Life without a lovelife.. :)

"Wag kang malungkot kung single ka. Sa bilyong tao sa mundo, sigurado ako na meron isa diyan na hindi rin Masaya kasi wala ka."

What are you thankful for?

It's Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for- family, friends, work, blessings, faith, God's creations, and this LIFE! As I always say, I may not have everything that I want, at least I have enough.

God is so GOOD! Because even though He doesn't give the things that I ask Him, He still let me be happy with what I have.

I may not have the riches or my prince charming, I'm grateful for God because when I have no one He's always there! He never fails me :)

God's delays is not always God's rejection. A "No" from Him now is maybe a "Yes" in my future. I trust His Timeline. He's preparing something GREAT for me, I believe! :)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Love love love! ♥

Joey Velasco: The Man and the Artist

The first time I saw his painting of "Hapag ng Pag-asa", I was amazed of his talent in painting. I'm a person who loves art. Actually I really love making drawings that's why I really appreciate the kind of works he did. It's not only an art because while looking at his works, you'll see that his drawings speak. Every character in his paintings looks real. It was just recently that I got the news that he passed away. An artist that I idolized a lot that was gone too soon. His paintings speak of life and faith. I was not given a chance to meet him in person but I'm lucky that I got to see his works.

Just want to share the story of Sir Joey Velasco, being a man and being an artist. Joey Velasco is a Filipino visual artist who dared to journey in a field, gingerly trodden by Filipino artists---religious art. His most notable piece is "Hapag ng Pag-asa" (Table of Hope), a recasting of the "Last Supper," where Christ shares a meal with hungry street urchins.


Having done 31 one man exhibits and 2 group shows in the past three years, the other works of Velasco had made the rounds not only of the gallery circuit but also of universities, churches and various groups here and abroad where they never fail to attract a crowd for their compelling themes bridging the celestial and terrestrial. He wrote the book “They Have Jesus” and produced single handedly three indie films. “Sa Kambas ng Lipunan (2006),” “Ang Lumang Paintbrush (2007),” and “Kakaibang Kulay (2008).”

Born in March 18, 1967 to Ciriaco and Adelita Velasco, Joey showed early signs of his passion for entrepreneurship. He took up law at the Ateneo de Manila but had to leave to be in solidarity with his working class parents.

He traces his catharsis and ensuing epiphany to a near-fatal illness that afflicted him four years ago. He underwent a major operation, causing him the loss of his left kidney. He was devastated. He slumped into a depression like being trapped in a dark, lonely, deep well. He totally withdrew from the world – from his work and social life – he avoided any contact with his friends and even his family – locking himself in one room as a total recluse. He prayed that God could throw him a rope for him to get out of darkness, and he was ready to catch it even if it was laced with broken glass. But instead of a rope, the Lord reached out through the paintbrush and he grabbed it. He finally saw light and new life.

His artworks haunt because they serve both as mirror and window. As mirror because the viewers see themselves reflected in the obras; as window because it opens for them a horizon. Velasco’s paintings mirror the everyday life in which a Jesus of a different culture is deeply engaged, but they also open a window such that when people see children with down syndrome singing lullaby to an exhausted Christ on a canvas, the viewers are invited to open that window and plunge themselves into the world of mild to severe mental retardation, unspeakable burden, but also of innocent and unsullied compassion.

The forty two year old artist considers himself just a paint brush being used by the Divine artist. He regards his talent as a gift from above. Happily married to Marie Queeny Puno Sunga for 13 years, he considers this transformative journey in art a legacy to his beloved children Marco, Chiara, Clarisse, and Marti.

www.joeyvelasco.net

"I believe each one of us has a mission on this earth. Some knows it already but still some of us are still in search. But whatever it is that God has planned in our lives, I know it's for the BEST. Sir Joey Velasco is an inspiration. His paintings somehow help us reignite our faith to our Almighty Father. We are sinners but our God is a forgiving Father. We are given life and talents, and I guess we should live and use it to the fullest . Sometimes we take for granted the small things we do to our neighbors but we never know that these small things occupy the big part on their hearts. :)"

thankful @ 24!

Time really flies so fast! woot woot! Goodbye 23! Hello 24!

They say don't count your birthdays, instead count your blessings! And I have so much to thank for! Thank you Lord for another year- another year older but a much wiser ME.. :)

Thank you Lord for this LIFE. It wasn't been so much perfect but nevertheless I wouldn't exchange my life for anything. There were things that I failed, mistakes I made, but then You were always there to remind me that LIFE is beautiful. You have given me a life that has so many lessons on it, some I learned the hard way, but it was all so good!

I want to thank you Lord for giving me a very supportive family. Not perfect, not even close to perfection. But just real to care, support and love me. I'd always be thankful for them. And believe it or not, I'd still want them for a family in my next life. We may have our own shortcomings, misunderstandings and difficulties but I always take it as your way of reminding us how much you trust our family. I believe that You will not give us problems that we can't overcome. Everything happens for a reason. We just have to wait and see why things happen, because in the end You have better plans than we could ever imagine and we should trust You.

Thank you Lord for your blessings called Friends. I am proud to say that You've showered me with true friends. I don't have tons of them. They may be few but they are absolutely real and true! They're my moral supporters too. They are the ones who reminds me how beautiful I am when I'm forgetting to love myself. And to those friends of mine that though we were separated for years but still manage to connect and update each other time to time--thank you for making our friendships continue to grow stronger beyond distance and time.

I may not be rich in material things but having these people in my Life, I could say I'm rich BIG TIME! No amount of money can replace the joy of having true people in my Life! They are the people who mold me to be the person that I am now. I may not have everything, but I have enough. :)

Lord, thank you for always being present in my life, for guiding me and for making me a stronger person everyday. I'm sorry for the times I forget you, but You never fail to forget me. You didn't gave me what I want most of the time, but You've given me what I mostly needed which is indeed so much helpful! Please always remind me that I cannot change everything to my preference but I can change the way I think about it! Remind me that I need to be positive as always.

At 24, my life isn't perfect, no one else's life is though. But despite of the imperfection, I'm still thankful. I will always be thankful. I am terrific and always be terrific. I am tough and will be tougher.

Lord, I know you have great plans for me. Whatever challenges may come my way, I know I can surpass it because I have you. You have given me another year and there's so much to celebrate with it. So lucky that I still exist! :)

Thank you so much for everything! I love you Lord!

You are GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!

Happy New Year to Me!!! :)

* Thank you Thank you sa lahat ng greetings!! Very much appreciated. Salamat sa pag-alala.. sa susunod ulit wag kayo makalimot! :)

Friendship

If you asked someone how they would define friendship, the answer will usually be “someone who will always be there when you need them, a person who never lies, a person who will always put you first before anyone else” & so on. But who actually fits that description? You have your friends & your true friends. Friends come in many people, but true friends only come once in a lifetime. A real friendship will last, no matter how far they are from you, no matter how many new people they meet, or how popular they may become. To depend on a friend to always be there for you is unfair, because if that person isn’t there, what would you do? Just cut them out of your life? If you were a good friend yourself, you would understand why & know that no one is perfect. A friend will always tell you what sounds good or what will make you happy, but a true friend will tell you the brutal truth. FACT: real friends never try to avoid arguments because it will not harm the friendship at all. They shouldn’t be scared of getting into that argument in the first place because those little arguments are what makes the friendship stronger. True friends know your deepest secrets, good & bad, & will still love you til the end but friends will only know your surface appearance. Friends come & go without explanation, but true friends will always be there, even when you think they’re not. True friends are like family; people who treat your parents like they’re theirs, people who become best buddies to your brothers & sisters. So when you say “family always comes first”, they are already your family. To me, friendship is like a board game. The ones who care enough will enter the game, play it, & stay until you end it together. The ones who don’t will get bored & choose to leave. So, keep what is worth keeping, & with a breath of comfort, blow the rest away.

Someday..

I know, someday, I will find you, and I will marry you. We will be together after a long time of waiting for this moment to come. In each other’s arms, we will feel the happiness we never felt before. We will love like we’ve never been in love and never been hurt before, just like love for the first time. A love, so fresh, so exciting, with no fear and doubtfulness.

I may know you now or may not know you yet, but one thing’s for sure, our love story has not yet begun. I’m typing this nonsense things coming from my mind, using these simple words to explain how i feel, wondering if you’d be able to read this.

The day would come, that I’d be walking on the aisle, with everyone’s eyes on me. My throat can hardly swallow as the tears on my eyes are clouding, which slowly drops every time i close my eyes.Tears of happiness flowing, for I can see a blurred vision of you, waiting for me at the end of the aisle. At last, we will both say “I do”.

Life never stops teaching...

I’ve learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides. I’ve learned that it’s taking me a long time to become the person i want to be. I’ve learned that it’s a lot easier to react than it is to think. I’ve learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you. I’ve learned that maturity has more to do with the types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated. I’ve learned that quantity is not as important as quality when it comes to best friends. I’ve learned that it isn’t enough to be forgiven by others, sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself. I’ve learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world will not stop for your grief. I’ve learned that background and circumstances might have influenced who you are, but we are responsible for who we become. I’ve learned that you can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved. I’ve learned that no matter how old or wise you think you are, life never stops teaching.