Ramblings Intérieurs

Hillsong United Live in Manila 2008

85. Hillsong United Live in Manila 2008

They came. They saw. They conquered.

And they rocked. For Jesus.

The concert tickets says the show would start at 8 P.M. and we arrived in Cubao about fifteen minutes before 7 PM. I knew we were "late" because I know that there would be a lot of people and since we have the "General Admission" tickets, I wanted to go in early and be at the middle part. I was right. There were a lot people outside Araneta, mostly youth. But since we were already hungry, we ate first in Gateway and we entered the Big Dome at 7:30 P.M. and the middle part of the General Admission and Upper Box were already full. So we were at the farthest part of General Admission and at the back. But it didn't matter. As I told my officemate Haze, it doesn't matter where we are. What matters is that we came to the concert to be inspired, to experience, and feel the presence of God.

I must admit that I am really not that familiar yet with the songs of Hillsong United. I am still on the process of re-discovering Jesus. Praise and worship is one way for me of re-discovering Him. That is why I wanted to watch this concert even if it means withdrawing some money my savings account. Even if I have work the next day. Even if I am at the farthest part of Araneta Coliseum.

It was worth the sacrifices.

Surprisingly, there was no front act in the concert (No Filipino Christian rock band?). The show barely started but the crowd were already screaming their lungs out (and that includes me).

Joel Houston opened the show by reading a verse from the Bible which I can't remember because I can barely understand what he was saying. I had to listen attentively whenever the members of the band talks to the crowd. This was maybe because we were at the back or because of the huge crowd.

The band started the concert with the song "Time Has Come."

They proceeded into what would be an identical series of songs from the "With Hearts as One" album. It was the first time I heard the songs but my feet was stomping to the beat and enjoying the songs as they were being sung. I found myself praying and in worship on the middle part of the show when they were singing the slower songs, "Hosanna" and "All I Need Is You."

They sang songs mostly from their new album, "With Hearts as One" and almost all the songs were fast and of course, rocking.

For encore, they sang "One Way" and "Solution."

The crowd was of different mix. I saw kids, teenagers, yuppies, parents in where we were seated. They came from all classes. Even of different races. I saw some Chinese-Filipinos and a few Americans. Donita Rose and Rica Peralejo cried and worshipped in the front row with their Christian friends. It really didn't matter who you are, where you came from, or what class you belong. What mattered is that they came to praise and worship God. The focus was on Jesus.

Earlier that day, I had a conversation through text with a friend and I was having a problem with that friend (I can't blog about it for personal reasons) and the chorus of the song "All I Need Is You" brought home God's message to me. "All I need is you, Lord. Is You, Lord."

The complete set list (not sure of this is correct):

Time Has Come
Take It all
What the world will never take
My Future Decided
All I Need is You (my LSS)
Hosanna
Shout Unto God
The Stand
Break Free
Look To You
Salvation is Here
More than life
None But Jesus
From the Inside out
Came to my rescue
Savior King
Tell The world

Encore:

One Way (this song is what most, if not all, the crowd wanted to hear)
Solution

For pictures, visit my Multiply site: http://rolly07.multiply.com/photos/album/23/Hillsong_United_Live_in_Manila_2008

It was an overwhelming experience for me. The crowd. The band. The songs. There was even one part of the show that I shed a tear. There's only one word to describe the Hillsong United concert in Manila.

Amazing.

My First Evangelist

Today, Bro. Bo Sanchez talked about being an evangelist. It's not what you think about but close enough. I am not writing to convert you to be a Christian, if you're not a Christian. I am not trying to convert you to be a believer, if you're not a believer in God. I am not writing to invite you to The Feast. I am not writing to do the things above. Well, not yet, for that matter. But eventually you will be a believer, you will be a Christian, and you will attend with me in The Feast. Yes, you, the one reading this very simple and humble blog of mine. How? That's my little secret. ;)

Today, I will be writing about a very special person who came to my life and touched my life. No, she's not my first love nor she is about "The One" but someone who introduced me to Jesus. It's someone by the name of Bro. Orland. I have an entry that says something about him and he is number 15 in my list of reasons to be happy and thankful that I am living in this lifetime. (http://yllor.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog/2008/01/2008_reasons_to.html) but I think he deserves a single entry so here I am writing again about him to tell the whole world that he is my first evangelist.

Bro. Orland is the person who introduced me to Jesus. With all due respect to my wonderful mother, of course, my mother is the one who told me about Jesus, how to pray, and all that good stuff but Bro. Orland is the person who taught me that I can have a relationship with Jesus. He told that I can have a personal relationship with Him, that I can talk to Him, tell Him about my problems, asked for advice from Him. In short, Bro. Orland taught me that I can have a real communion with God.

I have a lot to be thankful that I met someone like Bro. Orland in my life. He was my first evangelist and he changed my life in ways I couldn't imagine. As I wrote in that entry, "we will meet again, Brother (as I fondly called him), and I know once we meet again, we will have a Feast."

My Favorite Shirt

It was our evaluation day for Language Continuous Training. I was a bit nervous but I felt great on that day and I know that I was going to pass the training. I was deciding on what shirt I would wear when I saw my brother's shirt that is rarely worn but is relatively new. This is weird because new shirts at home are always worn almost every day by anyone of us. I wore this shirt once and I liked it, was very comfortable in it and it really looks good on me. However, there's a negative message there that says "I tried and failed. Pity me!"

I always want to wear it but I don't because it gives the impression that I am a failure.

I decided to make an experiment. I wore the shirt and I said to myself that if I fail LCT, I will not wear this shirt again anymore.

The trainor's first question to me was, "How are you doing?" I answered in all honesty, "I'm doin' great. Right now I'm a bit nervous but generally, I feel great." She then asked me a series of questions in a casual conversation and I tried my best to incorporate all that I learned in the course of the LCT training. It didn't went as perfectly as I wanted to but it definitely was not bad. I, however, thought that I would fail after the evaluation.

Guess what? I passed LCT and Pia, the trainor, gave me a gem of advice. She told me that learning is a never-ending process. She told me that passing LCT should not in any way stop me from learning and that I should continue improving my language skills. We also had a team bonding the same night. We ate, drank and I had fun. I didn't fail LCT and I had another great day. Did I mention that the first time I wore the shirt, I also had one of the greatest time in my life which was our BP4 Reunion in Star City.

I realized it's not about the message on the shirt but it's about what my mind envisions. If I think like I'm going to lose, I probably will lose. If I think that I am going to be beaten, then I am already beaten. It's just a mind game.

Looks like you'll be seeing more of my "I tried and failed. Pity me!" shirt. But please, don't pity me. =)

 

David Cook wins American Idol Season 7

I wasn't expecting David Cook to win. Much more to get 12 million votes more than David Archuleta. But that's what happened. David Cook won over David A. in American Idol Season 7 by a margin of 12 million votes.

I read an interesting article from AP (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iwXD4BoO2HF6nbttn2FU7Cw_ZtowD90QLIM01) about insights on why or how David C. won over David A. It says there that even though David A. has legion of young female fans, the viewership for teenagers who watch AI has gone down. The median age of Idol viewers has gone up to 42, whereas before it was "only" 30. In short David Cook had the vote of almost all the viewers of AI. I didn't know that a lot of old, I mean, mature people watch AI.

For me, it really doesn't matter, because I believe David Cook was the better artist and he deserved it. But you can't expect that to happen every time in American Idol. As the article concluded, in a competition that can crown a 29-year-old gray-haired Southerner one year and a cheery 17-year-old high-school student from Arizona the next, it's ultimately impossible to tell why America choose its "Idol" the way it does.

And that's precisely why I love watching American Idol.

Three Davids

I am blogging about three Davids that is currently occupying my mind. The first two are David Cook and David Archuleta.

81. American Idol Season 7 Finale

Just like the American Idol judges and fanatics wanted, I was also rooting for a David Cook vs. David Archuleta finale. It came to a reality last week when actress Syesha Mercado was eliminated. Syesha is a good singer but performance-wise and in terms of charisma, she is no match for the two Davids. Being eliminated would be good for her career in the long-term.

As you can see this event hasn't happened yet but I am already listing it on my 2008 list. That is because I believe, just like AI judge Simon Cowell, that it's going to be a real humdinger. The two Davids are very talented although very different from each other. I am expecting a classic showdown. I can't wait for it.

82. David in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible

The last David that I am going to write about is not a singer (but he plays the lire) and he's not even alive anymore. I'm speaking about David in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. I am currently reading the 2 Samuel of the Old Testament and I have learned a lot, empathized, and even shed a tear in one sub-plot in the story of David. What could you learn from reading a book in the Old Testament? A lot. Allow me to enumerate by sharing popular stories from the story of David.

83. David and Goliath

We all know the story of David and Goliath. That small David beat the giant, Goliath but we didn't know is that David is not really "small" or "weak."

When the Philistines challenged the Israelites with someone who can beat their champion, Goliath, the Israelites were afraid but not David. David said he wants to fight David because he thinks he
can beat Goliath. How can David be so confident that he can beat a giant?

When David was tending his sheep, lions and bears would come to get his sheep but he would slay them with his own hands. King Saul reluctantly agreed because David was young and had no
experience. David, however eventually won because of his skills and brains. And of course with inspiration from the Lord.

Lesson: Be humble but confident enough when the time comes.

83. David and Jonathan

This is the part where I shed a tear. David had a friend by the name of Jonathan but Jonathan's father is Saul. Saul was envious of David because God is in him and Saul planned of killing David thrice if I'm not mistaken. At first Jonathan was not convinced that his father had plans of killing his friend but when he learned that it was true, Jonathan helped David escape Israel and eventually from Saul. But before they left their separate ways, David bowed three times, they hugged and kissed each other, and wept with each other, David wept the more. What happened after that? Jonathan eventually died but David kept his promise to his Jonathan that he would take care of Jonathan's family. What the story tells is that David and Jonathan were friends, through thick and thin. That is what friends should really be.

Lesson: Be a true friend.

84. David and Batsheba.

I have just finished the story of David and Bathsheba and this is one of the lessons in David's story that I am now applying in my life.

David saw Bathsheba one day, naked and taking a bath. He instantly got attracted and lusted for Bathseba that he slept with her. The problem was Bathsheba is married to Uriah who is one of David's soldiers. When Batsheba got pregnant, David tried to find ways so that Uriah could sleep with Batsheba to conceal the fact that he is the one who got Batsheba pregnant but was unsuccessful. When David ordered Uriah to not go in the battle two times and go home to his wife, Uriah did not go to his wife, becasue he cannot fathom the idea that his comrades are in battle while he is enjoying the company of his wife.

David then sends Uriah back to Joab, the commander, with a message instructing him to abandon Uriah on the battlefield, "that he may be struck down, and die." Uriah eventually died and David marries Bathsheba and she bears his child but what David had done displeased God that He punished David by telling David that the child by Bathsheba will die.

David repented, cried, fasted, and prayed hard to the Lord that He spare his child. The child died anyway but right after the child died, David then leaves his lamentations, dresses himself, and eats. His servants ask why he lamented when the baby was alive, but leaves off when it is dead, and David replies: "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."

Lesson: When you have done wrong, admit it, repent, move on, and don't make the same mistake again.

I am still reading the 2 Book of Samuel and I am still learning a lot. The Bible, indeed, has a lot of stories that we can all learn from.

Have a blessed Sunday to all.

Blessed

Every time I attend The Feast, I get blessed in ways I cannot imagine. Today was another one of those days. Even if Bo Sanchez was not there (he has a series of talk in US for the next two weeks), it didn't matter as I felt more blessed than ever. The reasons are below.

78. Pentecost Day

Sure it is Mother's Day and the organizers of The Feast did not forget that but another important event coincides with the day of a very special person that is closest to the heart of most of us. Which is the birthday of the Church.

A lot of people would mistook me as a Born-Again Christian. Well, I attended one Born-Again Christian sect a few years ago and this is where I first found God. I had a fall-out after that and had difficulty going back to the Lord because I also had difficulty trying to figure out which church I would go. It took me a lot of years to have the kind of relationship that I wanted and needed from the Lord back.

Now, it seems that I found the right church and community.

I don't know if Born-Again Christians also have a Pentecost Day but what I know is we all have one God and we will praise and worship Him in our own churches and communities or wherever we are. Whatever religion we are in, we are all children of God. I would, however, like to pay tribute and say thanks to my Born-Again Christian friends for showing me the way to the Lord.

Right now, I am just happy that I found Him again and this time, I would never let Him go.

79. Fr. Jerry Orbos

I first heard Fr. Orbos officiate Mass in SM City North EDSA and I was amazed with his simple yet practical tips in life for Christians in his homilies. He also has his share of very simple jokes but no matter how simple it is, it would never fail to tickle your funny bones. I always read his column in Philippine Daily Inquirer every Sunday. I also bought a couple of his books and enjoyed reading it. After a long while, I was able to hear him officiate a Mass again and this time it's at The Feast.

I don't know if it's because it is Mother's day or because it is Pentecost Day but the day felt very special. It's because of another person, a child actually, by the name of...

80. Fatima Soriano

I always hear her sing in TV every Sunday morning every time I get ready for Sunday Mass in SM. Our TV would be either on Channel 2 or 9 watching the Sunday TV Mass and my father would always talk about Fatima. My father was a fan because Fatima was such a good singer even though she is blind. I wanted to hear her sing live. I even planned to watch her farewell concert a few weeks ago but I had no budget.

Guess what, Fatima Soriano came to The Feast! Fr. Jerry Orbos brought her and she sang a couple of her songs for the people in The Feast as a farewell gift since she was migrating to U.S. with her family this coming Wednesday.

She talked first and, like what preacher Bro. Arun Gogna, she spoke with wisdom well ahead of her years speaking about mothers, Mama Mary and God. You wouldn't really know that a 14-year-old girl was speaking and a blind girl at that. But when Fr. Orbos cracks a joke, she would laugh with a giggle like a child oblivious to the many people around her.

She sang a couple of her songs from her CD and it was like a farewell concert of hers. I was able to hear her sing live, finally.

Like most adults, I lost that childlike wonder, simplicity, and trust that I had when I was a young boy. The ability to see things the way they are with no complexity. The dream to live a simple life. The trust that no matter what happens, God will always be with me.

After attending The Feast today, I had it back and after all these years, I realized that it is just really what I wanted and needed.

Thanks to Father Jerry Orbos and Fatima Soriano. They have no direct personal connection to me but they touched my life and my heart in ways I could never have imagined.

David Cook's Best

I'm taking a break from serious stuffs, relax and write about another contestant from the most popular reality show-singing contest of this time, American Idol!

70. David Cook

Coming from someone who listens to alternative rock, I knew this guy would be the rocker to beat in American Idol Season 7.

Although I was rooting for David Archuleta on the earlier part of AI, I was amazed by David Cook's version of "HappyTogether" on the first week of the show.

And as the reality show progressed, I was able to hear one of the best performances in American Idol history. This is because David does not just perform a song, he makes it his own. As I have pointed out time and again, making a song your own is what makes a singer an artist. Damn great artist. David Cook.

I will be listing my favorite performances of David Cook below:

71. Happy Together by The Turtles

Now, who would be able to make a song like "Happy Together" sound rock? Only David Cook. I also agreed with Simon that I haven't heard that song sung like that before.

72. Hello by Lionel Richie

"This is the bomb!"

With all apologies to the dawg, Randy Jackson, I still feel that this is the song that made David Cook a household name not only in America but the whole world. It was an "emo" version of the song but it still sounded so damn good.

72. Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles

David Cook made me realized that there's still a lot of Beatles song that I haven't heard and appreciated yet. This is one of them. This song also tugged my heart because it speaks of "all the lonely people."

73. Day Tripper by The Beatles

Another song by The Beatles that I didn't know existed and when David Cook sang it, my admiration for Beatles became stronger.

74. Billie Jean by Michael Jackson

I wasn't able to catch this performance but my friend Edwin told me that he's rooting for Michael Johns (who's eliminated already) and David Cook because of his version of this Michael Jackson classic. I wasn't able to watch the particular episode
because I was on training and I thought I already saw what the contestants are capable but David Cook proved me wrong. When I heard an mp3 of the song, I was "Wow" and it became my LSS (until now). Way to go for David Cook!

75. Little Sparrow by Dolly Parton

I don't have the slightest idea of what the song was and I haven't heard it before in my life but when David Cook sang it, I immediately liked it!

76. Innocent by Our Lady Peace

This is another performance that I wasn't able to catch but when I downloaded the song, I immediately had it in my "Favorites" song in my reliable Nokia 5200. I am a fan of "Our Lady Peace" and David Cook's version rocks!

77. Always Be My Baby by Mariah Carey

This is another surprise from David Cook. What could he possibly sing from Mariah Carey's long list of hits? Sure, Mariah Carey had a lot of hits but can David pull it off? Well he did and it was another stellar performance. But I guess I'm becoming too much a fan. Just listen to the song and be the judge.

Next week will be "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" week and this is David Cook's week. I'm definitely watching it.

As a final note, I am rooting for a David-David (David Archuleta vs. David Cook) showdown but I guess you know who I'm rooting for

P.S. If you want to listen to the songs performed by David Cook in AI, just visit my Multiply site at http://rolly07.multiply.com/music/item/28/David_Cooks_Best

A Great Week

A Great Week

This was supposed to be an entry last week but since I was a little bit busy, I wasn't able to write about it.

66. It's my 1st "monthsarry" in Etelecare.

I don't know if there's such a word as "monthsarry" but to put it simply, I celebrated my first month in Etelecare last April 25, 2008. I was expecting more from Etel in terms of compensation and benefits but I was a little bit disappointed. Of course, I won't be writing about it here for obvious reasons but I can still say that I am enjoying my stay here in Etel. It has it's own way of giving something for it's employees and I like the environment.

67. My brother, Dennis, is back home.

On the same date as my "monthsarry" in Etel, my brother Dennis, arrived here from Palau. This was one of my "dreams" written on "Novena to God's Love" (more about this on future blog entry). I know that he's not happy with his work and stay in Palau and that he had been wanting to go back here but because of financial reasons, he had to finish one year of his contract in Palau (he signed a two-year contract).

As all of my friends know, I am not for people going abroad to work. I believe that it's not worth all the money, however big it is, to leave your family. I get frustrated when I see broken families and found out that the father or the mother went abroad for work. Of course a lot of people wouldn't agree with my stand but that's what I feel and you don't need to look far to see the effects of someone in the family going abroad for work. You would see a lot of broken families now. There was even one time in Philippine television that two sitcoms (if I remember it correctly, it was "Dadedidodu" and "Tanging Ina") competing against each other and the two sitcoms both have broken family set-up. One is a single mom and the other is a single dad. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

You may be asking now why I didn't object to my brother going abroad? I did have objections and I was not happy with his decision to go abroad but It's what he wanted and if it's his dream and I won't stand on his way. I just said my piece about it and it's up to him if he follows me or not. I am his brother and I will support him whatever decision he makes in his life. But enough of the sermon, right now I'm just happy that we are again a complete family.

68. We now have a digital camera.

Well, technically it's not "we" but my brother Dennis since he's the one who bought the camera. It's a Canon SD870 IS and he got it a very low price of Php 12,000  in Palau (It's around Php 25,000  here). How? I'm not telling. You can ask him. Hehe...

It's a great catch with features like 8.0 megapixel, Picture Mode, Face Detection, 3-inch LCD display, etc. It almost has the same features of a Sony Cyber-Shot camera at less than half the price.

69. We now have a family picture.

In line with the camera, we now have a family picture wherein we are complete. I am excited to post it and I will definitely post it ASAP in my Friendster and Multiply account.