Sweetest Sixteenth Birthday !

SWEET SIXTEEN

A birthday is only one among the 365 days in a year, it is a day that commemorates our birth to this world, a day we can call our own, a day so special that celebrating it with the people you love is the only way you can truly get its essence.

I have lived my life already for one and a half decade... Or 15 years...

Last January  4 2014 was my Sixteenth birthday or what most teenagers would call as their "sweet sixteenth birthday"

I can really say that I have grown much in the last years in my high school life( though not physically - height deprived hahaha) mentally and spiritually. As a teenager I have realized the significance of having a lot on my arms, family there! friends over here! And many other important parts in my life that I often have a hard time choosing which one would come first. DILEMMA - a word... An expression that I usually say to connote what I am going through when faced in a situation of having to choose which has more value.

It's hard to make a choice especially when you can't differentiate the things that you have to do from the things that you desire.

I'm growing up and it brought good changes to me. The experiences that I had made me grow into a person that i am sure my parents and many others are very proud of. And as i strive for greatness, I do not only think about what it is to me but also to others, that is if I can do it so can they. "Thank you for inspiring others"; "continue giving inspiration to others" most of my closest friends have told me this and it just brightens my heart that overcoming the struggles in my studies...in my leadership experience...in my family, I have also managed to inspire others to do the same. We might have different ways in doing so but the fighting spirit is what it takes to make the impossible, POSSIBLE.

I'll never go away, that old me will always be intact but the thing here is "I am growing up" and there are people that are close to me that have to accept that while I'm finding out more about myself it does not mean that I'm losing that part of me that came from them.

I would like to thank everyone who made my sweet 16th birthday very unforgettable...

My parents who supported me in my decision to be more mature in dealing with my responsibilities. It was a rough path to take at first, I mean it's hard to tell your parents that you would want/ need to celebrate your birthday without them because you have a party to attend to or you want to celebrate it with your classmates on your senior year... Right?

But I made it through, I stood up for what I believe would make me happy. Though i only got to spend 12:01 am - 9 am of my day with them it still counted as a big part of my birthday celebration. (Garlic rice for breakfast! Yum! )

" I am their baby, and the more I find myself, the more they feel that they are losing me "

My LCLC Family who celebrated with me with great joy and enthusiasm. Though the gathering was for the purpose of our post X-mas party but they also made me feel loved by making my day interactively fun, with parlor games that blows your mind out. They even made me do an interpretative dance and with my rough voice they even let me say the prayer. Through a silent but meaningful birthday surprise, all the b-day celebrants of December and January  were made to light a candle and make our wishes to the Lord.

@ YELLOW CAB with 4 CALUNGSOD

My 4 Calungsod family who waited for me at yellowcab pizza and have my birthday dinner with me. They sang me a happy birthday and even had me blow a candle placed in the center of a big pizza. Though my family was not with me but i had them to celebrate my night with. Thank you for the happiness that you have shared with me especially those people who made me in awe out of the big pink secret Surprise they made for me! I never thought my day could get any better after being able to spend it with the people i treasure the most- but it did! As i opened the doors to my room... There it was floating pink balloons, a bouquet of roses, pictures, gifts, and messages from my friends...

I could not measure the wideness of the smile that I had put on! Surprises were really my thing, but in the sense that I am the one who gives it and not the one who gets it. Somebody told me that , "loving, caring ...bring those traits with you, bring those traitts which you have acquired in pages 1 - 15 as you turn to page 16 ." I hope this person gets the message of how grateful I am and thankful for all the efforts that he has put into it, it has touched me really deep and i'll always have this person close to my heart. Friendship becomes stronger because of the experiences that you shared with each other.

My birthday was truly special and wisely spent. Every moment was special and meaningful. I am now a sixteen year old teenager, living my life as best as I could and treasuring the people that gave me a purpose to live.

The 13 Day Challenge

CHALLENGES ARE WHAT MAKES LIFE INTERESTING, 

OVERCOMING THEM MAKES LIFE MEANINGFUL

You see our Christmas break turns out to be from December 20 to January 5, it is a long period for a break considering the previous stats on the number of vacation days we have. So I decided to make these days count by doing something very interesting. I challenged myself to complete a list of random tasks. I call it the "13 DAY CHALLENGE" All the challenges are easy to do but technically all of them are things that I usually don't have time to do. The challenges lies in completing all of them while not missing out on the fun of Christmas and other festivities. Finding the TIME to do it is a priority that I can't disregard. ENTHUSIASM is another thing to consider, how can I get the best out of it if I don't have the right attitude towards each task. Most especially I need to have the DETERMINATION to make each challenge a success. 

This is a page taken out from my NEW 2014 Planner that was given to me by a very special friend. I'll always keep it in my mind.

The Difference between the Impossible and the possible lies in a Man's Determination

 If you just take the chance and make the most out of it, then you'll be one step ahead to making all your dreams a reality. You just need to take baby steps first. My way would be starting from simple tasks and learning from those experiences, using those lessons by applying them in my future endeavors.

THIS IS THE LIST OF MY CHALLENGES

* READ A GOOD BOOK*LETTER MAKING FOR LOST PALANCAS*FINISH ALL SCHOOL WORK IN ONE DAY*JOG EARLY IN THE MORNING*PLAY IN THE RAIN/ SHOWER IN AN ARTIFICIAL RAIN*MAKE MY OWN BLOG *WAKE UP EARLY SEVEN TIMES*PLAY A BASKETBALL GAME WITH BROS*DO A MAJOR MOVIE MARATHON OF 7*ORGANIZE ALL MY FILES*MAKE THREE LIFE POEMS* SLEEP AT THE ATTIC/ HAVE A CAMPING*PREPARE MY PLANNER EXTRAVAGANTLY *TWITTER CHALLENGE *CHRISTMAS SPEECHES FOR MY FAMILIES                                                                                   Simple and Satisfying. Brief but Meaningful. Easy but Time-consuming. Challenging and Interesting                   

I have a Confession though, as of this moment I have only managed to complete 12 out of the 16 that I have. Though I am not able to complete everything but I did manage to start those FOUR tasks. I'm looking at the brighter side in things, I mean I have a lot of days ahead to complete this unfinished challenges. One thing I learned is it only takes a pen and a paper to remind you of the things that you could do and what you could have done. Completed or not, at least I know that I have it in me to challenge myself...to have that determination to complete it...and the openness to growth that whatever experience it brings forth to me I'll take it as a lesson that I can apply to achieving my bigger dreams.

PALANCAS

POEMS

Just some of my outputs....

Anyway, thanks for the time you gave to read this entry. Good bye for now.

RETREAT is to REVEAL : A throwback on my Realizations

The retreat is a time of unwinding, an opportunity to look at myself and asses what I have done, and a chance to disconnect from my usual routine in order for me to reconnect with God. The thing that made it very special was because we did it together as one class, as one 4 Pedro Calungsod. Together we pondered, shared, listened and even cried for the things that troubled us greatly.

Even during the disposition, I was already very excited because I really anticipated it to be great. As a person we all have our own storage rooms, a place in our heart where we keep our secrets, hidden feelings, and things that are taken for granted in our past. We all have our attics deep within us, and the retreat is a chance to let God in our storage room and try to help us live our lives as meaningfully as we can. It’s about letting Him in and opening ourselves up to Him. “Me and God Alone,” In Silence we hear and listen, we Think and Thank, we Open ourselves to God, and we Pray.

I realized how blessed I am. Looking at how I have taken for granted the presence of people in my life and the value of things in my life, it was really nice to finally see how I should be grateful to God for the bucket-over flowing with blessings. It was not easy to become the person I am today, for I also had to do a lot of sacrifices along the way, and a lot of hard and fast decisions. I have a lot of significant loops in life, a strong hold in my dreams, and a strong desire to always do great things for God’s greater glory. I realized that I needed to really dig deeper and dive deeper so I can really open myself better.

My life has meaning, I am fulfilled that I have experienced this much. The things that happened to me all had their place in my life. Everything happens for a reason. I became free of the burden of regret that I had before when I moved to CDO for high school, but during the retreat I saw the bigger picture and realized that if I never did take the chance to be in Xavier, I would have never met everyone here in Calungsod. I would have never experienced the things that I had, meaning I could’ve become a very different person. 

My fears, my imperfections and my flaws are also a big part in who I am. If I did not experience failures, I would have never learned important lessons in life. If I never feared anything then I guess I would’ve closed myself to others, but I do have fears and I’m happy to have my loved ones to support me and comfort me in my dire of need. Having a class I can call my own is a really wonderful feeling, and I know that I can trust them and count on them not to judge me for anything. I’m grateful to the people that touched my life and helped me become the kind of person I am today

 Life is a mystery, for a mark of a human being is the ability to ask questions. 

That is life mysterious, I encounter people every day and I realized that each one of them really impacted the way I see my life. My friends and my family are the people whom I always depend on, because they understand me, know me, and accept me for who I am. However, I am aware of the fact that my worth as a person does not come from somebody else, only from me and God. That is why we must not judge people. It is important to ask questions about life, questions that are deep and meaningful. 

The questions that I ask speak of the person that I have become.

Fr. Rudy has really inspired me a lot to live my life better, to have a heart more life Jesus, and to see beyond the four corners of an ordinary life set-up. He reminded me about being passionate in the things I do, as a leader I call the shots. I make the decisions and take responsibility for them.  I learned of honesty, not just the typical “telling the truth and not lying” kind of honesty, but the deeper meaning of it in life. I will be honest with myself, the things I want, need, hate, love… because I cannot pretend or simply say that I’m putting a mask on myself, because there is someone out there that knows the real me and that someone is God.

I went to the retreat to look for discernment and forgiveness but I end up being blessed with more. The grace of appreciation and the gift of knowing how to love more deeply. The palancas that I receive were so heartwarming. They really motivated me to keep on doing what I do best and that is to be myself and be great in being me. I am so happy that my parents are so proud of what I have achieved and how the people that I value very much in my life also value me greatly in theirs. 

These are the palancas that I have written whole heartedly, letters with genuine words and TLC words. It just saddens me to know that there were five lost palancas, five people I have failed to give a palanca...five people who were really special to me and it hurt me so much to realize that I could not do anything anymore to find those lost palancas. However it does not stop me from letting them know how special and important they are to me, in some ways I'll make up for it. Life doesn't always go according to how we planned it but it doesn't mean that we will stop planning. We go on with life and wait for the surprises that comes along, makes it more interesting, thrilling and exciting. Anyways "Everything Happens For A Reason...."

The greatest lesson I learned would be what Fr. Rudy said, “ What matters is the here and now, the “right now” moments in our life, if you are happy then be happy… always look at life in the bigger picture.” Our life is not only about socializing with people or the mere academic excellence that we attain...that does not define who you are and it does not measure what you are capable of. I will treasure everyone in my life and I will strive to make God proud and happy to call me His own.

            

THE WORKS OF AN ARTIST

The name of my Blog is THE WORKS OF AN ARTIST, why? you ask... Simple, it is because through out my life I've always made sure that everything I give away will have meaning. I always personalize the gift that I would give to my loved ones and special persons in my life. 

I value "worth" and "meaning". I believe that the greatest gift you can give to a person is an object that can symbolize a story you made together. Apart from objects, I usually make handicrafts and letters. When I was young I started to become a small party planner, I would decorate the room, fill it with color and backdrops. It was always a struggle to keep it a secret. I always aim for surprises, that's a part of me that makes me thrilling. The fulfillment of seeing them smile after the surprise is truly worth the effort. I do hope that they get the meaning out of it because that is what matters most for me...

Here are some of the gifts that I have made for the important people in my life... 

This is my birthday gift to my brother, Vander Agripo, who is turning 11 years old. This time I decided to make him something personalized because I see him grow more mature through the years and it would have more meaning if I give him something that he can remember me with. The letter "E" is the first letter of his real name "Evander"
I usually call him "Kuya" though I'm the eldest . We are really close and I can really open up to him. I do admit that when we fight, it really involves tears and regrets but we have managed to see things through all the time.
He and my other brother is always my partner in crime in preparing special surprises for our parents. No matter what will happen, we will always be there for each other...

This Pop-up card is a gift I made for my dad for Father's day. A day that I will make my dad feel how I appreciate him and love him very dearly. It's not much though because I was not even the one who gave it to him personally due to my situation in being far from home. Though my presence was not there to celebrate the special day but I made sure that he got my message through this gift. I love my daddy !

This other gift however is my very first personalized painted shirt for my dad. It was very fun to make it because I did not spend anything at all, I just found unused "telco" paint, brushes and a black shirt. How beautiful it was when I finished it. BTW I was able to give this to him personally.

This other gift is also quite special because when I was making it I didn't know what it would look like when  it was done. However, looking at the outcome I guess I consider it a success. I was always the "Daddy's Girl" type of daughter. I mean I always aim at making him proud and to show how grateful I am for his support then a little effort can't hurt much....Dad is the person that I can really count on, because of him we have a house we can call a home. He is the head of the family, my Daddy is brave and hardworking

My Mom is always the angel of my life. You see she's always there to love and care for me and my brothers.
I made this gift for her for Mother's day. It's not much but it holds a lot of meaning. She always is the best in listening and giving advice. I could not ask for more. You might notice why I have only one gift for my mom and three gifts for my dad, well it so happened that Mother's day falls on summer so we can prepare a small surprise party and a gift is no longer necessary. This gift is for the MOM I love so dearly. The Mother who would comfort me in my time of need, the mom who gives me advices about life and even about boys hahaha.

This Gift was abruptly made, I was already away from home when I made this, so it made the delivery quite delayed. My parents are Ian and Ruth, that's what the "I" and "R" mean. My parents are truly inlove with one another. I can't help bragging how they made our family so strong and made love its core foundation. I'm so grateful to them for they were my first teachers in Life, the very people who taught me how to pray and love God. They are two great people who will always remain strong in their love, and seeing how they have made their marriage grew stronger in the last 16 years, I'm proud to say that I am their daughter.

Simple Gifts but Grand Stories. I love giving gifts especially when I made it with my own hands.
Don't you agree?

                                                                                                                         

THE ROYAL WEDDING

THIS IS FOR YOU ATE WET

WETWET and EGOR

This is not my story to tell but as a witness to how their friendship turned to love, I guess I can have a say on the matter.

My Tita Rona has finally found the man that can give her a family that she can call her own...

My Tito Rogie has now found someone who can accept him completely as who he is and who he wants to be...

Two bodies with ONE Soul... Two promises with ONE Covenant... Two People made ONE in God's Altar...

This Poem I made for them with all my heart...

WEDDING POEM

There’s nothing to be queer about

‘Cuz love is what you both have in your hearts

There’s no reason to be in doubt

Friendship, that’s where everything starts,

A man of courage, a maiden so brave

Fill your hearts, live your life with bliss

It sparked and grew unnoticed…

Bound with true loves kiss

One searched for so long

One fought for it so hard

Now nothing will go wrong

Cuz both hearts are no longer scarred

I see you smile and I see you happy

You have each other’s back, you have support

Your love is overflowing…

It grew so strong amidst time so short

Late at night I would wonder how

How each of you makes time for each other

And I see you make your vow

To be there always and never be a bother

Even in the simple things in life

Like living in a crowd less house, or even in a tiny room

You make the most of your strife

The perfect bride and groom

God has blessed you and loved you well

In the last months you’ve shown me how

Love is a beautiful mystery in a shell

What matters is the here and now

Now dance together like no one’s looking,

And love each other like you’ve never been hurt

And always have faith and never stop believing

That love makes life heaven on earth

Just a question, as your niece I wonder

Will I have cousins sooner or later?

This is a challenge for you to ponder

Will a baby be born a year after?

Rogie and Rona

From ME to BOTH of YOU

The BRIDE

The grandest wedding I've ever been to, like a Royal one. Such a magical day, 

December 28, 2013.

As their bridesmaid, well I can say that they truly love each other.

                                                      

                                                                 

                                                                                                          

RECONNECT : Father's Side of the Family

GIRL COUSINS

Boys Second Degree Cousins

ME.COUSINS.GIRLS.BOYS

Life Has more meaning if you have people to share it with

In the last three years of my life, I have quite distanced myself from my other relatives. I thought that if I just stayed with those closest to me then everything would be deemed fine. I have managed to have fun and even treasure those moments of laughter, but later on I realized how I've taken for granted their value in my life also. Everybody is worth the effort, it just takes a leap of faith to start knowing each other again.

These people were my childhood playmates. Maybe it is part of growing up that we have to let go of those childish acts. We are teenagers, we should know better than to act foolishly. During our Family Christmas Parties before, I could remember the many gifts that were piled in the table and how we would circle it and look for our names. We often go to the party even just to go swimming, we missed out on the formal party but we didn't miss out on the fun of having family around. To go to stage and just jump up and down, how fun it was to be a child again.

TRADITION. It has been a tradition that we celebrate our Christmas Parties in Taipan Hotel, but many of us wondered, "Why not change the venue?" with the time to ponder we concluded. It's best if we don't change it, let's make this a mark that every time we would go here we would remember that this was always a place of happy memories. A place we can see as a historical family site. 

I have been gone for many months and I see Christmas as I time to reconnect to those special people. Practicing our family dance presentation was quite a struggle but I knew from the start that it is worth it! and truly it was. 

All in all, I'm happy to have talked to my cousins but I blame the table arrangement though hahaha. If it were not that we have to seat according to our age range then we would have missed the opportunity to catch up. Thank you for making this memory one of the most unforgettable ones.

At last after three years...