Close Encounters with an Angry Man

photo credits: http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/images/39/2011/12/1657bdd28ad66c71f61fcb0c44da60a5.jpg

Closing my eyes, words have been juggling in my head which made me turn on my laptop and engage myself on the keyboards. I could still hear rants and shouts of people outside, still unsettled on their nonsense conversation on something that just happened a while ago. Two were drunk, and the women are trying to keep the angry man calm while listening to his rants. I just had my tears wiped off, though still shaken by the commotion, I am calmer. I decided to write. Maybe this is the help from the Lord that I’ve been praying for so that I could write again.

 I won’t go much on specifics with what happened some minutes ago. I also choose not to sulk in the corner, have self-pity, and make a drama queen out of myself – that is, without the cameras and lights. I pray that the Lord would show me how to deal with this tomorrow. I had regrets on not keeping my mouth shut when I came face to face with the angry man. In between keyboard ticks I pat my baby so he won’t wake up. I should have kept quiet, hugged the angry man, and just left. Thank God it had the better of me and I didn’t lingered much outside to be with the angry man. I might said more, cried more to a drunk man not capable of understanding. Wacky might roll off the bed if I won’t come back to our room.

It’s already morning. These days, sleep is a luxury and a wise mommy should sleep now. Thank You Lord for this opportunity to write again. Good night.

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Amazing Grace: Life Testimony Of John Newton

I know that I will not be the first one to write about John Newton, the one who wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace”. But still I would like to share his life story and how it touched me and how thankful I am to God to use John Newton’s life to encourage others, like me.

John Newton was a former sailor, who started to sail the sea with his father. He then became a sailor for a ship that do slave trade, trading goods for slaves in Africa and selling them in England and other countries. But his character was, according to his autobiographies, is a despicable one, and he is a problematic sailor for his crew. In fact, many times he was punished for his antics. He suffered from kinds of punishment, and there were even a time that his colleagues left him starved to death, imprisoned him with chains just like the slaves they carry on board, and there was a time that he was left by his crew in Africa, at this time he wrote on his journal “once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in West Africa.”. According to his Wikipedia entry, “Newton gained notoriety for being one of the most profane men the captain had ever met. In a culture where sailors commonly used oaths and swore, Newton was admonished several times for not only using the worst words the captain had ever heard, but creating new ones to exceed the limits of verbal debauchery.”

But his conversion came unexpectedly. On March 10, 1748, a violent storm hit their ship and it was so violent that he thought the ship would not make it.  After hours of effort of the crew emptying the ship with water because of the storm, Newton exclaimed “If this will not do, then Lord have mercy upon us!”.  After being exhausted by the experience, Newton pondered to himself what he had said and the Revelation of God for him started at that near death experience.

Newton considered this date as the anniversary of his conversion.  It was also said that since then, he avoided profanity, gambling, and drinking. Although he continued to work in the slave trade, he had gained a much amount of sympathy for the slaves.  His journal entries revealed that his conversion was not immediate, he wrote “I cannot consider myself to have been a believer in the full sense of the word, until a considerable time afterwards.”

After his stint with slave trade sail, he started to teach himself Latin, Greek, and Theology.  And by then he had the chance to work as the Curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire.

I was very impressed with his own words about his life experience.  In his journal he wrote:

“How industrious is Satan served. I was formerly one of his active undertemptors and had my influence been equal to my wishes I would have carried all the human race with me. A common drunkard or profligate is a petty sinner to what I was.”

It was in Olney where he wrote “Amazing Grace” which was included in “Olney Hymns”, a collection of poems he and writer William Cowper wrote to be used in their prayer meetings.  Now the song is widely known and was used even in secular purposes.  And I am very blessed indeed that I can now listen to this song because for me, it is not just a hymn that we sing inside the church, it was a living testimony of a  wretched man who was lost but was found with the Grace of God!

Here’s the complete and original hymn that John Newton wrote (it was originally entitled “1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith’s Review and Expectation”).

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779

And for my favorite version, here’s Chris Tomlin’s video with clips from the movie “Amazing Grace” (which actually included John Newton in the story):

*Note: I used a lot of references for the life story of John Newton and the story behind the hymn “Amazing Grace”.  Credit goes to them that first wrote about the topic and all the Glory is to God alone!

My EDSA Revolution Anniversary Anecdote: Wacky’s Delivery

Students enjoyed their early vacation for the week due to EDSA Revolution Anniversary celebration that day. And for us, my husband and I woke up extra early to satisfy our cravings of Pan De Sal for breakfast; which is always sold out still early in the morning. I also used that as an excuse to go for a walk in preparation for my upcoming delivery anytime then. At 8am we ended breakfast, and I resumed walking around by cleaning the house and then went out the terrace to play with the dogs. I started complaining about my aching lower tummy and back, in which my dad just laughed out saying that I should frequent walking for baby is coming near.

By 11am there is an increase in pain that I just slumped on the sala. I still proceeded to cook lunch though. By almost eating time, I decided to text my OB and let her know what I feel – all the pain and discomfort. We talked over the phone, where she told me I better go and see her right away. She is not sure if I am starting to undergo labor, and would be best if she can check me personally. She told me not to eat nor drink anymore for if I’ll be going on the way, it would just take us longer to prepare me. She also asked us to bring my and baby’s things already, just in case.

I started to prepare immediately while I asked hubby to eat lunch and help me prepare other baby’s stuff. On my clumsiness, I twisted my ankle while going down the stairs. Thank God I did not ended up on my back in full force. That added so much pain in what I am already going through; and with an aching ankle and tummy altogether, my husband, mom, dad, and I went to Meycauayan Doctors Hospital.

We arrived around 3PM, and Dra. Ruiz came to see me and checked my contractions right away. She did an IE (internal exam) too, in which she immediately told us that I am already 3cm dilated. Examining me, she told us of my condition having a narrow pelvic bone, which opened the possibility for me to deliver caesarean. Yet, she doesn’t want to conclude yet, told us to observe if my dilation will progress. She advised us me to be admitted already because of my regular contractions. In no time I am in the hospital bed, tubes in my hand, and she told me she’ll be back by 5PM to see if I progressed.

I was 4cm dilated by 5PM. She had an IE again, and noticed that my water bag isn’t there anymore. I told her I didn’t notice it broke, but told her I urinated minutes before she arrived. She checked again and proved what she said. By that time the pain seems to progress, and we are nearer to concluding that I might not make it to have a normal delivery. Yet she gave me another hour to observe, hoping that things will somehow change and I can still proceed to labor.

7:54PM, one of the nurses in the operating room declared that they already opened my tummy. All the time the anaesthesiologist is chatting with me, while my operating team proceeded with the CS operation. I couldn’t feel my half body anymore, only some rocking where the anaesthesiologist said it was them pushing my insides to help baby get out. He continued to rub my hair and head in the whole process which gave me comfort and eased my tension. At 8:10PM, there, I heard him, the first cry of my precious Wacky. I didn’t notice that tears fell in my eyes until Dr. Peralta wiped them. They held him close to my head while the nurse said, “Cheese!”. Click.

By 10PM I was back to our room – with my husband and mom waiting for me. They told me they already saw Wacky in the nursery room, showed me his pictures sleeping soundly in a baby bed. He weighed only 5.94lbs, near to my ideal for him of 6lbs so that I could deliver normally without much pain. I had mixed emotions of joy, pain, and tiredness. My husband and I watched a marathon of some of the missed episodes of our favourite soap, and then fell asleep around 3AM.

Our Baby Wacky is now almost a week old. For several days we were welcomed by a lot of additional “firsts” in our lives, and of course, with all those endless feeding and diaper changing that almost all moms could identify into. The hospital bills: the most painful part in the start of this journey, I think. That was when the Lord spoke to my heart and I remembered all the things He did for Rhyan and I when this circumstances come. I reminisced our wedding preparations, house construction, piling bills, and zero balance accounts. That was when the Lord not just assured us that He is in control, but did supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in heaven. Rhyan did not became a good provider just the way He is, but because of the immeasurable generosity of God Almighty that is his, and my Father too. With our nightly prayers we entrusted to Him everything in our lives, and the life of our precious little Wacky.

I am looking forward on narrating more of Wacky’s journey in my coming posts. I am an excited mom with lots of learning now. Thank you for everybody who prayed for us. Thank you Mom and Dad for never failing to be my life support all throughout every journey I undertake. Mom, you are the best for me. I wouldn’t be able to go through the pain and itch in my binder if you did not clean up my tummy. I will not learn how to properly feed Wacky, and I will not be able to give him a bath as gentle as you did. And I wouldn’t have the best model for being a Mom if you were not as you are to us. I look up to you Mom. I love you so much!

And to my husband Rhyan, thank you. Thank you for staying with me in the sala to sleep so that we can be with Wacky all the time. Thank you for carrying and feeding Wacky whenever my wound hurts, or I become frustrated with his cries. Thank you for consoling me when I cried out of fear when we thought Wacky choked while I fed him. Thank you for cooking our meals, doing the dishes, and getting a lot of malunggay leaves in the backyard for me. Thank you for your love that made us bring forth Wacky into this world. I am in awe to that miracle of life that only 2 people that God brought together can bring. I know in my heart that as you have sincerely love me, you will so too Wacky. I am excited for those dreams that we are going to reach soon, as we are always talking about before we go to sleep. I love you… I love you so much, and rest assured that whatever changes life may bring us, I will always love you and be with you, with every ounce of breathe I have.

Welcome to our family, Rafael Joaquin Pang Madrigallos!

Preparing for Wacky

Learning about my conception was one of the greatest joys I’ve had. Though I had a rough start (my first trimester was terrible), my ignorance of every step I am to undergo during the entire pregnancy made me feel so excited going through all of it – with the fascination of carrying a human taking form inside me; of knowing that the Lord granted us a baby boy; with the progressing kicks and movements he is slowly making me feel; and with all the extra attention I am having from friends, relatives, and even strangers outside. My life seems to go through another phase again and about to open another door and lead me to a new place I have to be into, and stay in soon.

This is the fruit of love – of Rhyan and I’s faith in the Lord that He will BLESS our marriage. More than a home, a harmonious relationship, a stable career, He made us stewards of a life that has a purpose for His kingdom. He made us caretakers of Wacky when he will be born soon – to prepare him to be used by the Lord at the right time.

When me and my husband organized our wedding 3 years ago (2 years preparation and we are now 1 year married), we went through series of nerve-cracking brainstorming, pocket drainers, misadventures and endless opportunities for bonding and getting-to-know-more-about-each-other moments as well. It was one roller coaster ride that we will forever be etched in our hearts and the learnings we’ve had were made wisdom in our lives already. Now that we will be facing another milestone in our married life, I am feeling the same excitement and the whirling ride as well.

Preparing for Wacky’s coming is no different feat – although a wedding is more elaborate, financial-wise, raising a kid is far more demanding and it is a no one day event! I remember raving about getting more and more stuff for him when we pass by the Baby’s Section in the department store, or is pouring over the internet for the “perfect” and unique name for our little angel. I even went as far as planning his Dedication and 1st Birthday! Upon learning we’ll have a boy kiddo made me thought of setting up a basketball court, buy lots of Lego, and prepare for a hyperactive child who will be bruised over and over again yet will play and play nonstop. His dad even count how many girlfriends he will have!

Tons of advices rummaged me, and for how many times I’ve turned to books and internet information to know more about the changes brought about by my pregnancy. Again, the joy of learning new things was cultivated in me. Education stops when you graduate college – but wisdom is a continuous pour of experience that makes us wiser; and better individuals.

Meanwhile, overcoming my tough first trimester and now, approaching my last made me decide to indulge and enjoy before the final “pain”. Although I cannot enjoy eating as much as other preggies do (Project: Normal Delivery!:D), I did the second best happiest moment – shopping! Before you call me “rich mama” (I “swiped” everything..:p), being that frugal yet not scrimping, mind you, made my husband and I exercise our “special talent” towards spending (and investing!).

Our strategies (and tips as well!):
1. Wood cabinets are wise investments. For most, its lifetime is longer and is more durable. Although the lowdown is it costs much, bulky, and nowadays, manufacturers use less durable wood to make it cheap in the market. We opted to buy a plastic, 5-layer cabinet. We also purchased stackable plastic storage boxes that has wheels (for easier transport) and to save space as well.


2. Most of Wacky’s stuff storage and organizers are made of plastic. Rhyan and I went directly to the factory for plastic merchandise to buy – a lot cheaper and they even give discounts as well.
3. We are blessed to spot a baby stuff sale, and most of Wacky’s stuff are bought there. Our best find was his crib, which was slashed 50% off its original price. The price came out to be cheaper than other cribs we saw which have less “specifications” than with what we bought. We decided to buy a crib instead of borrowing one, for we are still planning to have another baby soon. Other stuffs we bought are slashed even as high as 70% off! We even had freebies and sample packs to try to know which better brands to use. Seminars during the sale were also a plus.
4. Canvass. We did not buy everything right away, instead, we go on side trips during malling to see and compare products and their prices from different department stores and shops. We also asked our relatives (which are parents themselves), which brands have better reputation over the other in terms of quality and price, and they speak of experience helping us gain credible comparisons. Asking experienced people also saved us from buying unnecessary and impractical baby stuff. Also, some of Wacky’s stuff, particularly infant clothes are hand-me-downs, which are impractical to buy since you will need a lot but will be used only for a short span of time (babies tend to grow very fast!).
5. Explore Divisoria and you will never run out of good finds. We bought Wacky’s duyan, gauze pads, reusable diapers, rubber changing mat, and lampins there.
6. I only bought a few maternity wear pieces during my entire pregnancy, all of which are wearable still post-partum. I’m also thankful that my sister-in-law gave me her used ones, which saved me from wearing the same pieces over and over again. Fashion concerns eh?:p
7. Ask for an idea of how much ceasarian and normal delivery would cost. This information can be answered by your OB, and you can ask her early so that you can have an idea how you and your husband can save up for it. Other financial concerns that has to be considered while you are pregnant are consultation fees, laboratory fees, vitamin supplements, and yes, even food cravings…:)
8. Check for maternity claims and have them processed early while you still can. If you are working, check with your company how you can claim your benefits for Philhealth and SSS. I resigned from work in time I conceived, and decided to give voluntary contributions to government agencies stated above to continue my coverage. I also secured the necessary forms regarding claims already for faster processing.
9. Have dates with your husband! While it is very “pocket tiring” to have a baby on the way, your time together is still a wise investment. Those were also the times that we can get to talk about the future changes that are to come, and assurances are expressed that having a baby will strengthen our bond more.

By the way, here are the photos of some of our Baby Wacky’s essentials:

Feeding Bottles

Bottle and Nipple Brush

Cotton Balls

Bath Sponge

Body Wash

Bath Tub

Tooth and Gum Cleaner

Baby Brush and Comb

Petroleum Jelly

Baby Oil

Lotion

Cotton Buds

Alcohol

Rubber Mat

Infant Shoes

Bonnet and Socks

Bibs

Hooded Blankets

Blankets

Crib

Diapers

Baby Wipes

Milk Storage

Baby Bag

Nasal Aspirator

Pacifier for Newborns

Photo Album (for baby's memories!)

I’m 35weeks pregnant now, more than a month before the “first cry” (for there will be lot more after..:p). I don’t know when will the next post will be, but for sure, a mom blogger will take my place. I’m excited to gain more wisdom in life – for after my husband; I will have another mentor – our baby. Wacky will introduce me to honing my “caregiving” skills, nursery rhymes, and sports. I will have to re-learn how to teach colors, shapes and opposites, as well as animal sounds and English-tagalog translations. I need to learn how to drive a car too, and plan nutritious meals, as well as take my budgeting skills to the next level. Maybe, I will post a review for a baby food here too, and our trips will extend to zoos and parks. My Facebook page will contain milestones of Wacky’s journey – lots of them for sure.

See you soon, Rafael Joaquin P. Madrigallos – our Wacky…

“How Good People Turn Evil” – Corruption in the Philippines | Maria Ressa

Tonight I stumbled upon Maria Ressa’s article about how corruption turns good people into evil specifically here in the Philippines.  The article itself is great and knowing that it is from Maria Ressa makes it really worth reading.  Reading these kind of articles really makes one’s perspective widen.  And truth is, Ressa’s insights and points in this article can be well applied not only to our practical and professional life, but also to our spiritual life.

An excerpt to this article says: “You have to find the courage to say no. You have to do what’s right – not just for your company, but for yourself. You have to find and set this line – a line you promise yourself you will never cross – because crossing that line means you’re turning from good to evil. It’s that simple. And you must make it that simple.”

Click on the link below to view the full acticle.

“How Good People Turn Evil” – Corruption in the Philippines | Brave New World.

 

Mi Alba Restaurante Experiencia (My Alba Restaurant Experience)

Despite of the on-call nature of my husband’s work abroad, the Lord blessed us an opportunity to celebrate our first year wedding anniversary last January 16. I am 7months pregnant now, the fact made us decide to stay in Manila and opt for a one day celebration – not too tiring for me yet special and romantic. We decided to eat a special lunch or dinner somewhere not so far from our place, thus started our journey to try out a specialty restaurant to dine.

As our nature, we started to inquire on different restaurants on different categories and specialties – from hotels, mall restos, fine dining, international cusines, buffet, etc. Hubby and I started gathering contact information from the internet of the best on the list. He was the one inquiring through phone calls while I research on reviews on the internet. It was all a week’s worth of phone calls and research when we finally settled to try out a spanish restaurant in Tomas Morato, Alba Restaurant.

I remember seeing this restaurant got featured on TV, which added its appeal to me. Filipino tastebuds are friendly to Spanish cuisine since it greatly influenced our own food. Trying out an authentic Spanish cuisine isn’t too adventurous for us, since I am pregnant and I couldn’t explore much on gastronomies now.

We decided to try out their Lunch buffet, available only every Sunday. Glad we had reservations through phone the day before as the place get almost fully booked that day.

The choices are not that extensive but many enough not to make you “umay”. There is a wide selection of appetizers and desserts; main courses are composed of authentic Spanish food like the famous Paella Valenciana, Callos Madrileno and the Cochinillo, which is the best in what I’ve tasted so far. Soup is served at your table while drinks are not included in the buffet.

Appetizers

Drinks

Soup

Main Courses

Overall, I find our Spanish experience very worth every morsel, as well as what we paid. I didn’t get “umay”, and got to taste my favorite Lengua in another level. For until now, hubby and I are praying we may be able to afford to have our baby’s dedication be held here; although it is a bit pricey for us. But then I am assured there will be more “Alba Experiencia in the future.”

Happy First Wedding Anniversary Hon!:)) Cheers!

A View Of Christmas – What If Joseph And Mary Had Facebook During Their Time?

Merry Christmas everyone!

For my Christmas post i would like to share with you guys the video I’ve found on Godtube about this thought – what if Joseph and Mary had Facebook during their time?  What would their wall posts be?  It’s kinda funny if you would really think about it but guys from Igniter Media made this special Christmas video of what would have had happen if they really had Social Networking during their time.

Godtube is not supported by WordPress so just click on the link below to view the video:

http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=9M1F2CNU

It is nice to know that in our time where Information Technology is very dominant and one can almost do anything “online” that a lot of us still doesn’t forget what the true essence of Christmas is and as a Christian, it is with great joy for me to share this thought with you.  Let us not forget that Christmas is not all about the gifts or the one-time-of-the-year to be compassionate to less fortunate or the time of the year where workers get their hefty salary bonuses, it  is all about its root word – CHRIST!  It is a day to remember that Jesus Christ was born to dwell with us and fulfill His mission to make a way for us to get to heaven!

 

God bless everyone and rejoice for the Lord is with us!

 

Invasion Of Memories On Facebook

Last few weeks I’ve notice that most of my Facebook friends changed their profile pictures into cartoon characters with this message:

Change your facebook profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday (Dec.6) there should be no human faces on facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is for violence against children.

And so until this morning almost all of my active Facebook friends have changed their profile pictures into cartoon or anime characters (and don’t ask me, I also changed mine for fun!).  I wondered where this craze all started so I’ve done a little research just now.

With my search I saw this Facebook Event Page which states:

“Choose a Cartoon Character as Your Profile Picture for a Week” Week

…the event started at November 21 and ended on November 28, but the new message says that this fad ends on December 6 and even stating that this thread is for the violence against children act or so.  I think the new message was edited by some dude who is against children violence *which is obvious) and whaddaya know, maybe on December 6 almost if not all Facebook users have a cartoon character profile picture!

According to Jumpstyler’s post on knowyourmeme.com, this fad started in Greece and Cyprus which has this message:

The origin of the meme came from a message containing this message in Greek:

Aπό 16 έως 20 Νοέμβρη ας αλλάξουμε όλοι τις φωτογραφίες των προφίλ μας, αντικαθιστώντας τις με κάποια φωτογραφία ήρωα των παιδικών μας χρόνων. Σκοπός αυτού του παιχνιδιού είναι να μην υπάρχει ανθρώπινη φωτογραφία για λίγες μέρες στο Facebook

Which roughly translates to:

From the 16th to the 20th of November, we shall change our profile pictures to our favourite cartoon characters. The purpose of this game is to remove all photos of human for a few days from Facebook

Until now I’m still searching for the origin of this post out of curiosity.  But for now, why not join the fun on Facebook and see how long this will end, right?

^_^

 

Jonah on 5

Now its me, on my 5th month of pregnancy. I now dread looking at the weighing scale, on the contrary before when I am very eager to see how much I gained. I already gained 11pounds since week6 and I’m now on week23; well it is still on normal scale, but my recent visit with my new OB-Gyne (due to recommendations and my ever practical motto) now makes me feel worried on piling up more pounds in the coming months.

Checking me, she (OB-Gyne) told me I have a narrow cervix, which opened the possibility I’ll deliver in Ceasarian if my baby will be bigger than 6pounds (that is my baby’s ceiling weight if I want him to be delivered normal). I don’t want to undergo CS albeit wanted a comfortable delivery, but I chose to be more practical and of course, heal faster. Indeed I am watching my diet now, but find it harder than cramming to eat more to gain (like before). But honestly, I really don’t know if I am successful about it. My photos will testify…:(

Sans my appearance, this journey along with my pregnancy had brought me such greater joy and inner change in what I call “happiness”. Though superficial, I secretly love that “bump” I see every day where I run that blue hot wheels matchbox that my dad gave as his first gift to his apo. It’s a funny feeling whenever I feel him kick or punch or whatever that made me jolt in surprise in unexpected times. I feel like almost crying everytime my husband would kiss my tummy goodnight and tells our baby “I love you”; just the same sweet tone he used to for me. And the shopping spree! Although we haven’t bought anything yet, just the idea make me feel so giddy! (hello, credit cards?LOL..)

So its still 4 months to go, and I am still faced with more challenges (holiday season while on diet??x_x), more painful kicks (i guess), a bigger tummy, and more outgrown clothes (Lord, can you grant me a shopping spree?:)). Whatever lies ahead, I know God would give me the strength and provisions to overcome – may it be challenges or awestruck moments because of His tremendous blessings. “Excited” is an understatement on what I am feeling right now, but I may simply say, “I am happy.”