New version, new layout

Because I had nothing else better to do tonight, plus I spent the entire day working on this, I decided to upload the new layout and upgrade to Wordpress 2.1. Yay. Unfortunately, there are still some things I have to upgrade in this layout and change for the new WP version, which will have to wait until tomorrow because it’s late and I have two birhday greetings to do and I have to sleep.

But in the meantime, enjoy this very…pink layout. This might stay a while, as long as I don’t get sick of it. :P Some things are still kind of confusing me (like where did my next and previous links go??? never mind, I found it), and I hope I could fix them all by tomorrow. If not, I’ll try to get them all done this week. :D

Anyway, it’s bed time. I have to say that WP 2.1 looks spiffy. :P But like I said, it’s bed time. Good night everyone!

P.S. I know! Go drop by Godchicks while I fix this! :) Go on, click!

For My Love ♥

So how was your Valentine’s day? Mine was okay. I wore red, because I felt like it. People in the office asked me if I had a date, to which I answered “No” with a smile. I saw flowers being delivered all over the office and the mall, but it didn’t bother me as much as it did the past years. I felt really pretty in my favorite red blouse and khaki pants, enjoyed free lunch thanks to my boss, and I was happy with just doing my work, plus spiffying up Godchicks and promoting the site to everyone who I would come across.

I wasn’t expecting anything that day because who would send me anything on Valentine’s Day? I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that I would have minimal gifts for that day until God gives me His gift, and keeping that in mind makes me less bitter for the occasion. So imagine my surprise when that rose (see picture) arrives at the office, with my officemates giving me friendly jokes about who gave me the rose.

I received a rose for Valentine’s Day. With that cute little bear. In a big box. Wow. Don’t I feel special!

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, it’s not from someone. It’s actually from a vendor (work related people, in short), and they gave roses to the girls they know here in the office. :P Anne, my officemate, got one too, and we’re like two of the few remaining singles here in the office.

But it was a very nice surprise. :) No matter how much people say that Valentine’s Day is commercialized, flowers are overrated and that roses are old school, it still feels good to receive flowers from someone, especially on that day. Come on girls, admit it! It’s enough to make you smile and blush slightly. :P

Anyway, so that was Valentine’s Day. Because of all the hoopla with Godchicks, I was focused more on that than on this. :D And speaking of Godchicks, I posted something there earlier that I’d like to share with everyone. :D

This is one of my current favorite love songs, sang by the young, beautiful and talented Bethany Dillon. I’ve been listening to this song around November, and I love every bit of it. It’s perfect! Read the lyrics:

For My Love
Bethany Dillon (2004)

Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you
When you breathe
And look at me
I want to be captured by you

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

I want to hide
What’s deep in my eyes
I’m scared to be known by you
But when I turn my head
And see you there
I want to be pursued

A dream I won’t wake from
A story that will never end
The ground your feet walk on
Let me be there, let me be there

Bethany Dillon: Acoustic Guitar
Dan Needham: Drums
Calvin Turner: Bass
Ben Shive: Piano
Ed Cash: Wurli, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Ken Lewis: Percussion
Background Vocals: Ed Cash

Gaze into my eyes, let me know you’d fight thousands for my love. ♥ ♥ ♥ Here’s a story about it (from Bethany’s website, emphasis mine):

It’s deeply rooted in every woman- the question, “Do I stand out in a crowd?” The vision of someone walking across a room and asking me to dance plays over and over in my mind; out of the whole room, I was chosen. I’ll be honest, I’m fifteen… I have crushes… but more than whimsical feelings and fickle emotion, I really do want to be fought for. I long to be recklessly pursued. I’m looking for true love, something honest and untainted, with no hidden agenda but that it wants to chase after me.

I love Psalm 45: “Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your homeland far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty.” That’s it! That’s what every chick flick revolves around, that’s what every romance novel is written about, those are the exact words that made me want to be a princess when I was younger.

The sad reality is, though, that women often aren’t validated and reassured that they’re worth that kind of affection. It scars us in the deepest places and causes us to cover our mouths when we smile and hide who we truly are. But, that’s what I love about Jesus—he’s a husband to the widow, the freer of a captive heart.

Exciting! I wonder how it feels to be pursued? To be fought for. Waaaait. Scratch that, why am I wondering still? I’m being pursued right now. I’ve been fought for and is still being fought for. No, there isn’t a guy as of now…not here, that is. There is Someone who’s been wooing my heart since I was born. And I give in to that wooing…and then stray away…then go back again. All the time, He’s still fighting for me. In fact, He even died for me.

I’m being pursued! I’m being fought for! Wow.

Were you single this last Valentine’s Day? Don’t be sad about it. =) If you’ve been waiting for someone to fight for you, who thinks you’re worthy to be pursued and wooed for your love, stop. Because He’s already here. Jesus loves you like a man crazily in love with his wife, like a boyfriend who is about to propose to his girlfriend. Jesus pursues you everyday, and He thinks every bit of you is worth fighting (and dying) for. :) Bask in that love, because it’s yours forever. :)

Be blessed. ♥

2007 Philippine Blog Awards

I’m kind of late in blogging this…but better late than never!

Early in my days of webdesign, when I was all so into cutesy pink kawaii stuff (Now who remembers that word? :P Kawaii!!!), I joined this site competition thing called The Site Fights (or was it something else? I think there was something like this called The Royal Rumble…wait, that’s wrestling… or The Site Rumble or whatever. Haha I might be wrong), where you join, your site gets evaluated, and once you’re in, there are different levels where you have to get into until you get to be TEH ULTIMATE SITE FIGHTS CHAMPION! Or…something like that. ;) To get into the different levels, people would have to vote for you and the winner with most votes will go to the next level while the rest will remain there. I remember getting into the second to last level, but I couldn’t move out from there because there was this site that looks so…um, kawaii, that everyone votes for it more. And it’s hosted on expages (I was hosted on gurlpages back then :P)…how can she beat me?! Arrogance aside, her site was actually quite…cute. Cuter…er, more kawaii than mine that is. Imagine lots of pink sparkly things, small iframe to hold her tiny text and shaking links…you know? Oh, and everyone still thinks the “Me, You, WWW” is still teh coolest thing for site navigation back then. ;)

When I realized that I might never move out of that place, I gave up and didn’t want to work on it anymore, until I moved to another host and forgot about it altogether.

But that’s not my point. The point here is…the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards is totally different from this. ;) I quote:

The Philippine Blog Awards aims to recognize notable FIlipino-owned blogs in their respective niches. With topics ranging from the arts, culture, technology and politics, Filipinos have become more abreast because of the fast growing blogging industry here and abroad. The Philippine Blog Awards is a venue to showcase notable blogs with quality content that engages readers from around the globe.

As Shari and Darwin said, this isn’t some contest you join and you’d get a blinkie to display on your site. No, no, this is bigger, better and more exciting, especially when you see the prizes! A trophy is better than a blinkie, yes? Of course.

And that 30GB iPod Video again. Lord, will this be my chance? Pleaaaase?

Nominations are open until February 28, so go and nomitate the blogs you think are worthy of winning the best in the these categories. :)

From the Blog Parteeh ‘07 to the 2007 Philippine Blog Awards…2007 sure is shaping up to be a great year for the Pinoy Bloggers. :)

Godchicks: Putting God in the heart of the chick

We’ve waited for this for a loooong time and finally we have it up! No more words, it’s time to launch this!

GODCHICKS
Putting God in the heart of the chick.

What’s Godchicks? It’s a group blog/semi-eZine made by me and three of my friends, Tuesday, Bea and Happy. :D Godchicks is based on Holly Wagner’s book entitled God Chicks. This blog is up for all of us to share to everyone our insights, adventures and other interesting things for Godchicks out there. :) We try our best, with God’s grace to be real Godchicks, and we hope that in some way, we would be able to help other girls to become Godchicks themselves. :D

But wait! Godchicks isn’t just for chicks! Although all of us are chicks (haha, that felt weird), and mostly we’d be talking about girl stuff, guys may also visit this site to read about what may go on inside a Godchick’s mind…you may also learn how to understand Godchicks better here, relieving you of some burden in deciphering girl language. ;) Of course, we’d also love to hear from you (don’t we all?).

And with the opening of Godchicks, since it’s Valentine’s day, we‘d be talking about that crazy little thing called love. ;) Feed your love sickness and Valentine’s fever the Godchicks way! Come on now, click! =)

Wohoo! :D

Anak and Inang

I was there at your camp, but being the antisocial girl I am, I only stuck to the people I knew. I remember you thought I was your classmate in one of your Eco class. :P I disappeared from YFC after, but then I got back, but I never knew how to talk to you. To be honest I was kind of afraid because I didn’t know how to approach you and such.

And then God put you in my household. Now that’s divine intervention. :) I was nervous, but I set it aside because I know I had a resposibility towards you. No matter how much you annoyed my partner, I wanted to get to know you. And I’m really, really glad I did. You’re one of the people who made my last year in college worth it. True to your birthday, you’re one of the most loving people I know. Words cannot express how much you made my year brighter — be it your diligence in attending households to the way you call me “Inang”…and to the way you have grown in Christ, which I am privileged enough to have seen. :)

You’re one of my dearest friend and sister, and I hope we’d get to be that way for a long, long time. :D HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DEAR ANAK GIGIE! :) Thank you so much for everything. I’ll see you on Saturday, okay! Music and Lyrics! I love you! ♥