Bente
Hey everyone!
You must have noticed by now that my blog looks totally different from the last time I updated. This is all thanks to my super web designer-whiz of a friend, Angelo! As you might know, he's in the States right now working for a bunch of different companies by designing their websites for them, but for my birthday, he thought of redesigning my blog page for free! Isn't he the sweetest? :D
As I've already mentioned before, God has been tremendously blessing me throughout this week. Maybe because He knows it's my birthday, but I'd like to think that God is good all the time, no matter what the occasion or circumstance. :) For starters, I thought I was seriously gonna go broke this sembreak since I had to get some professional help for our thesis, not to mention enrollment is coming up quite soon. But Praise Him who gives more than we can ask or imagine, because He gave me two projects to work on this sembreak, which gives me more than enough. YAY :)
Met some amazing people during the workshop and on the set of the commercial I did yesterday. I ALSO GOT TO SHARE THE GOSPEL! Hooray for new friends! :) I had so much fun at the shoot, and everyone was greeting me "happy birthday" which I guess made the experience extra special.
Speaking of friends, here's one of the guys I got to work closely with during the shoot yesterday: DJ Lamar. If you haven't heard of him, YOU WILL! This guy is super-mega talented at EVERYTHING that its creepy. (and sometimes annoying. Try getting beat at Fruit Ninja Zen Mode 4/7 times) :| HAHA! (I'm kidding, DJ. In case yer reading this)
To give you guys an idea on what this guy can do, check out his youtube channel, which he shares with his brother. They make AWESOME covers while pairing it with an equally awesome music video which they direct and edit themselves. WILD, right? :O Plus, they're kids of missionaries, so DOUBLE COOL! Yay for Christians making a difference in the Industry! :)
Another thing I'm super thankful for is that I'm almost done with all my extra requirements before I get my final grade for the first semester. Jesus has been grilling me and teaching me not to worry about the little things these past few days, and though I haven't aced the test, I think I'm somewhat getting there.
During my first shoot, I was able to submit the rough draft of my thesis video. And yesterday, after my other commercial shoot, my parents helped me submit my theo requirement! Thank God for my ever so supportive family. This sem in particular seemed to really test my faith when it came to loving my neighbors (and my family) and being patient. Especially in Theo. Grabe. If you think Ateneo is feared for its math, you're totally misled by overlooking it's theology. :|
But thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in His Name. :) I'm still standing but by His grace alone, even in the do-over. Although something didn't feel quite right just yet. Though I might have conquered theo, I still felt like I was bitter towards my prof, and when we were heading to Ateneo to drop off my final presentation, the Holy Spirit was giving me a light tug on my heart to be reconcilled with her. I thought of putting in a note, to thank her for the sem. Maybe that might have done the trick. But again, the Holy Spirit tugged signaling that I should go beyond that -- to reach out to my prof. So I wrote her the letter and included the song cover of Grateful I did recently in the CD (plus, I figured, she likes those kinds of things too, so I went on with it.)
In the evening, when I went to check my email if my professor got my file, I received the most heart melting response from her: a response which I knew could have only been through God's gracious leading.
If you don't mind, let me share the note here:
"Hi, Deb!
Hope you had a birthday blast with your family and other loved ones. Anyway, I got your CD on my way to Mass this evening, and had just finished watching it. I viewed your song with your friend-- wow, you're a very good singer and your blending with your friend was really well tuned. It's a song that is relatable,too, not the music of some of our young people that doesn't seem to have a melodic line. (It definitely is the kind of music that inspires, especially if it's sung by young people like you). I regret that I did not know how well you can sing, and it was only [a classmate] who showcased her singing ability in class. You and your friend can record inspirational songs, and that would be so great for other young people to hear.
Moreover, I saw your prezi presentation of thesis 4, and it was very well done, both in substance and emphasis. I gave the same opportunity to three others but different topics, but so far yours is the best.
Thank you, too, for the note. Your attitude and gratitude (among young people) is becoming rare. And I can sense the upbringing in that attitude and the grounding in Faith. Stay as beautiful inside and out, as God has created you and meant you to be.
Hope to find your inspirational album (with your guitarist friend) sometime soon in the charts. You definitely have musicality!
God's Blessings, always!"
And here, I used to think my professor was impossible. But you know the way God works. Impossible is His forte. :)
*note: I think proper credit should be given to Nicollo Lopez for helping me out with my Thesis Documentary (thanks for all the help Nic! And driving all the way to my house and having a pseudo-sleepover with me while editing haha).
and of course, to Angelo Cruz (again )for all the help with my prezi. That "best prezi" award should really go to you, I don't deserve any of the credit. Thank you, thank you <3
------
Anyway, on birthday updates, I'm not the only one who celebrates her birthday on All Saint's day. I share a birthday with two of my cousins, Ate Jam and little Dominic! :) After the shoot yesterday, my parents picked me up to celebrate Dominic's birthday in Jollibee in Libis. Can I just say, I love what they've done with the place! Huge improvement from when I was last there. (Ate Cesi [Angelo's cousin]'s baby shower last March of this year)
Take a look at their improvements!
After the party, my family and I went to the mall for some overdue bonding time and watched In Time starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Hmm. So-so movie. But this isn't a review blog, so I'm not going to dive into that just now.
Anyway, that was everything I did yesterday, what about you guys? how was your November 1? Ever since most of my relatives from the father's side moved to different parts of the world, we kinda stopped celebrating my birthday in a cemetery so we really don't have this halloween/all saint's day "tradition" going on. I'm curious to know what you guys do though. Anything out of the ordinary? :)
-----
This update is coming to a close, but I'd like to take this time to just say a HUGE thank you to everyone who greeted me yesterday (at sa iba na nagpapahabol nagyon haha). To those who wrote on my wall on facebook, I know I can't comment on every single one of your posts or texts, but that's only because I'm at a loss for words. All I can say is, thank you and I'm truly grateful that God allowed our paths to cross. :)
To those who took the time to text or call me during the day. Thank you to you as well! You are my truest of true friends :) Your personal messages really touched me. I'm so blessed to have you guys in my life, thank you for sticking around and being a part of my life these past 20 years (more or less, it doesn't matter. Pero haha ang weird naman kung andun rin kayo nung iniire pa lang ako nung nanay ko diba? HAHA)
If I may, i'd just like to share this video my friend Luis made me for my birthday -- not because it's like "the most special greeting" or whatever, hahaha! I don't play favorites, remember? But simply because I wanna show everyone that the guy I'm with in these past 2 song covers can sing too! And we plan on doing a duet very soon. So stay tuned! ;)
I praise God for all of you and I praise Him for His goodness in my 20 years of existence. :)
Here's to more fruitful years to come!
<3 Deb
You must have noticed by now that my blog looks totally different from the last time I updated. This is all thanks to my super web designer-whiz of a friend, Angelo! As you might know, he's in the States right now working for a bunch of different companies by designing their websites for them, but for my birthday, he thought of redesigning my blog page for free! Isn't he the sweetest? :D
As I've already mentioned before, God has been tremendously blessing me throughout this week. Maybe because He knows it's my birthday, but I'd like to think that God is good all the time, no matter what the occasion or circumstance. :) For starters, I thought I was seriously gonna go broke this sembreak since I had to get some professional help for our thesis, not to mention enrollment is coming up quite soon. But Praise Him who gives more than we can ask or imagine, because He gave me two projects to work on this sembreak, which gives me more than enough. YAY :)
Met some amazing people during the workshop and on the set of the commercial I did yesterday. I ALSO GOT TO SHARE THE GOSPEL! Hooray for new friends! :) I had so much fun at the shoot, and everyone was greeting me "happy birthday" which I guess made the experience extra special.
Speaking of friends, here's one of the guys I got to work closely with during the shoot yesterday: DJ Lamar. If you haven't heard of him, YOU WILL! This guy is super-mega talented at EVERYTHING that its creepy. (and sometimes annoying. Try getting beat at Fruit Ninja Zen Mode 4/7 times) :| HAHA! (I'm kidding, DJ. In case yer reading this)
 |
| This is my friend DJ! He's INSANELY talented. :O Drop by his YouTube channel and see what I mean! (photos from DJ's iPad) |
To give you guys an idea on what this guy can do, check out his youtube channel, which he shares with his brother. They make AWESOME covers while pairing it with an equally awesome music video which they direct and edit themselves. WILD, right? :O Plus, they're kids of missionaries, so DOUBLE COOL! Yay for Christians making a difference in the Industry! :)
Another thing I'm super thankful for is that I'm almost done with all my extra requirements before I get my final grade for the first semester. Jesus has been grilling me and teaching me not to worry about the little things these past few days, and though I haven't aced the test, I think I'm somewhat getting there.
During my first shoot, I was able to submit the rough draft of my thesis video. And yesterday, after my other commercial shoot, my parents helped me submit my theo requirement! Thank God for my ever so supportive family. This sem in particular seemed to really test my faith when it came to loving my neighbors (and my family) and being patient. Especially in Theo. Grabe. If you think Ateneo is feared for its math, you're totally misled by overlooking it's theology. :|
But thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in His Name. :) I'm still standing but by His grace alone, even in the do-over. Although something didn't feel quite right just yet. Though I might have conquered theo, I still felt like I was bitter towards my prof, and when we were heading to Ateneo to drop off my final presentation, the Holy Spirit was giving me a light tug on my heart to be reconcilled with her. I thought of putting in a note, to thank her for the sem. Maybe that might have done the trick. But again, the Holy Spirit tugged signaling that I should go beyond that -- to reach out to my prof. So I wrote her the letter and included the song cover of Grateful I did recently in the CD (plus, I figured, she likes those kinds of things too, so I went on with it.)
In the evening, when I went to check my email if my professor got my file, I received the most heart melting response from her: a response which I knew could have only been through God's gracious leading.
If you don't mind, let me share the note here:
"Hi, Deb!
Hope you had a birthday blast with your family and other loved ones. Anyway, I got your CD on my way to Mass this evening, and had just finished watching it. I viewed your song with your friend-- wow, you're a very good singer and your blending with your friend was really well tuned. It's a song that is relatable,too, not the music of some of our young people that doesn't seem to have a melodic line. (It definitely is the kind of music that inspires, especially if it's sung by young people like you). I regret that I did not know how well you can sing, and it was only [a classmate] who showcased her singing ability in class. You and your friend can record inspirational songs, and that would be so great for other young people to hear.
Moreover, I saw your prezi presentation of thesis 4, and it was very well done, both in substance and emphasis. I gave the same opportunity to three others but different topics, but so far yours is the best.
Thank you, too, for the note. Your attitude and gratitude (among young people) is becoming rare. And I can sense the upbringing in that attitude and the grounding in Faith. Stay as beautiful inside and out, as God has created you and meant you to be.
Hope to find your inspirational album (with your guitarist friend) sometime soon in the charts. You definitely have musicality!
God's Blessings, always!"
And here, I used to think my professor was impossible. But you know the way God works. Impossible is His forte. :)
*note: I think proper credit should be given to Nicollo Lopez for helping me out with my Thesis Documentary (thanks for all the help Nic! And driving all the way to my house and having a pseudo-sleepover with me while editing haha).
and of course, to Angelo Cruz (again )for all the help with my prezi. That "best prezi" award should really go to you, I don't deserve any of the credit. Thank you, thank you <3
------
Take a look at their improvements!
 |
| Backdrop Before (Photo grabbed from Ate Judy Cruz-Malabanan) |
 |
| Backdrop After (Photo grabbed from Tito Ferdie Talam) |
 |
| Tables Before |
 |
| Tables After |
 |
| Lights and Flooring Before |
 |
| Lights and Flooring After (and yes, I know. Ew to my derp face) |
 |
| As for the host? |
 |
| Couldn't say the same for him, though. HAHA! |
After the party, my family and I went to the mall for some overdue bonding time and watched In Time starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Hmm. So-so movie. But this isn't a review blog, so I'm not going to dive into that just now.
Anyway, that was everything I did yesterday, what about you guys? how was your November 1? Ever since most of my relatives from the father's side moved to different parts of the world, we kinda stopped celebrating my birthday in a cemetery so we really don't have this halloween/all saint's day "tradition" going on. I'm curious to know what you guys do though. Anything out of the ordinary? :)
-----
This update is coming to a close, but I'd like to take this time to just say a HUGE thank you to everyone who greeted me yesterday (at sa iba na nagpapahabol nagyon haha). To those who wrote on my wall on facebook, I know I can't comment on every single one of your posts or texts, but that's only because I'm at a loss for words. All I can say is, thank you and I'm truly grateful that God allowed our paths to cross. :)
To those who took the time to text or call me during the day. Thank you to you as well! You are my truest of true friends :) Your personal messages really touched me. I'm so blessed to have you guys in my life, thank you for sticking around and being a part of my life these past 20 years (more or less, it doesn't matter. Pero haha ang weird naman kung andun rin kayo nung iniire pa lang ako nung nanay ko diba? HAHA)
If I may, i'd just like to share this video my friend Luis made me for my birthday -- not because it's like "the most special greeting" or whatever, hahaha! I don't play favorites, remember? But simply because I wanna show everyone that the guy I'm with in these past 2 song covers can sing too! And we plan on doing a duet very soon. So stay tuned! ;)
I praise God for all of you and I praise Him for His goodness in my 20 years of existence. :)
Here's to more fruitful years to come!
<3 Deb
Blessing do comes to people who wait, and I think luck is just part of people who have faiths. Anyway, It would be good to create thesis abstract sample so that you can have many ideas on what to do with your thesis video. It would certainly help if you have backup ideas in case something happens.By the way, the party looks amazing! Kids can really enjoy their childhood.
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