Some happenings in naga.

last week was a very busy week for the catholic community here in Naga. It's the festival of their patron. This festival is the biggest marian festival in the Philippines so this is really being taken seriously by the people of Naga. But of course to some it is a source of annoyance.

Some People really don't get the point of their own festival(aside from the more obvious points missed in the Bible). So during the festival that supposed to honor their patron saint, there are street parties with people making so much noise, music that is not edifying and has nothing to do with what they are celebrating, and dj shouting "hey people in the house, make some more nosie" as if the heart pounding noise that they are making is not yet enough and fire some firecrackers at 2:30 in the morning!. And then there are overflowing of achoholic drinks and of course some people just drink in gusto and get drunk (so some go to masses the next day with hang over from last night drinking sessions), then there are all these street vendors that blocks the traffic and people littering all around. By the way, our place is in with in the main celebrating area so we are witness to these perrenial activity.

Im not maligning or something, it's not only me that observes these umpleasant happening even the catholic bishop is againts all this. But this has become the tradition and this tradition degenerates... What is really the essence of this festival? Do all the people attending it knows what they are celebrating or they are just there for the fun and profit they can get out of the feista. Just like celebration of Christmas, most people are missing the point...


from the inside of our church, you need to excuse yourself going inside the gate because vendors are blocking the driveway.

The street becomes a market overnight. You can find all sorts of stuff on sale...

We are in the coner of the street going to the Basilica where the patron is.
The sides of our church was occupied by vendors (without even asking permission from the church)

Symbols

I've been spending a lot of time recently studying the covenants and sacraments... two aspects of Christian theology that seem rather connected and which I feel have layers of meaning that I've never really understood. I find it interesting that when God makes covenants with people and this relationship is intended to remain for future generations there is a sign, something tangible, physical, involving the senses and not just any sign... the sign is involved in the relationship. When the rain comes down and all creation sees the bow in the clouds it is a reminder of a promise to not flood the earth again, when Abraham is promised a great nation with a prosperous future, the anatomical element most involved in that process is marked. But the really interesting ones to me are the sabbath and the Lord's supper. The sabbath seems to be both the sign and the expected resolution. The Jews are to take part in a restful celebration which only the prosperous, at peace, and landed could really be expected to have. In an agricultural society you don't take days off during peak periods unless you already have more than you need. And the idea of taking a year off is totally absurd. Only a nation with incredible prosperity could allow everyone to take a year off. And so they take a day off to experience by faith a taste of what they are promised. The Lords supper is even more complex... complex because there are so many symbols at work in upper room meal that it is like a venn diagram of Hebrew theology. The night before the passover is when the people remember the blood of the lamb presented to the angel of death as a model of substitutionary atonement, Jesus then says that the cup is the new covenant in my blood, inaugurating the new covenant promised in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel where a law written on people's hearts, the Holy Spirit indwelling, God dealing with the individual rather than the nation and personal forgiveness will be the relationship. But what does the symbol have to do with the relationship? The way that sacrifices worked in the Old Testament was commonly that of a shared meal between the individual, the community and God. In the same way, this is intended to place focus on the new community, a community of even more complete access and community with God through Jesus, the once for all sacrifice, and through that a community with people called out from every tongue and tribe and nation. Since the sacrifice of Christ ends the need for other sacrifices and inaugurates a new mode of relationship the symbol of a meal, the most communal point in both Ancient Near Eastern Custom as well as Greco-Roman culture (and in most other cultures in the world) so the symbol appropriately points to the nature of the covenant.

Year 1

Last August 25 is our 1 year anniversary. It was a bittersweet day because we are happy that we are now on our first year and bitter because Josh also went back to the US that day.

We didn't do much special that day. We start the day with breakfast then check out from the hotel and then go to an Ocean Park, then to a Zoo, went shopping and then eat dinner at fast food restaurant. After our quick dinner we head back to our hotel to pick up our luggage then went to the airport. We only spend less than 5 minutes to say goodbye. I don't like goodbyes and i know if I stay a bit longer i would burst into tears and won't let go of josh... I will tell more about it in my next blog and share pictures as well.

Over breakfast Joshua came up with a discussion question (josh has lots of discussion question over the past 2 years of relationship). The question is "What are the most special moments of our marriage over the past year?". That day i wasn't able to answer his question fully since recalling it will make me sad even more. So i will answer that question here.

Well, I want to say that all the moment i spent with Joshua is special, but i know to some it would be overrated but that's what i feel. Yeah, I'm a super in-love bride and i hope and pray that i'd stay the same for the rest of our married life. I'm not saying that everything about Joshua or in me or in our marriage per se are perfect. There are things that annoys me about Joshua but it is so little compared to how awesome he is, so it balances everything.

I will just share my top 5 special moments (not in particular order):

1. Being married and embracing being a housewife means embracing house chores. I really hate chores but that's the thing i need to do but my sweet husband makes things easier for me.
what so special about chores? Chores per se is not special not even fun but doing chores with Joshua is special. Why? Well my good husband will drop everything he is doing to help me squeeze off water from every single clothes that I'm washing and hang them in the clothesline because our washing machine doesn't have dryer? Once and a while he do dishes and does it spick-and-span. He cooks for me and clean his room. And after a long day of seemingly endless chores my consolation is an appreciative husband who gives me lots and lots of hugs and kisses even if I'm all sweaty and stinky.

2. When I'm terrified Joshua, my knight-in-shining-armor, will always be there to slay all the leeches, ants, mosquitoes, and all forms of crawling creatures that will come my way. He's just a squeal away...

3. I love traveling but I have never travel that much until i met Josh. Our first year i think we've been to Batangas, Tagaytay, Bohol(2X), Boracay(3X), Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Puerto Galera, Antipolo, Cebu. I've never traveled this much my whole life. And every travel is a nice one and lots of fun. The fisrt time i got to ride an airplane after 18 years (I got scared of height) was with Joshua, he was a very supportive person and he makes sure that i feel confident and tried to encouraged me.

4. I was used to doing ministry and i enjoyed it a lot. And doing it with Josh is a special moment for me. Every teaching he will have, he will talk about it with me first and ask my opinion about it. We prepare for it together, even if he's the only one teaching he makes me be involve by letting me do introduction and summing up of his teaching (when he teaches the young people). It is nice to know that my husband value my thoughts and is willing to involve me in what he is doing.

5. We are both naturally less talker people, but when we talk to each other we can just go on and on. When we talk it can be real silly or so serious. But whatever we talk about, even if it is about the ants in the kitchen or the book of Numbers we both enjoy conversing with each other. This made us more open to each other and understand each other. And I'm learning a lot from joshua, he's my walking dictionary, concordance and encyclopedia...

So these are some of the special moment i had with josh for the past year of our marriage.

P.S.


Over the past year Joshua have been feeding me well... i've never been so big like this.


OUR ANNIVERSARY PHOTO

Randomness Part 2

OK, so my wife tagged me a month and a half ago and now I'm finally finishing the post.

So, I need to describe random things about myself, which will be difficult because I am so normal. Yeah, OK I couldn't even keep a straight face with that and I'm sitting in a coffee shop with only strangers around and typing rather than talking... so here goes:

1. When I'm eating I'm almost always either watching a TV show, reading, or talking... and if I'm not doing any of those I will be focused and finish in under 10 min.

2. I'm the kind of person who is most often a social observer rather than an interactor. My grandfather was the same. When I lived with him we would often go days without saying more than 5 or 6 words to each other during the day. Not because we weren't close or having a good time; we would sit in side-by-side chairs watching TV in the evening. But we just didn't see the need to talk.

3. I had a significant hearing loss when I was young (70% in one ear, 30% in the other) which really affected my speech development... for a year or so pretty much just my older sister Heidi could understand what I was saying and she would act as my interpreter. I still have to be careful to adjust my speaking patterns for humans who can't read minds or have to hear with their ears rather than being connected to my jawbone as an amplifier.

4. At inconvenient times typically due to lack of sleep and significant stress I get massive migranes that move from headache to nausea to fever, and if I don't manage to get back home and asleep before it goes to the fever phase (that usually takes 8 hours) then it will take me approximately 14 hours of bedrest to recover.

5. Despite having been in a number of amusment parks I have never ridden a significant rollercoaster, but I have done a bunch of rock climbing as well as a variety of other heights related things (tree climbing, parasailing, jumping from the roofs of houses, climbing the ceiling of my old church, etc.)

My friend Glen

I have mentioned in my previous post my friend Glen. And now that i have remembered him I will tell you the rest of the story of summers with Glen.

Glen Irving, i called him GI. His the grandson of one of my grandfather's friend at church. They live just next door so i always go to their place. Glen was left to the care of his grandparents because his parents are both working. Glen is not a so bubbly baby and a bit shy. I tried to play with him while he is in hi crib and when i was to leave he was wailing and wanted to go with me so a carried him out the crib and and played with him. That time on every day i will go to their house and spend time with him. I basically became his nanny but i wasn't thinking of that because i love him. I spend my whole 3 months of vacation with him.

Couple of summer pass and i wasn't able to see him but i always remember him. Then when i was 14 I was able to have a chance to spend summer at my grandfather's again. When i visited their house i thought he had forgotten me already but i was wrong, he instant went to me and and sat on my lap. Glen was turning 3 this time. He was walking and talking already. So it was a bit more fun again. We will always hang out in the hammock and i will just sing silly song to him and answer all his silly questions. He is a happy toddler and very cute and funny. Had fun again that summer.

Then the next summer i have so much to do for church and school that i have no time to have vacation. His aunt visited us though after a few months. I was so excited to hear about him... im expecting a happy story but his aunt started to cry and told me... "Glen died two weeks ago. He was hit by a motorbike". Glen was so excited to see his parents across the street while playing in his grandfather's yard and run across the street and not seeing a fast moving motorbike coming... he was hit hard on the head, he didn't even made it to the hospital. I cried so much hearing that sad news...

But G.I. will always be in my heart and it always gives me smile everytime i remember him. He is one of the reason i come to love babies and little children. And I will never forget him.

Randomness

I was tagged for 7 randomness by Aimee. Which is perfect because i need to blog but i can't find some topic to talk about.

so here's a bits about me... (it is originally only 7 but i got so carried away so i came up with 12)

1. I love crayons and different coloring materials, as a child i can spend hours looking and arranging my crayons. I hate it when my crayon's get broken and get small. Right now i still have that fascination. Last Christmas of 2006 Joshua (still boyfriend then) gave me a Swiss watch with diamonds on it that was so beautiful but when I opened my sister's gift I dropped the watch (sorry darling) and got so into my sister's gift, my sister gave me a set of oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, pencil, markers. but though I love them i seldom use it.

2. I don't like wearing jewelry that much. My husband gave me a watch, bracelet and of course our engagement and wedding ring. I seldom wear them but I love looking at them but wearing it is too much for me to handle. I even almost lost my engagement ring hours before our wedding and made everyone go searching for it in the hotel room and the garden... but we found it again.

3. So Joshua learned, he didn't give me any jewelry as gift. He said it works for him well since he won't get bankrupt. But i think he's wrong, because it costs him a lot more to date and to have a relationship with me. Well, in the span of 2 years josh has been traveling half-way around the globe just to be with me... But he said I am worth all the cost and effort... ahhh... any girl will really fall for him. He said that his brother calls his trip "The flight for love number ___" I think he will be working on the 5th sequel if i still can't my visa.

4. US Visa eludes me.

5. I have screwed body clock... at night i am able to sleep at around 3 am because something keeps on making a weird noise and our room feels like you're in north pole at night. I don't know why?... josh do you know why? ;-)

6. I love to cook now because my husband is so amazing to feed... he likes to eat the food i make and I always get a kiss after every meal... ahhh We concluded that we have the same taste for food, what is delicious for me is also delicious for him.

7. I love the beach though i get rashes everytime i touch salt water (or whatever that is in the water) ... that's really a bummer!

8. I Love ICE CREAM... i can eat it every day but josh limits me to 1 ice cream a week.

9. I am fond of babies and little children, that's probably why i love reading my sister inlaws talk about their children.

10. When i was 11 i have friend i met while vacationing at my grandfather's place. We got close the first time we met. We are always together, play together, he will not eat without me, i will always tell him story and take naps together, where ever i go he wants to go with me. That summer was really a fun and memorable one, and when it was time for me to go back home he cried a lot and won't let me go. I will never forget him..... His name is Glean Irving, and he was 8 months old that time. I told you i like babies...

11. When I was little i don't have that much toys. I think im the only girl who doesn't have barbie doll then. well my mom was able to afford a plastic doll that adore (even if my classmates said it's cheap) and i even ask my grandmother to teach me operate the sewing machine to be able to make little clothes for my doll. But what i was really dreaming that time was a big teddy bear. On my birthday after going to church Ptr. Waters and his wife (our missionary) surprised me with a big pink teddy bear. I was so happy to have one atlast and cried a lot. I was crying for joy from the time i opened the gift until we are going home. I think my mom, told me to stop crying because people are looking at us already.

12. When i was a baby my mom named me Gennievieve, but my uncle who's still young that time teased me "Gennie PIG" because i was a bit chubby so my mom changed it to Kathyren Joy because they don't want me to be called names when i grow up... but i think it din't help that much because I have so many nick names from different group of people. At home: my dad calls me buljat, my mom calls me: duday, my big brother calls me: bedong, my big sister: sisterrette. Some of my aunts and uncles calls me "Padang", "Joyie", "Baby Joy". At church I am now called simply "Joy" but those people that i have known since childhood still calls me "Baby Joy" even if im so obviously not a baby anymore. At school, work and friends calls me Kathy, Kat, Katrina and Ligaya.

So that's some of the weird and funny bits about me... I have no one to tagged to keep this on... i think just joshy...

Our own Comic strip

Joshua and I were looking for something we can do together. Since he likes stories and I like drawing, an idea of making a comic strip came. So we sat down together and planned about it.

So here is what we came up with.

Comic Strip name: Barrio Tales



Setting: Barrio Makulit (tagalog for silly/fun)


Characters:

Bob
Fidget