Switchfoot By The Numbers

"We were meant to live for so much more.."

"Hello hurricane, you can't silence my love!"

"If it doesn't break your heart, it isn't love."

"I'm finding that You and You alone can break my fall."

"When I look at the stars, I see someone else."

"Every breath is a second chance."

"We are the children of the scar, I wanna start from the start"

"This is home, this is home, now I'm finally where I belong."

"Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go? Salvation is here."

"I know now, You're my only hope."

2:    hours standing in line at the gates of Ultra.
5: (or more) new friends Jotham made, while standing in said line.


4:   number of bets made about which song Switchfoot will sing first (Iya - Yet, May: Dare You To Move, Jotham: Hello Hurricane, Bianca and Hayz: Made To Live)
150:  pesos worth of dessert the bet's winner could order.
4 : (or so) other bets made that night --- time the show would start, number of songs they would play, name of the opening act. 
0:   actual number of winners that night.

16:   number of songs in total, that Switchfoot performed that night, which included Always (Jotham's favorite), This Is Home, (Iya's favorite), Meant To Live (Bianca and Hayzel's favorite), Only Hope (Mainstream ako! My favorite)
3:  number of songs we were hoping they would play, but didn't (Yet, Sing It Out and You).

2: eyes on Shariya's face that gave us a withering look when we suggested dinner to her "friend." 
11:  the hour that we were finally able to eat dinner at Dencio's Metrowalk.

1 : ONE AMAZING GOD, who brought us together, to watch this AMAZING, BLESSED band, whose songs fill our nights, resplendent.

I Mean Bizznezzz Thizzz Time!

Okay one of the resolutions I made just now, is to update this blog more often. And by often, I mean every time a significant event has happened in my life, or an epiphany lights up my heart.

And right now I am sooo behind. From Beijing to Baccalaureate Breakfast, to Graduation, to Caramoan, to sooooo many more events, big and small, through which God has lavished His love on me.

Having said that, it is time to get to work.

Sarang Hae David Park

Homemade card for David

Fruity crepe thing courtesy of Anton Reloj

David!

With Juan The Man

Iya with Brucie, Joy and Ivan

It's Jego time! With Jotham

Surprise lunch at his house and soccer shoes c/o Cambridge  + movie (Source Code)  + afternoon surprise of crepe, video (Banana Shake!), card c/o teachers + a little bit of Time Zone = HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID PARK!!!

My Girl Maggie

My girl Maggie, she’ll be tall and as tough as a tree…

Like a tree she’ll grow with her head held high

And her feet planted firm on the ground.

And you won’t see nobody dare to try

To toss her or boss her around.

I guess it's safe to say, that from now onwards,  every gathering in our family - whether they are birthdays, reunions or anniversaries, they will all center on one special little girl.
 
To celebrate my brother, Alpee's birthday, my sister Kat was gracious enough to lend her condo unit as space for celebration. It was our first time going there, and we got lost in a maze of strange, twisting streets and dead end alleys. I was agitated, because Maggie was already at the condo, and my brother said they had to leave early. (Nooooo!!!)
 
When we finally got there, she was in a pretty sun dress, just traipsing along the paved grounds, smiling and laughing gaily as a light breeze blew her hair. She was having the loveliest time, and it was only natural to skip and twirl along with her.
 
Inside the unit, Maggie proudly showed off new tricks up her sleeve. She performed animal sounds like "bok bok" for chicken, "kokak" for frog, "raaarrr" for lion, and "aw aw" for dog. She cupped her hands to her face, and displayed her "pretty girl look." She put on her tiny pink shades and modeled for us.
 
There were moments, when she would say uncannily grown-up things. Rummaging through my bag, she found my phone, and told me bossily, "Cellphone mo." Or, when asked for a kiss, in exchange for food, she irritably said, "Naman, eh!"
 
Her expressions are priceless. There is unabashed joy in her eyes and her smile, as she sees and feels and experiences something for the very first time. Oh, to be that young, that every single moment is just sheer delight, with no past or future to drag down or encumber you.  
 
She is like that Sting song, "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" -- an endlessly fascinating little person, at whose existence I marvel at constantly. Who is this young girl, who, only years ago did not even exist in our lives? And now she is a walking, talking, thing of beauty.
 
Amazing, amazing, amazing, this gift. Thank you God, for this gift of a precious new life! :)

The World is Just Awesome (Boom De Ya Da) - Caramoan, Philippines

So how do you tell the story of three days of island hopping, boat rides, exquisite sandbars, resplendent blue waters, with the absolute best people on the planet? Why, make a video of course! (Thanks, Josam.)

So here it is, 2 minutes and 44 seconds of pure gloriousness in Caramoan, Camarines Sur, Philippines.

"All powerful, untameable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim, YOU ARE AMAZING GOD!"