Poem 37 - Bless Me, O Lord

Bless me, o Lord
And bless my soul, too
For all my shortcomings
And those I failed to do.

I know that my existence
Is not worthy of Your glance
Have pity, o Lord
Give me another chance.

I am ashamed of myself
For sinning in countless ways
Pardon me, o Lord
Don't deprive me of Thy grace.

Bless me, o Lord
And bless my soul, too
My bewildered life is lost
My soul is dying also.

I don't have what it takes
To be a child in Your fold
Have mercy, o Lord
Don't let go of Your hold.

I am struggling to survive
To follow the righteous path
Be kind on me, o Lord
Don't forsake me with Thy wrath.

Bless me, o Lord
And bless my soul, too
Without You, I am nothing
My life and soul, I surrender to You.

Quote 74 - Friends

Moment 37 - Reminiscing Ondoy

How time flies. It's just like several months ago when Metro Manila and other neighboring provinces were hit by typhoon Ondoy and so many lives were affected and changed afterwards.

These pictures were taken at Quezon Boulevard underpass when its pumping station did not work during the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy. For the first time(?) in the history of Manila, a massive amount of water filled the Quezon Boulevard underpass and turned it into a gigantic swimming pool.

By dawn the following day, the folks within the vicinity turned the flooded underpass into a public swimming pool. Though it looked like business as usual, the sight of the major underpass in the city of Manila was uncommon. People, including me, could not help ourselves but to stop and stare for a while due to this unbelievable sight.

Even the lamp post was turned into a diving board by brave and adventurous individuals. I could not believe my eyes seeing these people flocked the lamp post and jumped into the water to their heart's content. It was indeed a spectacular sight (if you may consider it) seeing an activity like this one in the middle of a once busy underpass. 

The city of Manila used several firetrucks and it took several days to actually drain it.

Today, two years after, typhoon Pedring hits the country. It seems like history is repeating itself.

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Quote 73 - Holding On

Random Thought 37 - Precious Moment

When we spend some time with people, even if some of them are not close to us, we may never know that we are actually spending a precious moment with them.

There are occasions when we think that the little amount of time spent with our friends or acquaintances is just an ordinary one. At times we are totally clueless about their state and that whatever little amount of time we spend with them, we don't know that we are actually helping them in the process. I guess if we are a bit sensitive about others, we can share a bit of ourselves and a bit of our time with them and who knows, these bits of us could mean so much for them.

And who knows, sometime in the near future, we might be needing the same amount of attention from our friends. The same amount of attention and time that will prove to be the most precious moment for us when life will shake us.

Food Trip 36 - Chocolate Cinnamon Cake

I just love chocolates. 

One time, in no particular reason, I tried another cake flavor. I usually go for my favorite chocolate cake, the one coated with chocolate and its inside is stuffed with chocolate syrup.  Though it was somewhat different, still it was a chocolate cake. Haha. It is really hard for me to get out from my comfort zone.

Honestly, when I tasted this one, it is not that sweet compared to my favorite chocolate cake. It's sweetness is just right and the addition of cinnamon brings some form of  a delight once tasted. And since the texture of the cake is soft and smooth, it simply disappears fast in my mouth. Hmmm. Yummy.

Exploring Philippines 36 - Vigan (Post 7 - the Villa)

On our third night, after dinner, Jay's grandmother brought us to a villa within the town proper. Since it was an unexpected activity that night, I forgot to bring my tripod.

The villa (name withheld) is huge and is open 24 hours a day. They have affordable rooms for two, family, or even a group. The moment you set foot on the receiving area, the poster of Tom Cruise with his dedication can be seen right away. This villa was part of the filming of his movie Born on the 4th of July.

Our stay and exploration of the villa could had been longer if not for the words uttered by Jay's grandmother before leaving us that night. She dropped us and leave right away because she could not afford to miss her favorite tv shows. But before she leave, she told us to be careful about taking pictures for we might include a headless human figure.

As we wander around the villa, we had to keep our voices low because there were guests occupying some rooms that time. Some rooms don't have their lights on and though we wanted to take a peek, our dreadful expectations of something supernatural that could happen refrain us of our curiosity. And since we were already given an idea what to expect in a place like this one, we tried to behave and act with caution all throughout of our stay.

Well, maybe since we'd been told some scary stuff about this place, the entity of the villa could had retreated in the shadows. Jay told me that there was a story about a young woman who spent her night alone in the living room, passing some time. Then, an old lady  entered the room and conversed with her. The following day, she recognized the old lady from a picture hanging in the wall of the living room and she could not believe her ears when she was told that the old lady in the picture already passed away.

Though we did not encounter something spooky, it could had been an added experience if we encountered a hair-raising one. But I guess, it was better that way.

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