hey

Bday gift from my wife

I turned 36 last month and had very little time to actually sit down and just reflect. I guess that is the way things are here in Tokyo. But just this past week I had some time on my hands, since Sept 21-23 are public holidays in Japan.
I had a pretty good birthday last Aug 26. It was a Wednesday so I was with my Wed bible study group. We had pizza and some chicken for dinner. I also received gifts from my friends as well. Then the following Sunday after that, I was treated to dinner by my other bible study group (Friday one) at a shabu shabu restaurant in Shibuya. I am so grateful for all my friends and family in Japan who are truly my support system here.

I wish I was with my wife and daughter who are still in Manila at the moment. As an OFW in Japan, it does not get any easier. As a father,you want to provide the best for your family.  A good place for them to live in. A good education. Enough food to eat, and more. But not at the cost of being away for so long. I truly ache inside, at the thought of my daughter looking for his daddy in school. I heard that the school will have a “family day”  sometime in October. Which is the same weekend that the final move in our office will happen. Ugh.

Well the good news is that my December vacation has already been approved. From Dec 18 - Jan 11. That is really awesome, and I already have everything planned. Especially for my daughter’s 4th birthday party. It will really be special, and I truly have a big surprise for her on that day. I can’t share that here now as it is a surprise. Hehe.

I believe in my heart that there is a wonderful future ahead for me, my wife and my daughter. Together. This is why I hope. And I pray.

And with God’s mercy and blessing, that future will be here soon.

At 36, my life is not perfect. But it’s not bad. Not bad at all.

May 27, 2009
23:47pm
Tokyo Japan

During this season of layoffs, economic crisis, and dire financial situation, its very easy to say to oneself “ugh. Tough luck. I hate this life”

Indeed, one word comes to mind. COMPLAIN.

And another. WHINE.  (would you like some cheese with that sir?)
Why did he get promoted? Why not me?
Why do I have to work on weekend..again?

Why do I have to deal with this person? Ugh…I have better things to do!
Why do I smile, to people that don’t care if I live or die? (sorry… Morrisey reference)

During last Sunday’s sermon at Tokyo Baptist Church, our pastor told us that as Christians, we should not be complainers. A Christian who complains and whines and is negative, is a CONTRADICTION.

Why is this? Well, as a Christian, we should be the one who should have the MOST to be thankful for. And what is that? Our salvation in Jesus Christ that is what.

Thus, if we constantly think about that and remind ourselves, then that makes ANY bad situation, be not as bad.

Lost your job?  No big deal. You have the best “retirement package” ever. That is a place in heaven if you are a true believer.

No money? Same thing. Your Father in heaven owns the whole universe.

If we really think about it, no need to worry at all! Life is not THAT hard!

As one book said “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”.

Hmmm, which reminds me. We should always be counting our blessings, and continue to be thankful at all times to our God, who is our great provider.
Here is a sample of what I am thankful for:

1. I am grateful that I still have a job. Its really crazy busy and the demands are very challenging and tough. But I have learned to pray more, and to stop complaining, and just go do it. After all, God is the true BOSS that I am serving.

2. I am grateful that I have a wonderful wife and adorable daughter. Both are in great health, and continue to provide me with daily inspiration. My daughter recently finished a ballet recital. When I saw her perform, I was speechless. There are simply no words that can describe the joy that I felt in my heart, seeing my daughter dance and follow instructions from her teacher. Amazing!

3. I am thankful for my family and friends at church in Japan. There is no such thing as a “lone ranger” Christian. My sisters and my small group provide accountability and are a constant reminder that although we have a spiritual battle ongoing, we are not alone.

4. I am thankful for my health. Although I still need discipline in my diet and more excercise, I am in decent enough shape to enjoy physical activites such as running, lifting weights and playing basketball. I barely get sick, and when I do get sick, I recover quite quickly.

In fact there is so much more to be thankful for. I can probably go all night. But I am tired, have an early start tomorrow, thus I need to go to bed. Which reminds me…Dear God, thank you that I have a place to sleep!

How about you?

What does your thank you note look like?

Mar 29, 2009
2:03am

Last week I was able to finish my second marathon. The date was March 22, 2009. Tokyo Marathon 2009.
I did the Tokyo Marathon last year and finished it at 6 hours and 50 minutes.
This time I was able to finish it 7 minutes faster!
What really made it special was that this time my sister Maricar, ran with me, although she was running the 10KM race, and not the full marathon. Having her around was really good since  I had someone to talk to while running(unlike last year). I felt less alone, and by the time we split as she was off to finishing the 10 K run, I was energized to finish the 32 km that was left of the course.
This year I was really worried, because again, I do not believe I trained properly for running a marathon. My runs the past few months consisted more of basketball games rather than just plain running. And to make things worse, I caught a bad cold a week before the marathon. In fact, 4 days before the run, I was out sick, in bed, and was unable to come to work. Bad times.
Well, here is a (literally)running diary of what transpired.

Mar 21, 11pm:
ME: ”hon, do you think I should still run? Do you think I can finish?”
WIFE: Um, no. Go back to sleep.
I then go back to bed thinking that my wife is trying to motivate me. This is the EXACT equivalent when Adrian tells Rocky “YOU CAN’T WIN! Its suicide!!!” in Rocky 4. Man, my wife is good.
Mar 22, 2009(Day of the race)
6:00 am
MARICAR: Hey, you running. Wake up time to get ready.
ME: Um, I don’t think so. I don’t feel good. I’ll just sleep in.
7:00 am: I tell my sister, “ok maybe I’ll run until 10K with you” and promptly change to my running gear. I kiss my wife and daughter goodbye and briefly whisper “hon, I’m gonng give it a try, and will stop if I can’t do it”
9:00 am: Me and my sister are at our designated starting blocks, block J, walking towards the official starting line. We settle down and say a quick prayer together. That was really good as it calmed my nerves a lot.  We are chatting and she is taking pictures. Soaking in the festive atmosphere. We see many runners in costumes. Some in Dragon Ball Z attire, some in Pikachu body suits while some (unbelievable), in…ahem…maid/nurse costumes. Really strange.
There was even one runner who placed himself INSIDE a violin. Crazy.
Anyways we ran into a TRIATHLETE from the Philippines. Pretty cool guy who was in Japan just for the marathon. Turns out he travels the world to participate in various triathlon competitions. He then shares the info that even Philippine senator Pia Cayetano was in the race today. Awesome.
9:57 am We are off running as the crowds have created a lot of space. WIth my sister next to me, I keep telling her “run at a comfortable pace! Don’t rush! Take it easy”. A few minutes later, I am off to my first bathroom break. My thighs are a bit sore. Not a good sign.
10:10 am We hit the 5KM mark. Feeling OK so far, a bit sore but not too bad. My sister, since this is her first time, is very overwhelmed and excited by the whole event. We share laughs and chuckles. We take turns pointing out runners in funny costumes. However, I feel a bit worried. Usually when I run, I try to focus and concentrate. And I am somehow tempted to tell my sister to do the same, and try to concentrate. However, she is having fun, and I tell myself I should too.

10:47am We reach the 10km mark! Which means my sis has finished her race and is off to towel off, relax and get her medal. Congratulations to her! Good job sis. In the meantime, I get down to business, turn my I-pod on, set the volume to Max, and start running for real. 32 Km to go.

12:11pm I reach the halfway point. I am ecstatic, but at the same time I ran past a heavy set Japanese man who lays flat on his back while paramaedics are giving him CPR! I seriously consider quitting and  waving the bus to take me to the finish line. I tell myself, “one kilometer at a time. See if you can do it”

1:49pm Here comes the rain. And the wind. Its very cold, and I am barely jogging. My knees are sore, and I follow my coworker’s advise which was to “walk 50 steps, and then start running again”. I try that but after a few minutes, I start walking again. What have I gotten myself into? I tell myself never to do this again. But I am at the 30 km point. A little more than 10kms to go!! Wow!
Maybe, just maybe, I can finish this race!

3:53pm I hit the finish line! I can’t believe it. Volunteers are handing me oranges, bananas, water and energy drinks. Wow! Running the marathon gives me an adrenaline rush like no other. I did it. I did it. Then I remember, there are many people praying for me. My wife, my friends at church, my family members. I say a quick prayer of thanks to God. Wow! Amazing indeed. I can’t wait to see my wife and daughter, and tell my kid that, hey, your Daddy finished the Tokyo Marathon. Again.

Update:
For those interested, here is the actual split of my run:
http://p.tokyo42195.org/numberfile/38173.html

And…here are pics!
http://allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?tag_code=zekken&page_id=5438&tag=38173

1/24/2009
12:08am Tokyo Japan

I don’t really know when it started but whenever something negative happens, especially if its unexpected, I would often say “bad trip”.  For example, when me and all of my friends would agree to watch a movie, and all of a sudden, at the last minute, one guy would back out of the plan, I would usually quip “bad trip ka!” (you are  a bad trip). Or when I was about to play basketball outdoors and then suddenly it rains, I would then say “bad trip…umuulan”(its a bad trip, its raining).

I guess nowadays with the future uncertain due to the economic crisis, with so many people losing their jobs, my natural reaction would be to say “bad trip na sitwasyon to” (this situation is a bad trip).

But come to think of it, can we really honestly say that life is a bad trip?

I don’t think so, and I really believe that. I believe that no matter the situation, there is still always something to be thanful for. ALWAYS.

And as a Christian, I really believe that in all things, our God has a purpose. He really does.

And if you really think hard and honestly evaluate yourself, and your life, would’nt you agree that life is good? Life is good, because God is good!

And no matter what happens, we can always hold on to His promise for our lives. We are NOT alone.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  - Jeremiah 29:11

Now, THAT is a good trip!
Good times!

In the end, it was Cris Q leading the pack

The Speedsters: Car and MJ

All smiles after running the 4K

Nov 25, 2008
6:42AM

“May nauuna, at may nahuhuli. Ang nauuna, mabilis. Ang nahuhuli, medyo napagod ng konti. a-hehehe”
-Old Filipino Saying

I woke up today from a really strange dream. In it our HR rep called me and my colleague R to her office exclaiming “Congratulations!” while handing us a sheet of paper telling us that we have as of today, been transferred to our Nevada USA office as part of the restructuring strategy of the company. Wild thoughts immediately ran through my mind. “Am I really leaving Japan? Nevada USA? Malapit sa Las Vegas yun di ba?”. I then looked at the paper carefully and saw the amount next to the word “monthly salary”. It said “2,096 USD”. Yikes. It was then that I woke up. Whew. For some reason, I felt that I may have dodged a bullet. I guess all these news about the financial crisis and job cuts left and right are getting to me.
Yesterday me, my sis and our friends from our bible study group ran the Financial Industry “FIT FOR CHARITY” fun run. Most of us did the 4K run. It was held at a stadium in Kokuritsu. The weather was just right for running, and we all had fun. The pics speak for themselves. There were ten (10) of us in the group that participated. Kuya Nic, Ate Sally, my sis Car, Ate K, Carol W, Ness, MJ, Alma, Cris Q and myself. Ate Sally and Alma did the 2K walk while the rest ran the 4K. We huddled together at the start of the race and prayed. During the 4k run, a bunch of us were goofing off while stretching, but I reminded the group that we should all take it easy, and just run our pace so we can all finish together. It was a large group of runners as the turnout was quite good. I was keeping an eye on my sister when suddenly I lost her as she suddenly “burst” into speed. Ignoring all my reminders! HEHE. In the end, Cris Q hit the finish line first, followed by Nic, and my sister, Car. In the end, all of us finished and we all had fun. We stopped by an Excelsior cafe for a quick break, before going our separate ways.

Good job guys. Lets do this again next year! Well I guess unless next year, the invite we will receive will be called “Las Vegas Nevada Charity Run”.

Yikes!

hindi kaya ipaliwanag sa salita kung ano ang tuwa na dinadala ng anak sa kanilang mga magulang. I love you anak. Daddy will see you soon.

Oct 28, 2008
4:53 am

tagalog muna. hirap na ako mag inggles e. (hahaha)
medyo naging mahirap sa kin ang nakaraan na buwan. masyadong busy sa work at medyo maraming iniisip. hindi kasi simple yung buhay eh. minsan may komplikasyon. naisip ko nga minsan parang pelikula ang buhay. kelangan laging may drama. may conflict. hindi ba pwede yung tuloy tuloy na maayos yung buhay. yung masaya. walang hassle. yung tipong pasok ka sa work, uwi ka sa mga mahal mo sa buhay. salo salo sa hapunan. kwentuhan tawanan. simple lang. pero gaya ng pelikula, hindi siguro maiiwasan na mawalan ng drama ang buhay. laging may kontrabida. laging may kaaway at meron din naman mga kakampi. hindi lang katatawanan ang lahat. may iyakan din. wala lang napansin ko lang. hindi simple ang buhay eh.
Isa pang napansin ko eh napakabilis ng panahon dito sa Tokyo. Lahat ng tao nagmamadali. Lahat ng tao may schedule. May deadline. Hectic na nagiging toxic kung hindi maingat. 

kailangan tumigil muna at magpahinga ng konti. easy ka lang.

Oct 22, 2008
5:46am

Look at the picture. That is my Dad on the left. Hawaii. December 2003. I sure got a kick when I saw this picture while browsing my old files. Hehehe. Talk about “My Big Fat Love”. And no, I am not referring to my Dad.  Yikes.

10/21/2008
6:29am

My wife’s high school reunion will be held this coming December. This reminded me of our OWN high school reunion which will be happen in the year 2015, if I am not mistaken.

High School Life. Remember that Sharon Cuneta song?

“High School Life o my school life, how exciting kay saya…”
Say what you will about the mega star but she indeed hit the nail on the head on that one. By the way, has there ever been a more influential artista in our generation than the Megastar? And the fact that even now she still has her own TV show says a lot about her lasting legacy. Its disturbing to me that I know these things. End of tangent.

Going back to my original train of thought, I question myself about what made my high school special. As most of you might know, I studied at Don Bosco Techinical College in Mandaluyong from Prep (age 6) to College (age 21). Yikes!
Don Bosco at that time was an exclusive Catholic School for boys. Here are some things that I remember from that time that I was in High School there:

1. playing sipa and really being good at it (yeah I know)
I could hit the sipa for 100 consecutive times, and even do “tricks” like the abra kadabra. I also remember putting foam inside my adidas rubber shoes(or was it Mighty kid?) –maybe i was in elementary then..haha

2. playing basketball during recess AND lunch and falling back in line all sweaty and stinky . Speaking of basketball, the way it was played in Don Bosco, there could be 50 kids on the court AT THE SAME TIME, playing in their own 5 on 5, or 4 on 4 or even 1 on 1 games. It was chaos but everyone who played were able to keep up. I did not know how we did it we did.

3. Soirees. Yikes. Sad but true but I had PERFECT attendance in all the soirees that we had. For the uninformed, a soiree is a party held between two classes, one class all boys, and the other class, all girls, under the supervision of their class advisers. So  I, as part of class 350 and 450 attended a few soirees St Paul Paranaque, St Paul Pasig and I think there was one more but I could not remember. I remember being in a state of panic just before the first soiree with St Paul Paranaque. I did not really have high self esteem then for some reason(haha). I guess pimples and having no sense of fashion would do that to you. During the soiree with St Paul Paranaque, we played a game where you would everyone would pick a number, equally divided between the two classes. Then if you and the girl had the same number, your hands would be tied together for 5 minutes so you could talk and get to know one another. Well, needless to say I was really nervous and excited. The girl that was paired with me was quite pretty (although to be honest, during that TIME, anyone wearing a skirt would probably be pretty to my eyes). Anyway I barely started introducing myself when she saw our class VP passed by. She gushed “ang cute nung vice president ng klase nyo ah…”. Needless to say, I quickly lost interest and my already low self esteem went plummeting down the drain. NOT good times.

I’m pretty sure there are more high school stories to tell. Will save that for another day though as I need to go to work soon. I’m not in high school anymore, you know?

Oct 16, 2008
7:08am

Life sometimes can be funny. It is also full of challenges. Or even pain. Its very unpredictable and literally you don’t know what’s going to happen next.

Right after the concert the other day, I got called into the office to do some unscheduled work. Tough, but it is what it is.

We all have to earn a living. And we need to do what we need to do in order to feed our families and secure our children’s future.

We do it for them. Is there such a thing as loving one’s job? Is it possible that you get to do what you want to do and still get paid for it?

Some people would define that real success. Doing what you love as a career.

In my case, I would really love to go back to teaching someday.

Perhaps that day may come sooner than I thought.

Or is it just a knee jerk reaction because I am currently fractured by the recent challenges of life.

Dear God, please give me your direction.