Marriage

Now is also the time to get serious about relationships. And “serious” might mean walking away from a dating relationship that’s good but not great. Some of the most life-shaping decisions you’ll make during this time will be about walking away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without. One of the only truly devastating mistakes you can make in this season is staying with the wrong person even though you know he or she is the wrong person. It’s not fair to that person, and it’s not fair to you.

“Who are you dating?” “Do you think he’s the one?” “Have you looked at rings?” It’s easy to be seduced by the romance-dating-marriage narrative. We confer a lot of status and respect on people who are getting married—we buy them presents and consider them as more adult and more responsible. 

But there’s nothing inherently more responsible or more admirable about being married. I’m thankful to be celebrating my 10th wedding anniversary this summer, but at the same time, I have a fair amount of friends whose marriages are ending—friends whose weddings we danced at, whose wedding cake we ate, whose rings we oohed-and-aahed over but that have been taken off fingers a long time ago. 

Some people view marriage as the next step to happiness or grown-up life or some kind of legitimacy, and in their mad desire to be married, they overlook significant issues in the relationship. 

Ask your friends, family members and mentors what they think of the person you’re dating and your relationship. Go through premarital counseling before you are engaged, because, really, engagement is largely about wedding planning, and it’s tough to see the flaws in a relationship clearly when you’re wearing a diamond and you have a deposit on an event space. 

I’m kind of a broken record on this. My younger friends will tell you I say the same things over and over when they talk to me about love, things like, “He seems great—what’s the rush?” and, “Yes, I like her—give it a year.” And they’ve heard this one a million times: “Time is on your side.” Really, it is.


4. Give Your Best to Friends and Family
While twentysomethings can sometimes spend a little too much energy on dating and marriage, they probably spend too little energy on friendships and family. That girl you just met and now text 76 times a day probably won’t be a part of your life in 10 years, but the guys you lived with in college, if you keep investing in them, will be friends for a lifetime. Lots of people move around in their 20s, but even across the distance, make an effort to invest in the friendships that are important to you. Loyalty is no small thing, especially in a season during which so many other things are shifting.

Family is a tricky thing in your 20s—to learn how to be an adult out on your own but to also maintain a healthy relationship with your parents—but those relationships are really, really worth investing in. I have a new vantage point on this now that I’m a parent. When my parents momentarily forget I’m an adult, I remind myself that someday this little boy of ours will drive a car, get a job and buy a home. I know that even then it will be hard not to scrape his hair across his forehead or tell him his eyes are looking sleepy, and I give my parents a break for still seeing me as their little girl every once in a while.

5. Get Some Counseling
Twenty-five is also a great time to get into counseling if you haven’t already, or begin round two of counseling if it’s been a while. You might have just enough space from your parents to start digging around your childhood a little bit. Unravel the knots that keep you from living a healthy, whole life, and do it now, before any more time passes.

Some people believe emotional and psychological issues should be solved through traditional spiritual means—that prayer and pastoral guidance are all that’s necessary when facing issues of mental health. I disagree. We generally trust medical doctors to help us heal from physical ailments. We can and should trust counselors and therapists to help us resolve emotional and psychological issues. Many pastors have no training in counseling, and while they care deeply about what you’re facing, sometimes the best gift they can give you is a referral to a therapist who does have the education to help you. 

Faith and counseling aren’t at odds with one another. Spiritual growth and emotional health are both part of God’s desire for us. Counseling—like time with a mentor, personal scriptural study, a small group experience and outside reading—can help you grow, and can help you connect more deeply with God.

So let your pastor do his or her thing, and let the person who has an advanced degree in mental health help you with yours.
  
6. Seek Out a Mentor
One of the most valuable relationships you can cultivate in your 20s is a mentoring relationship with someone who’s a little older, a little wiser, someone who can be a listening ear and sounding board during a high change season. When I look back on my life from 22 to 26, some of the most significant growth occurred as a direct result of the time I spent with my mentor, Nancy.

The best way to find a mentor is to ask, and then to work with the parameters they give you. If someone does agree to meet with you, let it be on their terms. Nancy and I met on Wednesdays at 7 in the morning. I guarantee that was not my preference. But it was what worked for her life, so once a month I dragged myself out of the house in what felt to me like the dead of night. It also helps to keep it to a limited-time period. It’s a lot to ask of someone to meet once a month until the end of time. But a one-year commitment feels pretty manageable for most people, and you can both decide to sign on for another year or not, depending on the connection you’ve made. 

7. Be a Part of a Church
Twenty-five is the perfect time to get involved in a church you love, no matter how different it is from the one you were a part of growing up. Be patient and prayerful, and decide that you’re going to be a person who grows, who seeks your own faith, who lives with intention. Set your alarm on Sunday mornings, no matter how late you were out on Saturday night. It will be dreadful at first, and then after a few weeks, you’ll find that you like it, that the pattern of it fills up something inside you. 

8. Find a Rhythm for Spiritual Disciplines
Going out into “the real world” after high school or college affects more than just your professional life. Where once you had free time, a flexible schedule and built-in community, now you have one hour for lunch, 10 days max to “skip” work and co-workers who are all over the place in age, stage of life and religion. 

In those first few years of work-life, it’s easy to get too busy, too stressed and too disconnected to keep up spiritual habits you may have built in school. Figuring out how to stay close to God and to grow that relationship through activities and disciplines that complement your new schedule is critical for life now—and those habits will serve you for years to come.

One of the best routines I adopted in my 20s was a monthly solitude day. In addition to my daily prayer time, I found I lived better if once a month I took the time to pray, read, rest and write, to ask myself about the choices I’d made in the past month and to ask for God’s guidance in the month to come. Some of the most important decisions I made in that season of life became clear as a result of that monthly commitment.

9. Volunteer
Give of your time and energy to make the world better in a way that doesn’t benefit you directly. Teach Sunday school, build houses with Habitat for Humanity, serve at a food pantry or clean up beaches on Saturdays.

It’s easy to get caught up in your own big life and big plan in your 20s—you’re building a career, building an identity, building for a future. Find some place in your life where you’re building for a purpose that’s bigger than your own life or plan.
When you’re serving on behalf of a cause you’re passionate about, you’ll also connect in a deep way with the people you’re serving with, and those connections can yield some of your most significant friendships.

When you serve as a volunteer, you can gain experience for future careers. Instead of, for example, quitting your banking job to pursue full-time ministry, volunteer to lead a small group, and see where it goes from there. Use volunteer experiences to learn about causes and fields you’re interested in, and consider using your vacation time to serve globally. 

10. Feed Yourself and the People You Love
If you can master these things, you’re off to a really great start: eggs, soup, a fantastic sandwich or burger, guacamole and some killer cookies. A few hints: The secret to great eggs is really low heat, and the trick to guacamole is lime juice—loads of it. Almost every soup starts the same way: onion, garlic, carrot, celery, stock.

People used to know how to make this list and more, but for all sorts of reasons, sometime in the last 60 or so years, convenience became more important than cooking and people began resorting to fake food (ever had GU?), fast food and frozen food. I literally had to call my mom from my first apartment because I didn’t know if you baked a potato for five minutes or two hours.

The act of feeding oneself is a skill every person can benefit from, and some of the most sacred moments in life happen when we gather around the table. The time we spend around the table, sharing meals and sharing stories, is significant, transforming time.

Learn to cook. Invite new and old friends to dinner. Practice hospitality and generosity. No one cares if they have to sit on lawn furniture, bring their own forks or drink out of a Mayor McCheese glass from 1982. What people want is to be heard and fed and nourished, physically and otherwise—to stop for just a little bit and have someone look them in the eye and listen to their stories and dreams. Make time for the table, and you’ll find it to be more than worth it every time.

11. Don’t Get Stuck
This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people. On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find God and themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely. They mean to find a church, they mean to develop intimate friendships, they mean to stop drinking like life is one big frat party. But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.

Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal. 

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”

Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love, and with people who believe God is good and life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. 

Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path. 

From the article http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/features/25956-11-things-to-know-at-25ish?start=1  by Shauna Niequest.

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Cafe78

>> Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What do you do when a friend suffers from a heart busted into pieces? Uh-oh! Well, a good friend would surely offer comfort. And you go for tight hugs, reassuring words, you give your best listening ears, and of course, some soul-soothing chows for the stomach.

So after stuffing our slightly starving stomach with, i must say, surprisingly good food from Kuya Clyde’s Ihaw-ihaw. Actually, i was not really expecting any heaven food from them, but this time, i need to commend their pork sisig with egg for satisfying my taste buds that night. Alright, back to what i really want to discuss, after late dinner, we looked for a 24-hour serving coffee shop and ended up at Cafe78 located along Hotel Ni Mang Jose.
 
Ok. Call me judgmental. But since i moved in here at Metro Lipa, i have always deemed Cafe78 as one of those ordinary trying hard cafes serving coffee drinks for the sake of being called as one. BUT I WAS WRONG.
  
They definitely proven me wrong. Since, we were still kinda full, we just had something fancy to drink. We had Dark Temptation (for PhP 145), Mocha Blend (for PhP 125) and Oreo Cream Blended (for PhP 135). I had the Dark Temptation, which almost made me forget that i was with a teary-eyed friend. So far, this has been the best tasting blended beverage from all the drinks i have tried here in Batangas. I also had a sip from Ayen's and Anch's, and i could say that what's written in the menu won't disappoint customers' fancy taste buds!
 Next time, i'll surely try the other items in their menu list. And yes, their menu is pasted in their tables, so one doesn't have to bother calling the service crew for the menu.

  And the place. They got this very cozy place, small but well-maximized.
We occupied the upper part,  and we just so love it. With the nice couches and stools, it's just like bonding with friends at home. And since it was so late, and it was just the three of us fooling around the cafe, we had the luxury of choosing whether to just watch the tv, read some travel and fashion magazines or just like what we had enjoyed, deaf our ears with lonely tunes! 
 
And if the whole thing is boring you, (well, i was never bored, but just in case) you can peep from the window and you can have a view of people having their good times with a beer or two at Metro Bar.

 Well, i could say that this Cafe78 experience will definitely not be the last. I'll be back, again and again to EXPERIENCE THE REAL TASTE OF BATANGAS COFFEE! But then, at the end of the day, no fancy glass of drinks would be enjoyable enough without the love of my two dearest girlfriends, Ayen and Anch! Iloveyougirls!
 


Cafe 78 is located at Ayala HiWay, Brgy Balintawak, 4217 Lipa City
Contact them at 437846038
Check their FB account @CAFE78 LIPA CITY

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