Default Setting: Solo

Posted on February 7, 2017 by heavenliner

Kiss January goodbye and welcome to the dreadful Valentines month of February. It is so awful the level of ghastliness (especially the 14^th day) can be compared to Black Saturday when Jesus is dead, the Halloween, the Day of the Dead, the Bombing of Pearl Harbor and the day the Jews were burned to death by the Nazis rolled into one.

I may feel vileness in the air this time of the year but the whole world loves February. It is the month the world’s population observes the ultimate celebration of love towards someone they adore. But for me, I find February to be something gruesome. It is because it is the month when I am kept reminded of my heart’s, seem to be perpetual, default setting: solo, alone, by myself, solitary, unaccompanied, SINGLE.

solo

Though I don’t like February, I would still like to believe that Love at any day or time of the year and no matter what its form is an antidote to all the bad stuff that life throws at us. Perpetual singlehood may be harder and my default setting for quite a considerable time already, believe me, I still consider Love as a great source of happiness, comfort and safety. It eliminates fear. Everything else fails in comparison to love.

Sige na! Kayo na ang maganda! Kayo na ang maligaya!

Asked for Direction, Purpose & Life

Posted on January 15, 2017 by heavenliner

I’ve lately been feeling lost, empty and worthless. I dragged myself to Baclaran Church and prayed this:

Give me Direction;

Give me Purpose;

Give me Life.

Eymen…

Unbelievable Pauline Agupitan Slays “I Believe”

Posted on November 15, 2016 by heavenliner

I happen to stumble upon this young talent on YouTube. And when I started listening to her, I realized that her singing voice is actually the quality of my voice every time I wake up suffering from a severe sore throat!

But seriously, I was stunned by this young Filipina’s amazing voice. And what adds up to such a surprising rendition is that her singing seem effortless. I am not a music expert but I know what a remarkable voice is when I hear one. Her version of Fantasia Barrino’s I Believe is just perfect (or even better than the original, I suppose)!

Goosebumps were actually falling off my skin at the start of the song. And these goosebumps started growing their own hands so as to give a humongous round of applause to such an amazing talent at the end of the song!

powerful voice at such a tiny frame

Halimaw ang talento ng babaing yan!

Stupidly Expecting for Dami Im

Posted on November 8, 2016 by heavenliner

In my recent journey to New Zealand, I got to spend a very short period of time in Australia. It is because my flight from Manila to Queenstown was via Sydney. It was a 3 hour layover at the land down under.

While at the Sydney airport, I was ecstatic because despite the fact that chances of bumping into my favorite Aussie celebrity was like asking for the heavens to give me the greatest love life I don’t deserve, I was still positively expecting some mystic phenomenon to happen. I was not expecting to bump into Kylie Minogue or Hugh Jackman nor Cate Blanchett or Chris Hemsworth. I was not expecting Australians to bestow me a red carpet welcome. I was not expecting the mayor to hand me the key to their city. I was actually hoping to see Australia’s singing diva, Dami Im!

dami was not popular yet during my visits in sydney…

I know it’s stupid but as soon as my feet landed on the grounds of Sydney, my bizarre and inexplicable hope for Dami Im to be at the airport! And since I don’t have any photos to show, it means this longing did not transpire. I guess the heavens was smart enough not grant such a wish, otherwise, I would not have left the airport in time for my journey to fresh Queenstown.

Let me just satiate and mollify this stupid wish by posting and listening to Dami Im’s latest single “Fighting for Love”. I actually prefer Dami’s live performance during the X Factor TV show than the actual music video of the song…

Na-aning-aning lang sa Sidni…

My kind of NZ Town is a toss between a Queen and an Arrow

Posted on October 27, 2016 by heavenliner

When I have already spent a couple of days in New Zealand, I was starting to realize that this fresh country is giving Japan (my most favorite country) a good run for their money. Everything seem so fresh, nice and clean in New Zealand. Crime rate in NZ is basically nil like that of Osaka and even the public toilets were as clean as those found in the Nippon country.

Actually, I have long realized that if I will be given the opportunity to live in Japan, without a batting an eyelash, I would easily choose Osaka. But in New Zealand, it would be a toss between two awesome towns. I would like to live either in Queenstown or Arrowtown.

who would not want an afternoon sight like this

colors of queenstown

seating by the bench…

Queenstown is a bit small in terms of size and population for it to be considered a city, but the vibe and energy it displays is sweepingly large in scale. I particularly loved the cosmopolitan restaurants. The multi-ethnic offerings of these restaurants to its residence and visitors are impressively wide ranging.

No one should get bored when staying in this modernized town. From bungy jumping to jumping off a plane or riding a crazy rough speedboat, Queenstown can be considered as adventurer’s haven. But what I particularly love about this town is that aside from doing adrenaline-filled activities, you can take time to a slow down. You can simply find a lakeside bench and engross yourself to the beauty of the nature.

early arrowtown spring

colors of arrowtown

taking it easy at arrowtown…

Arrowtown on the other hand is a quaint little town just minutes away by car from Queenstown. The tree-lined avenues (which I suspect changes its looks and color depending on the season) as well as the fashionable shops at the main road (Buckingham Street) are two of the nicest areas that this town boasts about. And like Queenstown it also has a wide array of excellent restaurants.

This historic gold-rush town seem to possess an alluring character that is uniquely of its own. It is so charming we actually drove twice in this town to further explore the sights and we even walked a short riverside nature trail to breathe some of the freshest air on earth.

Arrowtown has a much slower pace as compared to Queenstown. Another impressive character of this town is that it is uncrowded. I suppose this is the place that Queenstown locals go to if they wish to have some quiet time for themselves or with their family.

I live at the most densely populated city in the world. There is never a day in my city that I would not see a human being. Everywhere I look, everywhere I go and everywhere I smell there is someone near me. Thus, the uncrowded yet colorful places like Queenstown and Arrowtown for me are true gems of a place.

Samdey… samdey… titira din ako dyan!

Awesome KJet was not in My Bucket

Posted on October 18, 2016 by heavenliner

Bucket lists allows people to hammer our their thoughts, determine their hearts desires and resolve what the bones would want to feel. It is a unique and distinct reminded of what sort of awesome things we want to accomplish, what terrain our feet desires to step on or what our eyes would want to see.

One of the items in my long and complicated bucket list is to see, feel and breathe New Zealand. Which recently, with the blessings from the holy heavens, I have accomplished. I could not ask for more when my feet walked the streets of Queenstown, breath the freshest air of Glenorchy and chomp on the luscious dishes of Arrowtown.

And throughout the visits in these lovely towns of New Zealand, I did not expect that I would be engaged in one awesome circumstance! My visit, my plans and my list of things to do in NZ did not include my riding the KJet. And I’m glad I did! KJet is an exhilarating 1-hout jet boat ide on the deep crystal blue waters of Lake Wakatipu, the turquoise-colored waters of Kawaru Rivert and the shallow channels of Shotover River.

adrenaline rush

unforgettable ride…

My riding the KJet has been one of the many awesome highlights of my visit to New Zealand. The fast adrenaline rush was just spectacular! Me and my friends particularly loved it when the expert driver would like throw the boat around and would do a 360 degree spin! Add to this exhilarating ride are the stunning views of the remarkable snow-capped mountain ranges of New Zealand! The gorgeous view heightens further the already spectacular ride!

kjet groupie

awesome!

Here’s how fast and thrilling the jet boat ride is…

KJet was not in my bucket list, but this awesome thrilling ride will definitely be remembered…

Grabe! Ambilis-bilis! Angganda-ganda!

Pater Noster: Prayer For Life

Posted on July 10, 2016 by heavenliner

Just like missing prayers before a meal or going to sleep I missed writing about the Church of Pater Noster. Also known as the Sanctuary of the Eleona, Pater Noster church is located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

pater noster church

lords prayer in its first two languages…

Being a Catholic, my not writing about this place felt like heresy of some sort. It is because this special spot, where I and my sister visited when we were in Israel, is where Lord Jesus believed to have taught the Lord’s Prayer.

Not all Catholics were blessed enough of being able to see and experience what it was to be like in such a special place. Honestly, I consider Pater Noster to be one of the highlights of me and my sister’s tour of the Mount of Olives.

This 4^th century Byzantine church is serene and beautiful. And underneath this massive structure is a cave which I think is considered the holiest spot of the area for it is believed to be where Lord Jesus taught his disciples the ‘Ama Namin’ (translation: Our Father) prayer.

highlight!

selfie inside where it’s taught

searching for the tagalog version…

got the ilonggo version

feeling so blessed…

The walls of the structure are placed with multilingual plaques bearing the Lord’s Prayer in different languages. Feeling proud Pinoys, I and my sister failed to locate the plaque in Filipino-Tagalog language. We nevertheless was successful in locating the English and the Filipino-Ilonggo prayer versions.

Saying the Our Father has always been part of my prayer, in whatever form or state of mind I am. And I may miss saying prayers before meals and before sleep but I will forever be so thankful that the stars has aligned for me to see and experience this holy place where the prayer for life started.

Oh ‘di ba, ang banal banal ko na??

The Rare Remarkability of Old Jaffa

Posted on April 10, 2016 by heavenliner

zodiac sign fountain inside old jaffa square

Old Jaffa is a very old port town situated in the south of Tel Aviv. It is believed that this town was built by the son of Noah (Japheth) after the great flood. Thus, this town is considered one of the oldest inhabited towns on the planet.

With the more than 3,000 years old history of this town, there is so much to see, hear, feel and smell in Old Jaffa. This place is actually my most photographed place in my recent trip to Israel with my sister. That is why this old town would definitely be one place in Israel that I will be back in case I will again be blessed to visit Israel.

Walking through the narrow streets and alleyways of Old Jaffa, it is very evident that the place is now a haven for artists and craftsmen. The artistry of the people who presently inhabits the place are truly mind-blowing!

With the rich and remarkable history of Old Jaffa, there is indeed so much to write about this ancient place. Yet, I could not seem to focus on what to say and write about this beautiful town. I guess I was too mesmerized by the special remarkability, rich exceptionality and the rareness of the magic of Old Jaffa.

this art piece is called “gate of faith”

there’s so much to see, feel and smell…

super nice!

my sister love the colors of this artpiece

i love this place!!!

mesmerized!

Ibang lebel ang historik at kulchural ng baryong ‘to

Too Thankful to Wail at the Wailing Wall

Posted on April 3, 2016 by heavenliner

The Western Wall (which others call The Wailing Wall) has been regarded by the Jews as the sole remnant of the Holy Temple. It is considered to be the closest accessible site to the holiest spot in Judaism known as the Foundation Stone which lies on the Temple Mount. Because of these, the Western Wall has become a place of pilgrimage among the Jews around the world.

a holy site to behold

selfie muna

amen!

i could not believe i would be this blessed!

Since it is the holiest accessible site, the Western Wall would be the site where Jewish believers would lament about the obliteration of the temple as well as the site where they would pray for intentions. As a tradition, people would write a note on a piece of paper about their intentions, their petitions, their requests, wishes, longings and yearnings. And insert the paper into the crevices of the walls for the heavenly beings to grant such wishes, requests and appeals.

Though a non-Jewish, I have been gifted by the heavens to set foot, see, smell and feel the massive and majestic walls of the Western Wall. Some perhaps must be envious that a pathetic underachiever like me was granted the rare chance to pray and ask for anything that I need and want to the Holy God of the Jewish world.

me and my sister on our 2nd visit

too overjoyed to ask for anything…

But honestly, I failed to write any petition neither did I fail to even murmur on the stones about any wish. It is because I was too overjoyed and too thankful to ask for anything at that moment. The mere fact that I was blessed to be in the Holy Land is already a massive and colossal gift from the heavens. I was so thrilled and delighted I could no longer ask for anything else at that moment.

Mapapasigaw ka talaga ng “Tenk Yu Lord!”

Queen Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour: A Wish Granted

Posted on February 25, 2016 by heavenliner

pose muna

It was all exclamation points in my thought bubble from the start to finish! This is how I would describe my general feelings when I watched the Manila leg of Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour. It was like a super blessing granted to me by the Supreme Being!

a stage fit for a queen

While I was shouting “Oh My God!” in uncountable times while she was emerging from above the stage, every bit of my being was growing goosebumps last night!

goosebumps overload!

japan! japan! i love it!

spectacular!

singing “La Vie En Rose”

I have been a Madonna fan since the day I first heard the song “Everybody”. All my classmates, all my friends, my colleagues, my relatives and of course Nengkoy knows this. And ever since that day, I have been wishing from the heavens to grant me the royal opportunity to see even at least one of her spectacular shows. I actually thought that this would never be accorded but I guess the Book of Secret is correct all along when it says “Nothing can come into your experience unless you summon it through persistent thoughts.”

The Rebel Heart tour and finally seeing Madonna performing live would be the apex, the apogee and the culmination of my being diehard fan.

Long live the Queen!!!

Santa Maria!!! Salamat!!!

Nengkoy

ruminations & travesties of the favorite yet naughty son of Nengkoy

Tag Archives: wish