A New Life For Our Little Kiddo

Romans 6:3-6 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Though it was long delayed, but finally, our little Jacob had been baptized to the Christian world.  We welcome you to our faith, and may the Lord provide us with the wisdom to guide you along the right path, our son...

A day before the event, we, the parents along with the godparents were required to attend a seminar to give as an idea of what we are putting ourselves into.  It reminded us that baptism wasn't just a ceremony, it enlightened us about the deeper responsibility we had to undertake for our child, that is to be a good role model and to guide them to our Christian belief.

Same as his elder siblings, he was then baptized and received a new life in a Catholic church.  New life, for in our religion, once baptized, a person is forgiven for his original sin.  This is our ancestral sin that resulted from the disobedience made by mankind's first parents, Adam and Eve.  Like our brother, Jesus or Yeshua, he was poured with water, which symbolizes cleansing and purity, that take away sins, along with the cross, white garment, oil, and candle.

Thanks for your gifts, guys...

We had a simple reception afterwards in a nearby restaurant where our family, relatives, friends and guests joined us in celebrating the occasion.  The food and place was nice but unfortunately, their air conditioner bogged down and we had to bore some heat.  I just thought then, that maybe the Lord gave us a little reminder that living a Christian life isn't easy and full of challenges.  But really, it wasn't that bad as it may sound like... with all the electric fans and the photo booth, and more especially the warm people that surround us, the celebration turned out well.

My deepest gratitude to all who came to celebrate with us the Christening of our little boy.  And may the Lord, our Heavenly Father, bless and guide him according to His will, that he may take the right path in his Christian life.  And as always, we thank Him for all the blessings we received and we bring back everything to His glory.  Yahweh bless.
 

 

PVZ 2 It's About Time

It was through my son that I knew about it when he asked to add the game to my phone.  I was hesitant at first, since having games in your phone would make it susceptible to frequent use of kids (and me... hehehe) thus, making your phone's life shorter.  But, I do admit I was also curious about the new "Plants Vs. Zombie" (having played the older version) that I still downloaded the free game to my phone (risk taken).

So what's new?  It actually has the same concept with the previous version, that's to eliminate zombies attacking your lawn using the available plants.  But the developers wouldn't want to disappoint all the people who have long waited for this update. And here are some of them:

• New locations.  Now, battle zone isn't no longer within the lawn of the house nor  it's roof.  It's far far away back in time, not only one... but three, Ancient Egypt, Pirate Seas and Wild West.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• New plants and zombies.  Plants that emit fire, boomerang and electricity; beans that are deadly to zombies once eaten and those who bounces zombies to water; pea pods that emits 5 peas at a time; coconut cannons; and plants that punches enemies ahead or behind them.
  
  
  
  
  And the zombies... that steals sun, carry bricks, torch plants, create tombstones, those carried by seagulls, rolls barrel, shot by cannons, carries parrot that take away your plants, jumps over your defenses using dynamite, with rolling pianos, with hidden armor plate, rides a bull, and carries a lot of zombie chicken...
  
  
  

•  New mini games.  There are games where you need to protect endangered plants; eliminate flying zombies using cannons; and surviving an enemy attack with given plants.
  
  
  
  
• New added special powers.  Now, with the use of the coins you collected as play the games, you can now buy these special powers that can eliminate zombies with the use of your fingertip.  Pinch, toss or electrocute them to their doom... hehehe.
  
  
  
  
  There is also what they call as plant food (represented by a leaf).  It gives a plant temporary ability to make special moves.  It is from defeated glowing zombies, emitted by power lily, or you can simply by it using your collected coins.
  
  

  

There you go, I hope the info help.  Download it free in your phone's App Store, and just enjoy the game.  Yahweh bless.

Good Smelling Hog's Breath

Who would say that a hog's breath could smell so good?  I would.  In fact, I find it much appetizing.  Disagree?  But why?  Oh, you got it all wrong.  I am talking about Hog's Breath Café located in the Fountain Court of SM Lanang here in Davao.  Me and my friends decided to dine there just recently, since we all haven't tried the place yet.

So, how was the place inside?  If you may ask, it is quite spacious and pretty neat.  I may have said that since we were one of the few customers inside.  Don't get me wrong, their food taste really great, but the prices weren't that friendly.  They also have a bar which is obvious in their menu (though I'm not familiar with the liquors names).  Flat screen TV's with varied channels but I guess, it's muted or on low volume.  And various car plate numbers and vintage posters as wall decoration.

And the foods and their prices?  Well, there was really nothing spectacular about the food we ordered.  Let's just say that an hour more or less before we went to the place, we already had a heavy snack, but still we were able to finish all the plates we ordered.  And the bill?  Well, that's the reason why we didn't leave even a bone on the plate... just kidding.  For me, it's quite high, good thing it was a treat from one of my friends.  By the way, they also served us this nice tasting water having the hint of lemon, cucumber and mint... and the best part was its free.

Here's our order:

Smoked Pork BBQ Ribs (half rack) - ₱595

Golden Tempura Prawns - ₱295

Finger Food Combo - ₱695

My say.  The times I passed by the said café, I observed that there were not that much customers.  I don't suggest that they lower their prices but they must have value meals or affordable combos that the masses can bite.  Yahweh bless.

Scents Through The Years

Here are some of my all time favorite scents that I have tried and still willing to use (as the budget permits).  I'm personally okay without any colognes or perfumes, there were even days where I don't put any especially if I don't have a choice or simply because I forgot to.   As long as I don't smell anything at all, I'm good.

So why do buy colognes or perfumes?  I don't really care about those things before, since, at the first place, I don't have enough to buy those stuffs.  Well, not until high school.  Peers really had a big influence on your preferences and needs.  It may not be a necessity but smelling good felt a lot better and it forms part of ones hygiene... which adds up to ones confidence. 

Well, with this, let me just share with you some of my favorite scents and a bit of my story behind each...

Atlantis by Bench.  The brand is local here in the Philippines.  Might be one of the famous scents I knew especially during my high school until college days.  Even had the impression that during those days, each and every Filipino might had used it one way or another.  Even as of today, there are still those using it.  How do I know?  I can't be wrong with that distinct and very familiar smell I once wear... hehehe.



Aspen. Even in my younger years, I love the smell of Aspen's fragrance.  A former girlfriend used the cologne but its their women's version.   Maybe I somehow opened up in one of our conversations that I liked the men's version of it that I received it as a gift during our anniversary... lucky me.  So where is she now?  I guess she's at home with our children by now. 

Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren.  This might be one of the famous fragrance in the world (just a guess).  Commonly imitated, so it kind of proves its popularity.  But still nothing beats the original.  Want to play safe in choosing a cologne, you'll never get wrong with this one.  In fact, I already asked a cousin abroad to buy me one if its a lot cheaper there.






Ferrari Black was another gift from my wife.  I'm starting to think that I don't have a sense of smell when it comes to fragrances (LOL).  No, I just trust my wife's taste that much.  And with this scent, how can I doubt her?






Style In Play by Lacoste.  My wife and I were planning to give each other a Christmas present.  While in the mall, we part ways to look for the perfect gift.  And it came to me, how about a cologne?  From the wide array of choices, I went for something unisex (so I could also use it, hehehe).  I was glad she liked it... how did I knew?...



... because we almost chose the same scent.  Good thing she gave me the Cool Play (also by Lacoste).  We never knew it until we opened our gifts.  We can't help ourselves but laugh that day.  Coincidence?  What if I tell you that once, we bought similar anniversary cards from different stores...








Challenge by Lacoste.  Haven't got over the brand yet, when their new scent was out in the market, I immediately got interested.  I searched the net and found a local vendor selling it in a much cheaper price (but still isn't cheap...), and of course got a consent from my wife (it's luxury).  Also, it's been a while since I had a cologne.



Team Force by Adidas.  My father-in-law gave this to me since he was no longer using it.  I was glad since back then we were attending an affair and I was not able to bring something to use.  Speaking of a perfect timing...







And last but not the least... The Essence by David Beckham.  It was the gift I received from my wife last Christmas.  I like the smell of this cologne since it isn't that strong.  Oh well, every scent that my wife chose was perfect for my taste..  she knew me that much.

Come to think of it, almost all of my colognes was given by my wife.  But I think it's the way that should be, right?  I mean, I'm wearing one to smell pleasant for my wife and not to impress anybody else.  And I'm not saying this just to receive another one from her... no kidding.

So, for those who were not yet blessed by a wife such as mine (hehehe), you can try these scents, highly recommend them.  Yahweh bless.           

Unwinding At NRC2

Immediately after we arrived in General Santos City, we proceed to a resort called NRC2 Garden Resort (haven't really asked them about their name).  Just coming from a more or less 3 hours bus trip, the very first thing I would love to do was to lay down and sleep to a cozy bed... but going to the place was unexpectedly not that bad as well.  It was purely simple fun, nothing fancy about the place, makes it perfect for unwinding and relaxation.  More, we're lucky the place wasn't that crowded at that moment... in fact, our group was the only one there.  

The resort was just kilometers away but far enough from the busy life of the city... not to mention that it is surrounded by mountain view.  As for facilities and amusement, they offer the following: 

• They have a 4 feet to 6 feet deep pool for adults and a separate pool for the kids with slides (the kids really enjoyed them).  
• Cottages and function rooms
• A tennis court
• Karaoke or sing-a-long stations (wasn't able to get the mic from my wife...LOL)
• And an ostrich (just saw one, not sure if there's more... hehehe)

 

If you're curious to visit their place, they are located at PhilTrade, Barangay Mabuhay, General Santos City.  It's quite tricky to get to the place, so you may want to ask for direction and other information in their contact number 0918-229-1630.  Good luck.  Yahweh bless.