Fall Out Girl

Fall Out Boy in Manila was the bomb.

Going to the concert was to me, a rather dubious idea in the first place because I was down to only one day left before the concert, calling sold-out ticket centers all-the-while, keeping my fingers crossed in sheer apprehension for some contest I joined in order to meet the band. Yet, knowing whether or not I would have won, I still wouldn't have tickets in the end.

I knew that my primary resort should always be prayer. In a battle against fans who've been there even before the hiatus.. (I honestly, only started listening to them after but I'm not partial to their new album), I knew Prayer was exactly the best battle plan that could get me through. After quite a few minutes of struggling with a cloud of ideas, I was halted when God intervened by telling me to go with another concept - which was to portray the music video of "The Phoenix". 

At the end of the day (Or shall I say, just HOURS before the concert), not only was I informed that I had won the contest but also that my friend was willing to give me 2 FREE tickets to see them play. 

I cannot tell you that what had happened was out of mere coincidence because (a) I didn't ask for a ticket at all. (b) I didn't mention that I was looking for one. (c ) he agreed to give me the ticket upon the condition that I get 2 FREE tickets instead of one. Friends, you CANNOT look at this and question this situation's providence.

I had to wait 2 hours in line for the meet and greet to start. I was the winner in FIRST PLACE but other people in the contest had  taken my spot in line. I spent the hours trying to devise a plan into sneaking ahead of those women and straight into Patrick's arms. But no cameras, no gifts, no autographs, no pictures, no talking. WOW. What kind of meet and greet would that make it then? I had a few tricks up my sleeve but I was on the verge of breaking down. This patient, surrendering-to-God-and-resorting-in -prayer thing was starting to rip out of me. I kept reminding myself that satan was only trying to trick me into ruining my experience to deprive me of God's real plan for me.-Which is always going to be better than mine. Regardless of the circumstances. 

I prayed super hard. My anxieties were slowly robbing me of the joy of just being in the moment, winning a contest for the first time, meeting Patrick Stump? I was already a victor but I couldn't find myself content until I shared a special moment with Pat. All my plans had been shot down the drain as soon as I got in because we had to leave ALL our belongings outside. I still secretly kept my letter with me though. 

As soon as I got in the room, I immediately ran towards Pat. When I saw the space between him and Andy, I knew this was my chance to get a good picture. I said "Hi" and when I was about to get in between them, some snooty girl sneaks in front of me and takes my place. Here's the thing though… Patrick was aware of it. He saw it with his own eyes and shot me a look of concern. Oh how his bright blue eyes pierced into my soul ever so severely as he expressed his regard for me. I stood beside the girl beside him instead and he even reached in to give me a PAT on the back. (See what I did there?) Right after, he had anticipated my coming back to him as if he felt I had so much to say. I guess he could tell by the look in my eyes that this was a moment I was living my dream. I couldn't see anybody else clearly. I daydreamed even in the moment ever so conspicuously, frozen on cloud 9. And so he stepped forward to me, and here's what happened after:

Me: Could I give you a kiss?

Pat: and a hug!

*Pat wraps his arms around me as he turns his cheek and I give him a sincere, friendly yet affectionate peck*

Me: Is it okay if I give you this?

Pat: what? I'm sorry?

Me: Is it okay if I give you this?

Pat: *Looks at my hand and enthusiastically says* SURE! Sure!

*Then, he takes my wrist with his hand, and with the other, slowly and tenderly slides the letter off my palm*

Pat: Thank you. Hug!

*AGAIN, he reaches in to me and we hug passionately. I hugged him tight like I never wanted to let go. He did too. The kind of hug you can feel all the love and warmth of, the kind that he spins you around without letting go for the longest time. Those were the best seconds of my life*

After I left the room, I cried like crazy. Embarrassing and loud, but all for Patrick Stump. He was worth my teenage tears. At least, in this context.

There's a bigger love story to this, though. What you didn't know was notwithstanding the times I prayed the hardest, I still sinned the most. I was unreasonably angry, impatient, selfish, rude, distracted and foul-mannered. I was aware of how badly I had behaved and the consequences that could have come after it. I knocked my head every time because I knew that because of my sin, I didn't even a little, deserve to win or go to the concert. Truly, only by God's grace did I ever get to come out the victor in the end. 

It took me a lot of effort to get to win the contest. I spent a long time putting on makeup, positioning the camera, tying myself to a chair, taking a shot, untying myself, checking the shot, and starting over again. The cycle went on and on for hours. I felt like giving up. God reminded me of the verse in 2 Corinthians 9:6  saying "You reap what you sow." and I wanted to reap a "date" with Patrick Stump. So I kept on going. I can only imagine of the horror of quitting and in the end finding out that I was already on the right track towards the prize. What If I had given up?

The harder part was getting people to like my photo. The race was tight and I myself was uncertain of my chances in winning. I couldn't pin it down because the other contestants were catching up quickly. But there were 5 winners to be chosen, and I knew I stood a big chance in being one of them. Yet, I tired myself into getting first place. I wanted to be FIRST. Then again, God reminded me of Matthew 23:12 which says "Those who are humbles will be exalted" So I lifted it up to Jesus and asked for His forgiveness. The prize wasn't 1st place. Rather, it was getting to meet my HusBAND. Este, favorite band. (See what I did there?)

There were many lessons I've learnt through this one experience but the bottom-line is this:

God's grace and mercy is far beyond what we could ever deserve. Truly, living life is much easier when you're living on a prayer. By following God's leading in complete surrender to His will, I was able to reach more than what I had expected. Had I not  pushed myself into reaping what I sowed, I wouldn't have won the contest. Had I not swallowed my pride and allowed God's divine intervention, I would have wasted all my time being annoyed and all my effort. Had I not been cheated on by that girl who took my place, Patrick Stump wouldn't have given me special attention. Had I not obeyed God, I wouldn't have been there at all.

I didn't deserve ANY of it. As I said, I sinned and sinned during the process. I'm a FALL OUT girl, I fall so easily into sin. Yet, God CHOSE to bless me. His GRACE amazes me. GG.

Free Mali, The Elephant Striving To Survive

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JzbLY53EXY]

Growing up, I would visit zoos both local and outside the country very often and even as a child, it had been a concern to me how the animals inside their cages must have been feeling. Considering that some if not most of the animals I see inside the zoos I've visited have been treated fairly, I cannot help but wonder about one animal I've been visiting numerous times my whole life. If you're a Filipino living in Manila, I'm pretty sure you've been familiar with this gentle giant too.-Mali, the 39 year old elephant held in captivity in our very own Manila Zoo.

In a barren pen, Mali spends her days pacing the same concrete area over and over again. Transferred from Sri Lanka to the Manila Zoo when she was just a baby, Mali has lived a life of deprivation since 1977.

As an elephant, Mali needs the company of other elephants in order to survive. Elephtants need a vast space to run around, and live free and happily. Especially females who stay with their families FOR LIFE.

Youngsters are taught life skills, such as how to use different kinds of leaves and mud to ward off sunburn and insect bites. Births are joyous celebrations. Deaths of loved ones are mourned. Although Mali has not seen another elephant in more than 30 years, elephants in similar circumstances have been brought to sanctuaries to live happy lives among their own kind. Wouldn't you think poor Mali deserved the same?

Around the world there has been growing recognition that the complex needs of elephants cannot be met in captivity and dozens of zoos have closed their elephant displays. The government of India has ordered that all elephants in zoos be transfered to sanctuaries or reserves.

It is no wonder that during my recent visit to South Africa's animal reserve, regardless of how big of a place it was, and how much grassland it covered, they could not keep elephants within their fences because of how much elaborate care these animals needed.

But despite a directive from Philippine President Benigno Aquino III stating that Mali's health should be evaluated and that she should be considered for transfer, the Manila Zoo is doing everything that it can to delay the move.

In the wild, Mali would spend her days in the company of her herd—which she'd never leave—foraging, bathing and playing in rivers, and roaming vast territories. Now Mali has the chance to live the life that she can currently only dream of.

As a young person, I still enjoy visiting zoos and observing all the beautiful animals they have and I have learned a lot doing so.

As fellow citizen of the Philippines, I wonder how I can say I am proud of my citizenship seeing the cruelty imposed on such an innocent creature happening in the very land I belong to. I know that as Filipinos, we can show the world that we can come together and unite to take a stand for what's right.

Take action now! Just one click could make a big difference.

Visit FreeMali.com for more info

Into The Blue

Oh look! a seal!

A few days ago I was sleep deprived. My paranoia got me going nuts about this whole scuba thing and I was afraid that I wouldn't make it out alive and if I did, what if I had a traumatic emergency?- I'd be scarred for life. If you could only imagine the horror I felt before leaving this trip. I could barely move. I spent a lot of time praying I'd get back from the trip alright.

We stayed at DIVER'S SANCTUARY in Bauan, Batangas. ( Such a beautiful, relaxing place. The room has a beautiful view and is easy to get from the resort to the dive site) We had a quick lesson in a saltwater pool learning the basic how-tos and exercises on scuba diving. It took some getting used to but was very easy to get the hang of anyway as long as you relax. 

"relax" - one of the short yet most essential words to a scuba diver.

By the time we finished, we head on to the ocean. I shrieked as I sat myself on the edge of a stair at the first sight of a fish. Between you and me (but not really), fishes have been a great fear for only so long. I thought twice. I was ready to walk away but I didn't when I told myself It was either I overcome it now or waste more time afraid of something I've never even tried to experience.

So I pushed myself to it. I started off busy with an "as long as these fish keep their distance, I keep mine" phase but eventually forgot all about it when I was stricken by the breathtaking(Literally.You need a regulator to dive and see this kind of stuff anyway) view. I started getting teary as I thought to myself "How could I ever let anything, even FEAR rob me of experiencing one of the best things in life?" I saw different species of fishes, corals, and creatures I never even thought existed beyond the waters we so casually swim on the surface of. You'd never expect that when you swim in the ocean, right below you is a whole other world! And so, my first dive went great and the 2nd did either.

The next day, we took on another site-another view with much more to offer. It was crazy because you could actually see how deeper things were below, it felt like you were flying. It was shocking at first and uneasy to look at but you'd be distracted at all the other amazing things to see such as a coral banded sea snake and even a sea turtle(a rare thing to see while diving)swimming around hunting for some food! Although I almost finished the air in my tank, it's always easy to share air with a fellow diver! See! Scuba isn't scary nor tricky at all.

Later on during the day, I started getting crazy thoughts again and I knew it was just the devil trying to rain on my parade. So I prayed and I asked God to show me if this was something He really wanted me to spend the rest of my life associated with. I asked that He would keep me safe and show me a sign of covenant-that I would see a sea turtle up close just as He did a rainbow with Noah.

I'd say our last dive was the best because this felt like the most legit open water dive I've gone on since we had to take a boat and exit the water through a back roll.  It got us first timers nervous but then again the Lord just kept the adrenaline pumping in me, I couldn't wait to get in.

We dove past 'coral gardens' into an underwater pinnacle (I was doing my equalization wrong so I couldn't go deeper) that had to be about 100 feet at which my heart started pumping faster and faster at sight of. I started getting worried about things going wrong and not being able to make it up to the surface in time to survive. I know these were thoughts satan had implanted on my mind to keep me from experiencing the great things I was about to see so I took deep breaths, prayed, held tight to my father and pressed on. Would you believe, we were able to spot not just one but 2 sea turtles at rare states! Just as I was saying, seeing them at all is rare but it's even rare-ER when you see them stationary and rare-EST when they're feeding which was just what we saw during that dive. I was even able to get up close with it and it was just so busy it didn't mind!

Me (in yellow fins) and my stepmom (black fins, puffy hair) drawing near the turtle. (I was losing air this time so I had to hold her hand)

The ocean has made me realize just so much about life. Such as the fact that there really must be a great big God out there as to be the cause for such wonders to exist. Another is that God really answers prayers and when He blesses you, He doesn't hold anything back. ( Imagine, 3 turtles! All I asked for was 1 and I didn't even ask for them to be doing these things rare to see) and the cold, hard truth that billions of people in the world have never even experienced seeing it with their own eyes and in time, it won't be as beautiful as it is today if we don't learn to take responsibility in keeping our oceans clean. If we could only stop dumping trash into the ocean, killing rare marine life such as sea turtles, sharks, dolphins, rays etc. for their meat (God had already given us other seafoood to eat!), preventing oil spills, even doing just simply not collecting seashells from the ocean floor to take home (because these things become homes for little creatures to live in, food to some of them and in the end, decompose into sand.) If the ocean's really as marvelous as it is now, all the more was it before. There's that sad truth that the oceans are slowly dying, let's respect it. Keep it clean and don't take out anything that belongs to it. Make it a habit as well to pick up trash whenever you see any because after all, man is responsible for his own mess.

You know, we are so privileged with some of the best oceans in the world. I urge you to make it an item in your bucketlist to dive even at least once in your life. We humans don't know how much we miss out on. The ocean was made for us to enjoy and experience God's power. While we're already having fun crusing or swimming on the surface, what more when we're below! Being the wanderlust I am, I'm always so eager to visit so many different countries but I realize all those places will never compare to what you're seeing when you dive. (Plus, it's nearer and cheaper too!)

Have you ever wondered why God gives so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and grey; we wouldn't have known the differnece. But he didn't.

He splashes orange in the sunrise and cast the sky in blue.
And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are you'll see that too.
Did he have to make the squirrel's tail furry? Was he obliged to make the birds sing? And the funny way that chickens scurry or the majesty of thunder when it rings? 
Why give a flower fragrance? Why give food its taste? Could it be he loves to see that look upon your face? 
Every gift reveals Gods love... but no gift reveals his love more than the gifts of the cross. They came, not wrapped in paper, but in passion. Not placed around a tree but a cross. And not covered with ribbons but sprinkled with blood.
- Max Lucado, He chose the nails.

Learn more about what you can do on your part in saving the oceans at Project Aware!

What are you waiting for? Schedule your diving lesson NOW! Contact John Mateos Ong at 0917-811-1471

Gary V.'s "Just For You" Album Launch

Last week I was able to attend Gary Valenciano's free mini concert/album launch at Venice Piazza after school. I was the first one who bought the album which included a poster, eco bag and VIP seats. The staff members and security guards were amazed at how much of a big fan I was being only 15.

The Gary V. Eco Bag. I use it as a handbag now. Haha!

Front Act: A.K.A. Jam

I praise God because for the whole week, my time with Him has been running dry and I was distracted with so many things that I sometimes even prioritized over God! It is only by His grace that I was able to go and meet him again. I'm so glad he remembered me when I re-introduced myself. He was surprised to see me still there to support him. No words can express the feeling I felt towards how he'd shown his appreciation towards me. I asked him if it was okay if he signed my iphone. Shocked, he replied "If it's okay with you!" but unfortunately, the marker ended up smudgy (is that even a word) on my iphone. It was worth a shot. Anyway, I still got his autograph.

"To Jazzy, God bless you. Keep living by faith!"

This is the first time I met him (I've met him 3/4 times)  without feeling like I was going to faint. I'm so proud of myself.

I couldn't thank God enough for the grace He'd shown towards me. Oh how much I don't deserve any of the blessings he showers upon me day by day. I can't believe that despite all my failures, He CHOOSES to.

For the picture taking part of our time together, I asked if we could do wacky shots!

Check out Gary V's new album entitled : Gary V. Sings: Just For You!

According to him, the reason for this title is that "Gary V. Sings:" actually means that this was the beginning of a series of albums to be produced in the future. It could be anything! "Gary V. Sings: The 60s" or "Gary V. Sings: Rock" ( hah! I wish)

I'm looking forward to what lies ahead of his career.

Journey To The Kingdom of Cambodia

Last October 4-7, I had the privilege of visiting the country I had so long dreamt of seeing. The Kingdom of Cambodia, 

(formerly known as Kampunchea) isn't a regular tourist site for Filipinos. So being given the chance to go was only but an answered prayer. Finally! I had gone and tasted the Khmer culture even if it was just Siem Reap (Cambodia's capital is Phnom Penh) We arrived at past 9 in the evening in the Siem Reap Int'l Airport and was welcomed by our driver holding a sign with our family name on it. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand English. We got inside this nice van where a little kid was riding shotgun who immediately reminded me of (my son loljk) Maddox. He was peeking through his seat probably wondering where these strangers daddy brought came from. I leaned forward to take a good look at him, making sure our eyes met and said "Hello" to which he responded very clearly. The streets of Siem Reap look much like the province (in the Philippines). There's so much land but the streets are wider and there is a big distance from the sidewalk to the houses or establishments. We arrived at a strip of hotels wherein Khemara Angkor was ours and were welcomed by the hotel staff wearing funny costumes which resembled that of a jester's in the movies. While walking to our room, there was a sudden blackout. I had headed into the light when I accidentally ran into the bellboy and screamed like I saw a ghost. We all laughed so hard and he kept on apologizing. It was hilarious but we later on got to know them a little better. Right then and there I had established in my mind that the Khmer people really were as amazing as I thought them to be.

The next day, we were headed for an adventure because we were to be embarking on a journey to the ancient city of Angkor Wat. We had our first Khmer breakfast at the hotel buffet where I had their Cambodian fried rice. It was probably the healthiest and tastiest I've ever had! After, we met with our tour guide, Kadem at the lobby.

We first arrived at the ticket station which was very interesting because they take a photo of you and print it on your ticket which you have to present every time you enter one of the temples. ( How cool and techy is that, huh?)

First stop: Angkor Wat Gate

Surrounded by a man-made moat that the rain keeps deep enough. There are 55 statues lined up on each side. On the right, are statues of demons, and on the left, gods.

After, we visited the Bayon temples where it rained so hard which made the experience all the more better except photography became a lot harder. Bayon temples are famous for having 4 faces on each side of their structure. There are 54 smaller temples which represent the 54 capitals of Cambodia. Some of the temples in the city of Angkor still have the statue of Buddha which everyday, Buddhists come to worship to.

 And by the way, there are a lot of Elephants.

Then, we visited the most exciting part of the city of Angkor. Well, at least for me. It was the moment I had been waiting for-The Tah Prohm temple.

What made it so significant to me was that this was the place where the first Angelina Jolie movie I had watched was filmed back in 2000 ( released in 2003) - Tomb Raider. But Tah Prohm is more famous for its enormous trees which have been petruding through the temple walls.

We finished early and had lunch at Blue Pumpkin and the food was amaaaazing especially their Coconut shake and Coconut ice cream over Cambodian fruit salad! Yum!

We finished early and had lunch at Blue Pumpkin and the food was amaaaazing especially their Coconut shake and Coconut ice cream over Cambodian fruit salad! Yum!

After lunch, we visited the last of the Angkor Wat temples. By God's grace, it had already been sunny but the walk was long and tiring yet I continued to walk through staircase after staircase, temple after temple to see the legends of the Khmer civilization and it was absolutely worth it. It took my breath away. (I mean that literally too. Seriously, man! It was tiring!)

The wall carvings were beautiful. Each wall depicting different tales of kings and gods. The Khmer manuscripts engraved on stone were ever so beautiful and the people, oh my goodness. The Buddhists I met were lovely. On the way back, an old lady had been eyeing me since and asked her daughter to ask me for a picture with her. I was lost and had no idea what was going on until Kadem translated them for me.

My Angkor Wat visit was so interesting. I learned that the Thai were influenced by the Cambodians who were influenced by the Indians! All this time I had thought it was the Thai who influenced Cambodia because they're similar in so many ways. It turns out that the Khmers came waaaay before the Thai did.

Later in the afternoon, we were taken to a spa where we had the Khmer massage and it was the best massage I had ever had.

Saying goodbye to our tour guide was really hard because he was very nice and we, well, I had grown attached to him already after all the questions, the laughs we shared, and the hiding behind his back from all the butterflies. Yeah. The Cambodian people have such good hearts.

We spent the night at a buffet called "Khoulin" where we had watched a live Apsara show. I will never ever get enough of the Cambodian cuisine.

The next day was shopping day!

We rented a tuk-tuk, took a city tour, and went to the Old Market where my lola went panic shopping after which she got tired from and headed back to the hotel while I went to the National Museum where I learned a lot about the history of Angkor and Buddhism. After, we took a good nap before heading on to the night market where this time I became the impulsive shopper. Our tuk-tuk driver was very kind. I asked for his name. He replied "T". I asked "How do you spell that?" again, he replied "Just 'T'" HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH funny

On our last day, we took a look at the new market, which looked like Kalentong, to the old market again, then back to the hotel for checkout where we left our grandparents to take a look at other shopping or tourist attractions in Siem Reap. There was no more we could find and the person I was with kept going "Let's go back to the hotel." But I decided to take an ice cream break at Swensen's and go thrill seeking instead. We passed by this stall where the vendor was a man who had lost both his hands. We continued walking but the farther I got from him, the more my heart started to pound with compassion I stopped and said "Wait. I can't take this." and walked right back to him. He was so glad to see me come back and I couldn't even look up at him so I just  immediately browsed through the books he was selling not seem rude but he started the conversation and asked where I was from. He asked about me first before he started talking about himself which really warmed my heart so I paused and finally took a good look at him and asked for HIS story. He had a hard time explaining in English but he tried and I understood that this man, named Tok Vanna was not only a Khmer Rouge survivor but he was a land mime amputee as well. And I was starstruck. I wanted so bad to say so much but I couldn't because I was at shock because to me it was SUCH. A. BIG. DEAL.

I took my time and I asked him more about his life. I learned that there was a time in his life when he wanted to kill himself and someone stopped him. I told him that there is a reason it happened and he is alive now. He was selling so many books about the Khmer Rouge and he had recommended me the good ones by picking them up with what was left of his arm. It's amazing how he was able to do that and even flip the page, take it out of its wrapping and put it back again! I would take the book and insist on doing it myself but he insisted on doing it anyway!

I blessed him in God's name and after all the adventures in Siem Reap, decided to get back to the hotel. I was at last contented and felt that I was leaving Cambodia with a story to tell. Before even going, I had wished to meet an amputee somehow and the first few days felt to me like there was no way. I praise God because on the last day, on my last few hours of staying there, he had given me the chance to. And that He was a Khmer Rouge survivor was a bonus as well. God is good and gracious. He has placed a burden in me to continue to travel around the world and proclaim His name. I choose to spread His love across the Earth and I am so excited for the many more trips to come.

Helping Cambodia even in the simplest of ways!

A Tribute and A Lesson From Alexander The Great

WARNING, GUYS! NERD ALERT!

Alexander III, known as "Alexander The Great" was the Macedonian King. Son of the King Philip II of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus lived to become who we now call the greatest military leader. Legend tells Olympias (a practitioner of sorcery and a religious believer in Greek gods) was one of Zeus' wives. It goes that one night, she had lain in bed with a python (a symbol for Zeus) when Philip who was peering through the bedroom saw what was going. His wife had and so the King got the idea that his wife could have been keeping this dark secret all along. Then he decided to consult an Oracle to see if his accusations were true. Furthermore, the god Zeus, as a punishment, took out the eye he saw Olympias that night with.

Alexander was a student of one of the greatest philosophers, Aristotle who educated him about music, arts, religion, logic, philosophy and etc. He developed a passion for the poet Homer's epics such as the Illiad. In fact, he'd even read one of his poems every night before he went to sleep. You'd begin to wonder what could possibly be going inside the bright mind of this adolescent child because he grew up to prove his knowledge was far more bigger than his position himself. Numerous stories of Alexander's brightness as a child go about such as the time his father got him a horse which apparently couldn't be tamed. It was too wild so the King had ordered it to be sent back while Alexander approaches it, tells his father that he just didn't know how to handle one, gets up on the horse and rides away. Philip was convinced his son was so much more than what he'd appear to be .

The King later married Cleopatra Eurydice. During the banquet, the drunken king's general had prayed aloud to the gods that Cleopatra and Philip would produce a successor to Philip's throne. An insulted Alexander replied "You villain!...What, am then I a bastard?" Out of drunkenness and rage, the king tries to cross over the table to Alexander to hurt him when he accidentally slips on his foot and fell. Alexander says "See there. The man who makes preparations to pass out of Europe into Asia, overturned in passing from one seat to another." After that night Alexander grew bitter against his father, destroying the bond between them forever.

At the age of 16, Alexander had gone into battle with his father as regent and heir apparent against Byzantion. Then again joined the pleased father in a the battle of Thermoplyae and went on as they conquered city to city by his father's side. Yet in all their success, Alexander finds someday he'll want something bigger for himself.

During a celebration at Aegea, Philip was assassinated by one of his bodyguards, Pausanias. Many believed that Alexander and his mother Olympias had plotted the murder to keep any other son from taking Alexander's throne.

Alexander takes the position as King of Macedonia at age 20. He first attacked Thessaly then continued south toward Peloponnese. But to make things a lot more simpler, he won every battle. Though there are 3 famous battles ( fought with Persia ) in the history of his reign:

1. The Battle at Grannicus where he faced King Darius. Alexander, with his excellent strategic skills and leadership led the Macedonians into the surrender of the Persians to his empire thus earning Alexander the Persian provincial capital and treasury of Sardis. While the Persian King turned back and ran for his life.
2. The Battle at Issus where again King Darius fled but this time leaving behind his wife, mother and 2 daughters all whom Alexander captured but to everyone's surprise, vowed to be taken good care of.
3. The Battle of Gaugamela where he was faced with Darius again who was now with a bigger army. For the third time, the Persian king fled while Alexander chased him. But the king had ran to the moutains while Alexander captured Babylon. Meanwhile the Persian forces were upset with all the threats they had gained from Alexander's winning. Darius was found by a Macedonian soldier in an ox-cart after he had been speared by the Persian Army leaders Satibarzanes and Barsaentes leaving him to die. King Darius spent his last words hand-in-hand with the Macedonian soldier expressing his thanksgiving to Alexander for taking care of his family. When Alexander arrived, Darius had already passed. It was too late. This was a disappointment for Alexander who wanted to capture him alive.

Before the Battle of Issus, Alexander had captured Egypt and founded Alexandria. He went to consult the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert and was pronounced the new "master of the Universe" and son of the deity or Zeus. After this consultation, he began to truly believe that he was the son of a god.

Alexander slowly gave in to the lifestyle of Darius with Persian cities in hand. He had started wearing a white robe similar to that of the Persian King's, had concubines and spent his nights getting drunk. The man who the arms of Persia had failed to crush fell before it's own vices! His behavior outside the battlefield began to offend his people to the point where even his friends began to regard him as enemy.

Out of depression, he sailed through a river which led him to India where he later then had gone into a battle with the walled city of Malli. One of the men came to him and reported there had revealed been to him "a great danger which would come to the king from a wound in the course of the operation" and begged him to leave the city alone but the king scolded him for dampening the enthusiasm of the soldiers then carried on to take over the city.

Alexander brought ladders into position as his army fought tooth and nail to climb up expecting they'd get inside the city and capture it as with the others before. Unfortunately, the soldiers couldn't get to the top and the ladders were slowly breaking. When Alexander had noticed this, he immediately took action and himself was the first to get to the top of the wall. Aware of the fact he was standing in the perfect spot to be arrowed by the Mallians, he pressed on. Eventually, the great king was later found by the Macedonian soldiers in a pool of his own blood with an arrow hit straight to his lung.

With his conquest complete, Alexander survived but later died at the age of 33 on the 10 of June, 323 BC out of an unknown illness. I'd believe his illness was because of all things conspiring together-drinking, the arrow wound, his numerous battles, endemic malaria...He pushed himself too hard. Who could replace the man who went more than 12,000 miles over 12,000 years from battle to battle rising up the victor time and again?

This man is one of my favorite historical figures. I look up to his intelligence and military skills. He's amazing.

Yet at the end of his short life, Alexander was walking a fine line between genius and insanity.

Though I am astounded by the legacy this man had lived, I am saddened by the fact that this man fell to his own worldly desire and into his end.

Sometimes we, like him want the world. Maybe we don't dream of conquering it but we do almost always want what it offers-We want to be accepted in society, We want to be famous, We want to be rich, We want to be "perfect" even if it meant we had to lower our standards, even God's own standards for our temporary satisfaction.

Sometimes we think we can do it all on our own. There are days God lifts us up in victory but become too proud and like Alexander who thought himself immortal, think we can do things better our way. We can be the smartest, prettiest, or most talented person on Earth. We could even be the new "the great" but even Alexander, who gained the world, who was at the top of his gain,"INVINCIBLE", lost his life for the sake of it.

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" - Matthew 16:26 (NLT)

A map of the countries/cities Alexander conquered

Alexander was never satisfied. Something inside him kept telling him he wanted more. He needed something but he didn't know what it was. He mistook it for the world, for success, for position and possession. It is sad he never found what he didn't know he was looking for.

At the end of this life, all these worldy gains won't matter. Even the world itself will disappear. Hang on to the road of eternity.

Christianity With A TWIST?

On the way home from the grocery this afternoon, my mom and I were talking about how my dad tweeted about this famous radio DJ, Mo Twister and how he replied to him after.

Here's the tweet:

Like any other twitter user, I tweeted the first thing that came to mind. Here's mine:

I had no intention of doing or stating anything, really. To me, it was just another random tweet. Later during the night, I was recording some song with my guitar when suddenly, my phone beeps and interrupts the process. I was surprised to find a notification saying that the (in)famous Mo Twister had responded to my tweet!

How could he find me when I didn't even mention his username at all? I don't know. Maybe he's a ninja. But what I do know is that God really found a way for him to see it. Maybe God WANTED Him to see it.

When I first heard Mo's show, I have to admit, I was shocked to hear his choice of words, his actions, his language, his comments, and bad manners were even allowed to be broadcasted over the radio. Furthermore, I told myself not to judge and instead felt compassion for him.

Though he may be known for being an "egoistically, outspoken, douche", I've impressed it in me to think otherwise-that this was probably who he presented himself to be but not who God made him to be. Instead of feeling with contempt or disturbed by him, I'd somehow felt a deep sense of pity.

Recently he was involved in a scandal which obviously hurt him a lot because it hurt enough for him to decide to leave the Philippines and reside in New York for a while and though you, and everybody else might say he deserved it, I think that somewhere deep inside him lies a good man. He's just a lonely soul thirsty for something he's never opened himself to - the love of Jesus. Why? I believe it's because he's afraid.

We keep telling him to change his ways, some of us even tried preaching to Him before! Doesn't it make you wonder why it never seems to make an impact on Him? Isn't God's word strong enough "and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives? Corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right?" So the problem here is surely not with the word but rather, the one delivering it. Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

The last thing this man needs is the world calling him or tweeting him about the things he's done wrong. You think hurtful, discrete words would change him? If it could, it would have happened by now because he's been dealing with it for, well, practically everyday now and nothing's really changed!

There are people like him who we could have led to Jesus by now but we've only scared further away.

Didn't Jesus say that we are "not of this world"? Why do we keep saying we want people to come to God when we aren't even taking the first step? We're all WORDS and no action and most of the time, our words are the WRONG ONES.

How do you handle situations wherein you're faced with people like him? Do you gossip? Do you get easily angered? Whenever you're disrespected, do you give the same amount of disrespect too? Maybe even just a little less? Even so, that is a distorted way of thinking.

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. - Matthew 7:1-5 ( The Message )

Now I don't know about you guys, but when it comes to this, I've learned to stay low, set the best example I could, and pray pray pray!