RiverPilgrim

Undivided Heart

2009-01-29T07:37:00.000Z

Lord, You know my heart, hear its deepest prayer today... Undivided Heartby Twila Paris, Cry for the Desert There have been days when I would die for YouAnd days when I would not die to meThere have been nights when I would cry with YouFor the sins of the world and the pain in the cityBut some nights I cried only tears of self-pityI need a love that will always endureGive me a love that is simple

Missed Christmas Greetings

2008-12-29T20:32:00.000Z

I used to have a system that worked. Towards the end of the year, I would sit down and write our Christmas letter, lay out photos to sum up the year's highlights, scan our signatures, paste it onto the letter, print it, fold it to fit into Christmas cards and send it to loved ones all over the world by Royal Mail's last Christmas posting date. For the three consecutive Christmases we have spent

How You Live (by Point of Grace)

2008-11-26T04:21:00.000Z

One of my favourite Christian contemporary artists, Point of Grace, has released their 1st studio album in a long while. I heard this track and just had to share it with everyone here. I need to be reminded that it's not what I do or who I know, but how I live my life that matters. Deep stuff to inspire us all. The song is very moving and poignant, for me at least. Listen to the music on YouTube

Help and pray, please! Her 3-year-old nephew was abducted

2008-07-23T08:22:00.000+01:00

Friends, please forward this to anyone in media who can help. Or to anyone who may have information on the little boy's whereabouts or condition. http://melquita.multiply.com/photos/album/348/HELP_My_Nephew_Was_Abducted?&album=348&view:replies=threaded&page_start=200 My heart is breaking for this boy's family. Let's all pray for his safe return. Forward and re-post in your blogs, if you have time

'Capture carbon to avert catastrophic climate change, say world's scientists'

2008-06-10T14:12:00.000+01:00

I came across an urgent appeal from scientists for the powers-that-be to adopt CCS technology. Read the Times Online article by clicking here. Each day, I grow more excited about being capable (someday soon, fingers and toes crossed!) of contributing to new knowledge about this climate change mitigation method. There is a growing feeling of anticipation deep inside me when I think about soon

Admission Confirmed!

2008-05-21T14:00:00.000+01:00

God has blessed me tremendously again today! Medyo maghanda na kayo ng mimiryendahin at iinumin while you read this sharing, hehe, kasi medyo mahaba na naman ito. First of all, I got a response to my email to our parish priest saying that we might be leaving the parish this summer, and requesting for references for the boys as they apply for a Catholic school in Cambridge. Importante ang

Casting my Cares on the Lord

2008-05-20T05:50:00.000+01:00

Uh-oh. I've run into a glitch in my Cambridge application, and yesterday I was emailing the BGS and my department and my PhD supervisor all the way till the end of office hours trying to iron it out. It seems that even just for my "CPGS only" course (a 1-year stint which serves as a pre-PhD or 1st year PhD), I am expected to give evidence of three years' funding. The way I understood it, since I

My Cambridge IELTS results

2008-05-17T15:19:00.000+01:00

Happy news! Last May 3rd, I took my first IELTS test in Cambridge to fulfill the English language requirement of my PhD admission offer. Well, I got my IELTS test results just this morning: my Overall Band Score is 9.0! IELTS test scores range from 0 to 9, and looking at the recent stats, I think almost no one gets such high scores, so I'm really, really lucky. I got 9.0 in Listening, 9.0

Wider and Wider...

2008-04-03T22:51:00.000+01:00

On 1st April, last Tuesday, a day after my Schlumberger PhD fellowship was announced, I was utterly gobsmacked to receive a conditional offer from my chosen university--- which I can now reveal to be the University of Cambridge! YAY!!!!!!!!! All I need to do now is pass an English language test, send them my original documents, show them proof of my Schlumberger Foundation grant and be offered

The Door Begins To Open...

2008-03-31T03:59:00.000+01:00

Praise God! I got the PhD fellowship from Schlumberger Foundation's Faculty for the Future program! You can see the results online by clicking here. Please join me in thanking God for His mercy, generosity and faithfulness, and please keep praying that I will get admitted into my chosen University as a result of my securing funding. Thanks so much for all your prayers! I know that this is God's

The 14th of March

2008-03-16T07:03:00.000Z

Several exciting developments happened this week about my PhD plans. Let me post about it while they are still fresh on my mind. (As an aside, please pray for my health, as I have been having some discomfort lately... thanks. I have a huge headache as I write this, but I can't pass up this chance to glorify the Lord.) Last Tuesday, after coming home from an enjoyable afternoon with a new friend

My song for today--- and everyday

2008-02-06T08:47:00.000Z

If I ever have enough breath to sing one and only ONE song in my life, this would be it:Shepherd Of My HeartPerformed by: Sandi PattiComposed by: Mark Baldwin and Dick TunneyMaker of this heart of mineYou know me very wellYou understand my deepest partMore than I know myselfSo when I face the darknessWhen I need to find

On the Author, the Narrator, the Solar System and the Year Ahead

2007-12-31T09:05:00.000Z

"You know, Nanay," said B to me knowingly over dinner last night, ending with a dramatic flourish, "tomorrow is the last day of 2007!""Uh-huh," I smiled through my mouthful of left-over Christmas pasta, "and then, what's the day after that?""The first day of 2008!!!!" he exclaimed triumphantly.After a brief, scholarly, somewhat one-sided discussion (mostly with B on the talking end) on what a

The Most Wonderfully Difficult Time of the Year

2007-12-20T10:42:00.000Z

Christmas is almost upon us, the most wonderfully difficult time of the year for many migrant families. Especially those who, like us, have not been home yet since we left, for various reasons.Now, this post won't be an intellectually probing social commentary on migration, the emotional consequences or whatever it is that social academics write about. Nothing deep or clever in this blog entry.

Our Deepest Fear

2007-12-12T11:09:00.000Z

As my short course for SET women returners comes to an end, I'd like to share with you a powerful poem which was part of last week's course materials. It's authored and published by Marianne Williamson:"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, who am I to be

Last posting date to the Philippines today...

2007-12-07T10:34:00.000Z

... and I'm happy to say I beat the deadline! Yay!!!!Burned the candle at both ends last night just to finish sorting, labeling, writing and licking the Christmas post, just to be able to send the cards off today and know that they might (or should, anyway!) reach the 47 receivers on or before Christmas. 47! Whew! And that's just for Asia and Oceania.And then there's the annual family newsletter

Embracing Obscurity

2007-12-04T05:00:00.000Z

Here's a thought-provoking passage from Sacred Space this week:"In his classic The Imitation of Christ, Thomas à Kempis urges the reader to ‘enjoy being unknown and regarded as nothing.’ What he means is the ability to persist through tedium, to survive without the oxygen of recognition, praise and stroking, to do some good things every day which are seen only by God. Most of us start life as the

The River Flows

2007-11-30T12:43:00.000Z

Can't believe I finally did it: Yesterday, I submitted my online application for graduate studies at one of the top universities in the world. Will be posting my supporting documents tomorrow.What am I thinking? Me? There? Absototally mental.But still, I did it. Yes, I did.Am praying for the best possible results, and expecting the happiest outcome with total, irrational, illogical, childlike

First Frost

2007-11-15T16:25:00.000Z

We woke up this morning to see the first frost of the season covering the grass and the leaves in our garden. It reminded me of a short reflection I wrote for Antioch last spring, based on Heb 10: 19-23: "Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),

Back to school... sort of

2007-10-01T10:15:00.000+01:00

Drove myself to Cambridge last Saturday, with my three ultra-supportive Andres men in tow. I attended our first group tutorial session for my T160 course on the Open University, which I've previously mentioned in an earlier post.I didn't realise how nervous I was about going back to "school" again, whether online or not, until I stepped into the shower, mentally rehearsing in a quiet state of

NanayNette on Shelfari

2007-09-27T12:41:00.000+01:00

By the way, people, have you checked out Shelfari yet? It's quite cool, sort of like Facebook or MySpace but for bookworms. If you've got time and broadband, I do suggest you take a look round, see who else you know is a Shelfarian and perhaps even build your own bookshelf. If you're one of the ten people on this planet who reads my blogs, you might also be interested in looking at the books I've

Autumn Rocks

2007-09-18T09:38:00.000+01:00

Fall's coming, I can feel it.I always know when Autumn is around the corner when the wind starts to nip my fingers and ears, and this morning, bright and early, it nipped. Autumn is coming, with Winter soon on its heels, and when it comes it will never be, to my mind, too late. I guess I never want Summer to end. Who does, right?But having my birthday right bang in the middle of the Autumn

Trusting and Asking

2007-07-29T12:36:00.000+01:00

If you want to make God laugh, said Fr. Chris at Mass this morning, tell Him your plans.I had to smile at the thought. It's true, though. All our best-laid plans, our hopes and dreams, our short-term and long-term goals, all are nothing but crude, unsystematic impulses of thought and emotion when compared to God's elegant, infinite, all-encompassing tapestry of blessing and fulfillment, His

Looking At The Stars

2007-07-12T08:49:00.000+01:00

Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by the wonders of space. Call me a geek, but it's true. I had always wanted to study astronomy (astrophysics, in particular) in university, but never got to, living in a developing country with a curriculum more geared towards business and the "practical" sciences. At the time, studying astronomy abroad just for the sake of it seemed a

My Second Spring

2007-04-27T13:12:00.000+01:00

I took this photo on a recent day out in the lovely English countryside. The four of us had just taken a ride on a real steam engine in Leighton Buzzard Railway, and as it was a sunny spring afternoon, the warmest day of the year thus far in Britain, we decided to treat ourselves to some ice cream.So out came the picnic mat (which is always, ALWAYS stored in the boot, just in case) and we all

Finally Driving My Family...

2007-03-30T09:36:00.000+01:00

...and not just up the wall, mind you. Well, pardon the naivete but I don't mind telling you that it still feels absolutely exhilarating to me. I've been driving B to school and back for two weeks now, and each time I am filled with gratitude for the car that was given to us, for the mobility we have, for the freedom to go to serve and attend evening Church services, especially as Holy Week

What This Car Means To Me

2007-03-19T09:34:00.000Z

You may not believe this, but there are still some very generous people left on this planet.Take the Thoelkes. A handsome, godly pair of grandparents, members of Antioch community who prayerfully decided to give us their old car once I passed my driving test last year. Yes, not sell, not lend-- GIVE. As in, for free.Last Thursday, they drove the car all the way up to our house from London and

Nette Back on the Net

2007-03-13T09:46:00.000Z

I wish there was an easy way to explain why I haven't been blogging these past months.To start off, just to get them out of the way, here are a few of the non-reasons:I found a job and got too busy to blogWe moved to a remote part of the world which has no internet access, like, say, the AntarcticI began writing my book and my publishers told me to forsake my blogsSimon Cowell finally discovered

One Day In History

2006-10-26T11:23:00.000+01:00

I submitted a blog entry for a UK-wide project called One Day in History. Check it out at http://www.historymatters.org.uk/. It features entries on 17 Oct 2006, providing a snapshot of ordinary life in Britain on that day in time. You can read my entry here.

My New 'Do

2006-10-10T10:54:00.000+01:00

Won a raffle last week: 50% off on a cut-and-blowdry service at our town's best salon. Haircuts cost an arm and a leg here, if you must know. Since I'd been meaning to have my hair drastically made over from the rut it was in, I rejoiced at the win and immediately booked my appointment.So I had my hair restyled last Saturday into a slightly longer version of a pixie cut. Think Alyssa Milano,

My Father's Hands

2006-10-05T00:22:00.000+01:00

It has been three years today since my father died. Three years on, and I'm still grieving, I'm still crying, I'm still missing him... I still remember the phone ringing at 5 am, with a neighbour on the other end, telling us that Daddy had been rushed to the nearby hospital. One massive stroke, that's all it took to change my family’s world forever. Despite being on complete bedrest due to a

Quandary

2006-09-27T11:33:00.000+01:00

So here I am in Europe, living in a place where I thought, at long last, my name would finally cease to be massacred on a daily basis.Alas, no dice.First of all, my full name (Jeanne Therese, which is French) is almost never used here. People tend to drop their second names and have just one first name and one surname in almost all their official correspondence. So here I am simply Jeanne. Jeanne

Where Ukay-ukay Comes From

2006-09-19T19:07:00.000+01:00

Ever wondered where ukay-ukay comes from? This was one of the very first things I discovered upon living in the UK.Read one of the many flyers we get in our mailslot each day:Dear householder,CLOTHING COLLECTIONWE URGENTLY NEED CLOTHING that you and your family may never wear again. Maybe it's no longer your size, out of fashion or style. Also of great help, mobile phones, blankets, sheets, shoes

Daycase Diary (Part Two)

2006-09-14T16:22:00.000+01:00

While waiting for the doors to the Operating Theatre to open, I seized the chance to lift up another prayer to God, a prayer He must've heard a hundred times from me that day alone: Lord, give me a Filipino nurse, please please please. Not that I didn't trust the Brits, but I know for certain that Pinoy nurses are world-class, in care, in hygiene, in going the extra mile for their patients. I

River Got Stuck in a Bog

2006-09-12T12:03:00.000+01:00

A bog called the Summer Hols. Couldn't blog during summer break, folks, sorry bout that. But now I'm back. At least I hope so.Aim to blog more regularly now that school's in. But with my unpredictable housewifery schedule, don't hold your breath. Interruptions come without a moment's notice, and as you know, with young children, their every little concern is urgent and important, to them at least

Daycase Diary (Part One)

2006-07-07T10:48:00.000+01:00

Ahh, glad to be back on the blogosphere after resting from my little operation.My first-ever stint in a UK hospital went very well. I was what they call here a "daycase," meaning an outpatient.I wish it could be said that I slept fitfully and in utter peace the night before my surgery, but I didn't. I kept disturbing O with all my tossing and turning, and I kept waking up at odd hours during the

Nada Te Turbe

2006-07-03T08:28:00.000+01:00

Another day, another chance to entrust myself to the love of God.O is off work today to bring me to hospital for a minor procedure to remove polyps from my uterus. I will need to be put to sleep during the surgery, according to the GYN whom I only met once when I had my first consultation several months ago. E, who still can't be left in anyone else's care without crying all day, will need to

Heartbreak in England

2006-07-02T18:43:00.000+01:00

Walking to church yesterday evening, we passed houses flying St George's flag. Driveways were packed with cars flying miniatures of the same flag. From inside the houses, we could hear shouts and yells, from men and women alike. It was the World Cup, England vs Portugal, and late into the game, the score was still 0-0.More than a year after moving here, I still am quite ignorant about the basics

About to Forage

2006-06-22T10:21:00.000+01:00

I read a recent BBC article which mentions, among other things, how declining female fertility evolved "so that women in tribes could forage instead of being occupied by childcare." It's an interesting article, raising sentive ethical issues about motherhood and working, but it also stresses that "this (issue) is no longer a problem" in this day and age.According to the article, "women

Remembered

2006-06-18T17:11:00.000+01:00

I chanced on a Pinoy forum today while looking for online records of titles of my past research publications and student awards--- I'm updating my dusty old CV, otherwise I wouldn't even bother looking them up! Well, I never bothered to remember them or chronicle them properly in the first place, and I left all my academic stuff back home, which is why I now have to find their titles elsewhere.So

My List

2006-06-17T14:08:00.000+01:00

Had an interesting online chat the other day with a very dear friend-- hmmm, let's call her Maria. Slightly edited, it went something like this:Maria: hi! am still dazed from a meeting i had this morning. learned that i will be out of town for most of the next 4 weeks to give training in sorsogon and in subic...hehehe...i'm getting old... there is still this part of me refusing to accept the fact

Back in the Sun

2006-06-12T14:29:00.000+01:00

Fine, fine, I know. There's no excuse for not blogging. Except that May 28th-June 3rd was half-term holiday, so my older son was home all week from school. And from June 5th till now, well, I've been out nearly everyday, soaking up the sun, saying hello to summer on the pretext of running errands in town. Hello, blue skies! Hello, white puffy clouds! Hello, bright new world! The weather's been

Grey Skies and Sad Songs

2006-05-26T14:18:00.000+01:00

Given that today's grey skies and gusts of wind were doing nothing to lift my spirits, it probably wasn't the smartest idea to listen to Josh Groban and Eva Cassidy, both extremely gifted musical artists in the sad song genre. But still, I did it. Call it the masochist in me.The new story is doing quite well, considering. Developing new characters (New? As compared to what? Hard to believe this

Further Into Your Heart, O Lord

2006-05-23T16:27:00.000+01:00

Just back from a women's overnight event with Antioch women. It was unbelievably bursting with grace and newfound love. An incredible spiritual, emotional, relational top-up. A weekend of nonstop a-ha moments and eye-openers.On the train to King's Cross-St Pancras, I was clutching my handbag and was suddenly struck by a tremendous, overwhelming thought: For the first time in many years, I was

The Economics of Migration

2006-05-18T10:54:00.000+01:00

Accuse me of leaving my homeland for money, dear friend, and you will hear me laugh in your face. Looooong and hard.Back home, we had a car to drive. I had a cellphone. An electronic CASIO keyboard. An RJ guitar. My own 3-2-1 sofa set. A chandelier. A big TV. A refrigerator. A dining table. Our own bed.Here? No car. No mobile phone, the brands are too expensive. No musical instruments yet, not on

The Vanishing Nut

2006-05-17T08:48:00.000+01:00

Night falls, and it is cold and quiet outside my window. Time stops as I slowly, methodically bring out my old, long-forgotten things. Again.They are not really that old: a letter from a friend, different memorabilia, remembrances, souvenirs, old photographs… No, they are not old. They are as ancient as time itself. And no, I have not forgotten…Was it only seven months ago when I walked down the

Your Comments

2006-05-15T14:08:00.000+01:00

I have FINALLY been able to sit down and respond to all your wonderful comments posted on the different blog entries from April till now, both here and in my other blog. Hope I didn't leave any comment unanswered.That's one tick on today's to-do list. Now about the twenty others... hmmm...Will write more soon. Promise.

A Book Inside Me Waiting To Come Out

2006-05-11T09:59:00.000+01:00

Wanna know a secret? I've been thinking about writing a book lately. Not that it's the first time it's occurred to me.Half of me has been toying around with plotlines and background and characters, but half of me is terrified witless at the mere thought.I feel privately guilty when I write, even just on blogs like this. Can't help it. Is writing for rich mums who can afford to pay someone else to

What's A Blog Anyway?

2006-05-10T19:38:00.000+01:00

That's what I asked myself when I first heard the word.What's a blog for?Is it a kind of diary? But if it is, why not just save it on a hard drive instead of letting the whole world read it? In my day, diaries used to come with a lock and key, hidden in secret drawers, sometimes even written in clever code. Now I can read blogs of people from all over the world, and be let in on their dreams,

MSPSL

2006-05-06T19:49:00.000+01:00

Had another 2-hour go at the Driving Simulator today.Perfecting Gears didn't go too badly, but I absolutely sucked at Accelerating and Braking.Not that I didn't brake "firmly and progressively," as the well-modulated female voice said of my performance, but because I kept taking too long getting to (and correctly changing gears to reach) the desired speed, which in my case was 60 mph. But my foot

Set Aside Every Fear

2006-05-05T12:00:00.000+01:00

If you read the current entries in my other blog, you will see where I am right now. And if you do read, and you do see, then you will understand why I am choosing to share this "dialogue" with you here, on RiverPilgrim, for it is a prayer which has kept me company all week, giving me light and strength which I would not possess otherwise.It is taken from Catherine of Siena's The Dialogue (with

Bank Holidays in England

2006-05-01T12:29:00.000+01:00

Today, the 1st of May, is yet another UK Bank Holiday. If you're like me, a novice to British customs and eager to learn as much as one can about it, you'd wonder why they're called bank holidays at all. (Back home, for instance, they're simply called non-working holidays.)So I googled it and came up with the following explanation from Take Our Word For It at http://www.takeourword.com/TOW135/

WanderingScribe

2006-04-25T09:31:00.000+01:00

I found WanderingScribe's blog on homelessness, and as much as I enjoyed and was affected by her from-the-gut, powerful writing, I also wanted to reach out to her and help. She's obviously educated, in her 30's, a rich soul with a back near-permanently deformed by sleeping in her car since August 2005. Read her blog, and be moved as I was. Maybe I'll email her one of these days, when I work up my

The Biting Point

2006-04-21T21:04:00.000+01:00

I learned a fantastic new driving term today: The Biting Point.It’s the precise moment when, after setting the gas, you let up on the clutch and the engine starts to “bite” into gear. It’s from this point that you have to let up on the clutch a tiny fraction, step a bit more on the gas and keep your feet still for a few car-lengths before you let the clutch completely up. It’s this point which is

Driving Licence, Driving Lessons

2006-04-18T21:38:00.000+01:00

I can hardly believe it myself-- I actually lodged my application to DVLA for my first provisional driving licence today! O still being on holiday (the university doesn't open again till tomorrow), we all went to town (on foot) this sunny but chilly afternoon to go to the Post Office, the local DVLA office and the British School of Motoring(BSM).At the Post Office on High Town Street, the

Goodbye, Nursing Bras!!!

2006-04-14T15:18:00.000+01:00

Last Wednesday, the 12th of April, was a momentous day. Not just because it was exactly a month before my son E turns two.Not even because, at long last, Bucky Covington was ousted from American Idol 5. It was a day to remember because it was the day I officially banished my nursing bras to a dark, uncharted region of my dresser drawer.Yes, my friends, after 23 months of being lovingly breastfed,

Remembering Rogel

2006-04-11T11:21:00.000+01:00

It was a cool February night. As we raced to the hospital, my dad called me on the car phone to say that it was too late - that he was gone.Rogel Plata was gone. Tito Rogel— my uncle who used to bring me to school everyday, who led me to Jesus, who inspired me to give my all to God, who drove me home after Sunday gatherings, who traveled with me on missions, who always listened to me as if I were

Mimi's Kitchen

2006-04-10T19:28:00.000+01:00

We spent Saturday night sleeping over at a friend's in Acton. I love their house and always look forward to staying there when we need to. I love the living room, the dining room, the patio, the garden at the back, the guest room where we stay, but most of all, I love the kitchen.Mimi's kitchen is full of gadgets and labour-saving devices, and while I have gotten quite a few tips on cooking and

Enter Riverpilgrim

2006-04-04T16:24:00.000+01:00

All right, now that I’ve gotten that oh-so-somber-pensive-tiresome-but-still-necessarily-autobiographical-very-first-entry part out of my system, it’s time for me to beg you to welcome Riverpilgrim into the wild world of blog! (Why “Riverpilgrim,” you say? To find out, please read said tiresome-but-necessary very-first-blog entry.)I have been fairly techno-savvy all my adult life, paying bills

River Running

2006-04-04T10:20:00.000+01:00

Twenty summers ago, I learned that trusting God starts with floating in a man-made lake.Face up, my sky was never the same again. The sun shone warmly on me, and the stars became my friends.The dam soon broke and I was free. It has since been a river voyage: whitewater, swirling eddies, steady streams, deep pools and the occasional cascade. With each turbulence came storm-eyes of peace, and with