Eulogy.

My grandpa died recently.

He was a really good guy. He cared about his family (grandma, my mom and her sisters, his grandchildren, and myself). He liked making people happy. He took my advice and tried to become healthier, and started reading his Bible and going to church.

He spoiled us a lot. Whatever we asked him to buy us, he'd get it. In fact, he'd buy me a whole load of stuff I never asked for, and things I thought I'd seriously never use. But I guess that's how he wanted to show how much he thought about us and how much he wants to be a part of our lives. Sometimes people would get mad at him, like my grandma, or whoever, and he'd try to keep his cool and listen. Even if he did some things that we didn't want him to be doing - eating foods he wasn't supposed to eat, spending money at Vegas - he loved us all the same.

He was just full of love that he wanted to share with us.

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When my family and I go to the states this monday, and when we arrive, I'll have to do his eulogy. My mom said, "A eulogy is when you say something nice about person because he's dead." But I believe it's really more than that. It's not just a speech saying how sweet this guy was, or how all his achievements made you proud: it's bringing someone to life again, even it's just for a couple of minutes. It's showing people his whole person and what he meant to you. It's like a big show-and-tell where you want people to appreciate who this person was, before you all try to move on and stash to memories away.

I hope I can do my Grandpa Pops justice when I do his eulogy. He deserves it.

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Thanks guys. :) God bless, and take care.

See you people in the States, soon!!! :)

I'm back! And in a partying mood, too. :>

Oh wow, I haven't blogged in a loooong time. :| But now I'm here again, and hopefully I'm here to stay. :D Oh bloggie, I've missed you so! *insert romantic reuniting scene here*

Anyway, today, at school, we had our Christmas party. Oh yes, CHRISTMAS PARTY! We had loads of food and fun games (e.g. plastic bag dance, the longest line, fastest nail polish application?). DigiCams were flashing everywhere, taking stolen (not to mention embarrassing!) pictures, and catching on film memory card the bonding and funny moments we were having with each other. :)

I got loaads of gifts! Including this ADORABLE cow that my best friend, Camille, got me. :D (I don't think I've mentioned that I absolutely LOVE COWS.) I named it Poogie. As in the Filipino word for "handsome", pogi, except with a long O. :> I'll shall post his life story soon. :P

So what do these 2 weeks of vacation have in store for me? Well, let's see:

What's Up Christmas Break o7-o8

1. Last-minute Christmas shopping!

oh yes, I wasn't able to finish everything with all the studying I had to do, honey. :|

2. Planning for somebody's *insert inaudible whispering here*.

heeheehee. :D

3. Going to Ba-gui-ohh City. :>

tonna go horseback riding in the cold of the December Philippine highlands. :> :| :))

4. Celebrating Christmas!!! :)

there will be loads of food, music, beautiful lights, and presents! We're going to spend Christmas as a family, and celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Savior. :)

5. My group is going to be doing our I.P. (investigatory project) video at my place. :>

actually, afterwards, we're going swimming at the country club. :))

6. Starting band rehearsals to prepare for the grade school fair. :>

enough said, my dear. :D

7.  Going out of town for the second time. :)

I forget where... :)) I think... Bacolod ata?

8. NEW YEAR'S PARTY!!!!

we're all going to be talking loud, stuffing our mouths, watching fireworks, staying up reaaally late!, and jumping REALLY high to become REALLY tall. :D (especially I) Time to write those resolutions!

9. Barkada gimmick, anyone?

oh yes, time to have some fuuuun. 

10. Being thankful for the break. :)

I've been working so hard lately... I need this break! Thank God. But I will miss my friends. :( :D

That's all for now, friends. 

God bless you all! Take care.

Have a Merry Christmas! :)

'Till next time,

Nicah.

P.S. Please leave a note in my cbox, over there, on the side. :D Thanks!

Reaching Out

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a long while. But I'm back! :) And with an experience I'd like to share. :D

Yesterday was a really cool day.

Our school has an program called the Kapitbahay Outreach Program. "Kapitbahay", in Tagalog, means "neighbor", and the idea is that we reach out to our less-fortunate neighbors from different squatter areas and public schools. And yesterday, we had our Grade 7 Kapitbahay.

It was raining early in the morning yesterday, so the original plan, to ride a jeepney to Krus Na Ligas Public School, was cancelled. Instead, the students will be coming to us. With our ensaymadas and tetra pack juices ready, and with our donation of books and school supplies at hand, we were ready for them.

They each came in one by one, going to their respective ates, whom were expected to take care of their kids for the rest of the wet morning. My partner and I received a boy named Rinnel. He looked much like the quiet type. Gabin (meh partner) and I asked him about his family and his life at school.
He has 6 other siblings, each studying at the same school. His dad works as a carpenter, and his mom stays at home to care for him and his siblings. His favorite subject is Math, and he enjoys drawing more than reading. Someday, he wants to become a teacher.

Talking to him was interesting. I realized that he lived a pretty much normal life, with family and school, and with the same dreams as anyone else. And he definitely wasn't the shy type.

My partner and I began to read to him, when he said that he wanted to read on his own. So he read the Filipino book out loud to us, and Gabin and I were surprised when he was reading even more fluently then she and I were! :) I couldn't help but smile.
During to Response to Literature portion of the program, Rinnel drew his favorite character, a talking car, with cartoonist-like precision. He wanted his drawing to look exactly like the one in the book. We were again surprised with his perfectionist style and how headstrong he was on completing the drawing. :)

It was time to eat. We offered him a really yummy-looking ensaymada and some juice. He said he wasn't hungry. Although we begged him to eat, he really didn't want to. It was kind of weird to us. Then we realized we should ask him why, and he responded, in Tagalog, "I want to bring it home to my family." My partner and I smiled, and said that he could have more to take home after he ate. He smiled and took a bite. :)

Saying goodbye was bittersweet. All of my classmates enjoyed spending time with their Kapitbahay kid, and all of us were surprised to see their works of art and to hear how well they understood the story read to them. The kids were clearly happy to bring home new pencils, crayons and books. Not to mention food. But their hugs goodbye made us want to spend more time with them. :( And when they left, all we had left to remember them by were our memories.

Meeting the students, especially Rinnel, has changed my attitude towards my studies, and towards the less-fortunate. Those kids were just like any kids in the fourth grade, except that maybe they really work hard to get high grades, they listen in class, and they study because they're thankful for the oppurtunity, and they want to make their families happy. Makes me want to do better at school, myself. :)

If someday you read this Rinnel, thanks. :) God bless, take care! :)

Nicah.

The Greatest Bookstore In The Philippines.

I was there. I saw the spendor. And what can I say? "Woah."

My mom took me there 2 days ago, since she had a meeting at the Starbucks INSIDE the bookstore. Fully-Booked, it's called. Fully-Booked is one of the more high-class bookstores in the Philippines, it's way up there with Sketchbooks and A Different Kind of Bookstore.

It has 4 floors up, and a basement. Yes, a basement. And the books and materials and resources? Oh my. I can't even say how NICE they were. Here are some pictures I took. (which reminded me of some of my friends. :P)

CD rack. Yes, they sell music. o.O JazzPER. :))

Ok, this is just funny. :)) I got it from the inside of a "weird toys" book. :)) Reminded me of Regina. :P

NANCY DREW!!! Love the colors. :D Reminded me of Josh and Mishka! :D

It's just a nice quote. :D

Anyway, yeah... I bought a cute hardbound notebook so I could start a diary again. :)

Pero grabe, I felt like I was in ME heaven. Books, coffee and music. It was awesome!!! Even when my mom was done with her meeting, I still needed more time to explore the store. It was sooo COOL.

You guys should check it out soon. :D It's at Bonifacio High Street. it's huge. Can't miss it. :P

God bless you guys, take care ya'll!

Nicah.

Life Verses. :D

Just recently, I remembered a challenge our discipleship group leader gave us. She said to find a life verse. She said that a life verse is a Bible verse that best applies to your life, or a Bible verse that strikes you in a different way than other verses. So anyway, I decided to take the challenge. :) I found 2 verses that affected me most.

1. Psalm 73:25
My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
I really like this verse because it is such a great encouragement and assurance of God's love. It says that people are weak, and we can't do everything on our own. In fact, we can't do anything on our own. So when our own strength fails, and when we think we can't take it anymore, God is the strength of our hearts. He loves us so much, and He'll help us keep on going. :) He's the reason why we can go on even after a fight with our parents or a struggle we have, or whatever.. :)

Here's a song that came from this verse:

Whom have I in heaven but You
There is nothing on earth I desire beside You
My heart and my strength many times they fail
But there is one truth that always will prevail

God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever, forever

2. 1 Timothy 4:12
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
I like this one, too, because it tells us that even the young, and maybe those who aren't as smart or tall or even as pretty as others can be an example to other other people. And for me, it says that I can make a difference for God in the lives of other people. :) And that pushes me even more to be a better person. :)

Being able to find my life verse/s is a great achievement for me. :) Praise God. If you guys have a life verse too, feel free to share it with me! :) Comment please. :D

God bless you guys, take care! :)

When the cup cakes,
Nicah

P.S. I miss you JI people!

Feelin' Fabulous. ;)

Fabu. Faboolous. Whatever you want to call it... That's how I'm feeling. :D

I dunno, I guess everything's been going so well. I got my scores for the examinations, and they were pretty good. Praise God. :) and school work is still light. Friends, family life has been good. And I feel really good about myself. :) I'm at the peak of my happiness joy (joy- long lasting happiness) level for this past week. :) and that's really really good.

I do miss my lists though. :D So here is a list of the things that I need to make my life perfect right now:

Things I Need To Make My Life Perfect (Right Now)

1. A good book to read.
I haven't read a book in a long time. I kind of need it when I'm bored... and when there's nothing better to do. XD

2. People who want chihuahua puppies!
Let me explain. :)) My dog (a beautiful, chocolate-fawn colored, brown-eyed, long-coat chihuahua) is going to be in heat next month. I'm planning to make her have one litter of puppies. :D We already have a stud. :D And I'm really really excited for her pups! Problem is, my family doesn't plan on keeping any of them, so we're going to sell them... And I'm already looking for loving homes. :D

So while I have the chance to advertise... Litter of chihuahua puppies for sale! Beautiful mother, father is full stud. :D Expected delivery: some time in November, ready to take home in february 2008. :D P15,000 for male, P17,000 for female. (tentative price)

3. My relatives and friends in the states to come over here. :(
I miss so many people from the US. :( My ninangs, godsister, friends, family. :( I really wish I could go to them, or they could go to me.

4. Sleepover!
I'm inviting some friends to sleepover at my place this saturday so some people could go to a Youth event with me. :D I really want them to come. :)

5. The ability to play the piano and be perfect pitch. :D
Haha, in my DREAMS. :P

6. The ability to play any sport!!!!
must I say more? :))

7. A shopping spree. :D
To buy all the things I want. Then load my closet and CD collection. :))

8. A purtee dress. :D
Every girl needs a pretty dress. :D hahaha.

God bless you guys! Hope you're feeling FABULOUS!

Nicaaah.

STORM! Bwahahaha!

The storm(s) that've been hitting us are driving me NUTS. And I'm not even talking about pecan, or pea. It's COCO. As in, CocoNUTS.

My jokes are getting cornier by the second. o.O

Anyway, for those of you whom haven't heard (you people probably live on mars or something), the Philippines has been Downpour City for the past week. Thursday of last week, classes were cancelled due to the strong rains (by the way, I woke up that morning and STILL went to school. Who says we can't hang out at sCOOL during a storm? *wink*).

Following that big blast (or rather, pour), there were rains and drizzles, although that was just in Manila. The provinces in Northern Luzon were continually being hit, resulting in floods. BIG floods. Floods reaching rooftops and engulfing trees. Floods that pushed the people living there to buy and build small boats to get around.

Anyway, last Wednesday, classes were suspended. It was weird for us taking the quarterly exams because by the time the suspension was announced, we were already dimissed. :)) Oh well. Lastly, classes yesterday and today were cancelled (perhaps to build up the suspense of receiving our exam results?). Floods are continually being a problem to people in our provinces, and people living beside canals and creeks.

The report that you have been reading is actually what's been happening in Manila. I don't really know much about what's been happening farther away. o.O

Other than the suspension of classes and the very cool weather, the storms have brought about some good results. :) First of all, there was a drought two or three weeks ago. Guess what happened to it. :D Bye bye. :D The rain has supplied enough more than enough water to make our rice fields and vegetables grow. Then of course our water supplies have increased dramatically. :) Proving, of course, that there's a silver lining in every cloud (in this case, heavy, water-filled clouds).

But we can't forget our fellow countrymen (and women!) who are suffering. :( As mentioned before, the rain has brought about outrageous floods. Which of course bring about floating rats and cockroaches. Ick. But more seriously than that, adults and children alike have drowned and lost lives in this storm. :( last week's Thursday-Friday storm (from what I heard, I was probably not even updated) resulted in 10 losses. :( Siiigh.

I know God will continue to take care of us despite this disastrous event. Please just continue to pray for us. :) Thanks. God bless you guys, take care! :)

Nicah.

OTHER LINKS:
To learn more about Downpour City, for weather forecasts and results:CLICK THIS
My friend (who loves Pi/Pie), Josh, has a strong view on this current weather. Potential Al Gore, perhaps? Hehe. :D Here's his blog entry: CLICK THIS!

The power of fire. >:)

I'm a big Pokemon fan. Ever since I was 6 years old, I've loved it. <3 I memorize them better than the Periodic Table of Elements. :)) haha. Yeah.

Anyway. Here're a couple of drawings I did late last night/early this morning. I like 'em. ^.^ I edited them a few minutes ago, on Adobe Photoshop (Ver. 7.0). Not much editing, actually. :)) I just fixed the contrast, 'cause it came out blurry on the scan. And, I realized that when I adjusted to contrast, it looked like real fire. :)) Soo cool.

Those are Ponyta (horse thing) and Moltres (bird thingiee), by the way. :D

Please rate and comment! :)

God bless! Take care. :)

Nix

Psalm 31:5

1st Day Hype

The 1st day of Grade 7. Wow. The whole day is sort of too long to tell about, so here's a list of things I like and don't like about grade 7. So far, at least.

Pros

1. Air-conditioned classrooms.
Okay, so this is one very good thing about being the grade school seniors. We get the best building with the air-cons. :))

2. My homeroom advicer is Ms. Capule. :>
Those studying in my school already know who she is. ;) She's only one of the most awesome, most hilarious, most amazing teachers in Miriam. PLUS, she was my math teacher last year, so we're tight. *does hiphop thingy*

3. My seatmate is Camille. ^_^
Camille is a very close friend of mine. :> I'm so glad she's my seatmate. We're gonna make so much noise. :))

4. Good teachers. ;)
As far as I know, at least. ;)

5. Our class color is BLUE. :>
Meaning our Phy. Ed. shirt is blue. :> Just like our jogging pants. :)) But at least it's blue! A very cool color. ;) And, blue is lke... Our signature color. :)) Well, obviously.

6. My classmates are real funny and nice. :D
Just to name a few.... Alitha! Wooh! Camille [as mentioned above]. :> Miki [aka Mister Bean]. Gabin. :D An old friend. Well, there, we're going to have a blast. ;)

7. We have batch night. :>
When we can party all night long. :D

8. My class number is 31.
Hehehehe. :)

Cons

1. The rest of the school that isn't air-conditioned, it's friggin' hot. :|
Every second out of the classroom is sweat. Sweat. Sweat.

2. We're on the 4th floor. :|
Our legs will be uber muscular at the end of the year. :))

3. More rules.
Self-explanatory. :|

4. I'm away from SO MANY of the friends I said I wished I would become classmates with. :(
Sigh. Christine. Basia. Mateh. Kat. Kirsten. :( Oh well, at least Camille and Gabin are in Tagbanua (my section) with me. :D And, I'm sure I'll make even MORE friends. ;)

5. More work, less play.
It may sound harsh, but it's true. Need to manage time. :( Bye bye everyday YM and blogging.

So there you go. What I've learned/discovered about 7th grade so far. :D More to come.

God bless you guys, take care. :)