Happy Birthday Gerard!

My apo, Gerard, is turning one today. Can't believe it had been a year since my niece Joyce was rushed to the hospital because she could not detect any uterine contractions for almost a day! We were all so scared, and it had to happen on the same day I was meeting the Pulmonologist at St Luke's to fix the problem I was having with my Australian business visa application then. It still is a problem now, but that's another story. Gerard happened to stick his head to tightly in his mom's pelvic outlet, which prevented him from moving significantly.


That said, we're thankful nothing more serious happened except for the emergency c-section. Gerard's head is nicely shaped, too. We're just wondering where he got his nose from. It's quite... noticeable. =)


Happy birthday dearest Pongpong! We love you so much!

Exhilarating

Long before I became a church choir member, I've always dreamed of singing this song wholeheartedly in public -

PANGINOON, AKING TANGLAW

Music by: Fruto Ramirez, SJ
Lyrics by: Tim Ofrasio, SJ
Arrangement: Paulo K Tirol
Soloist: Maan Ferrer

Panginoon, aking tanglaw
Tanging Ikaw ang kaligtasan
Sa panganib ingatan ako
Ang lingkod Mong nananalig sa 'Yo

Ang tawag ko'y 'Yong pakinggan
Lingapin Mo at kahabagan

Anyaya Mo'y lumapit sa 'YoHuwag magkubli, huwag kang magtago
Sa bawat sulok ng mundo
Ang lingkod Mong hahanap sa 'Yo

Ang tawag ko'y 'Yong pakinggan
Lingapin Mo at kahabagan
Panginoon, aking tanglaw
Tanging Ikaw ang kaligtasan
Sa masama ilayo Mo ako
Ang lingkod Mong nananalig sa 'Yo.

It's a mellow song with a soothing melody that radiates a person's desire to serve the Lord. It is simple and honest and is easy on the ears. I hum or sing it when I feel alone or whenever I'm full with longing to go back to serving at the church. I had to stop serving when I entered medical school because I simply did not have the time to do so.

It's sad, and for years I was content at just listening to the choir at

mass. But now that I can set aside a specific time for weekday mass, I've started my devotion here -

It just happened. A few months ago, Noy volunteered to join the choir who sang at the 7pm mass. They are always just a handful of them (4 is considered many) at a time, and they more often than not they sang a capella because the pianist isn't always around. He was warmly welcomed (unlike in some church groups where they pose a lot of requirements for new members like it's a fraternity or something - yes, they do exist). Noy didn't push me to join them at once; he knew I developed nasty nerves after years of not singing in public on a regular basis. But after a few weeks I gathered some strength and placed myself before the microphone.

On my second week, I finally sang my dream song, in public, fully unprecedented, totally unexpected - and it felt awesome. Just awesome.

God is good!