Finally home again

After a few weeks of being alone I am finally going home and see my family again. Life is full of challenges and we must ride the wave and enjoy. Hehehehehe this is a great year for me, lots new things learned and experienced. I am particularly blessed with the new church I belong, New Hope Yokohama. They are like family to me and I am blessed with the things that we are involved in. God has really taught me a lot of lessons and received new directions in my life.
By the way I think I am not going to have any sleep today, I am excited and the adrenaline is pumping in my veins, Im going to meet my daughter and wife again! yahoo.... Since my plane leaves at Kansai Airport I made some sidetrips at Kyoto and Osaka. Its my first time to ride the shinkansen wow! after years of waiting. Thank God for this wonderful year He has given me!

Juggler

Now I am juggling four jobs at the same time...tired but I won`t give up I get my spiritual red bull from God, now that`s comforting and the best thing a human could have. Anyway, it`s difficult to sleep at night got used to my wife and Erika beside me...hmmm I miss them already, If only I could build a transporter machine...In my dreams!

Alone but not sad!

Last Tuesday November 25, my wife and Jireh Erika went for a long vacation again to our country because it`s Christmas.
Somehow sad ( only a little) but joyful since my parents would be able to see them again. I will follow on Dec 16 so not that sad plus I have a family at New Hope and my bro. Jowelle and sis. Grace with their cute child Andre besides my home to cheer me up. Christmas is just around the corner I can smell it already hahahahahahaha.

MacBirthday

After weeks of my notebook's (Dell 510M) failing keyboard saga, 

I courted my wife, Grace, for a notebook upgrade. Finally !!!  I got 

my first MacBirthday ( Will there be a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc... 

wondering ?... ). She took a big chunk from our savings.  We have 

a house government,  if I'm the president, Grace is the treasurer or 

budget officer. No funding  for the president without going through 

the approval of the budget  officer, hehehe... Another thing, I really

need to ask for her permission  because we're spending the 

holiday season in the Philippines and we're  shelling out a huge 

amount from our savings for our airfares and  allowances while 

we're in the Philippines. I can't blame her for her hesitations on a 

notebook upgrade, because it's a bit pricey. I respect all her 

decisions.  But I don't know what made her changed her mind with 

this one. Maybe it  was the "don't spend money on expensive parts 

then later fix it again, instead buy a new one" tactic, or the pathetic 

look on my face while using the notebook with exposed internals, 

hehehe...

The failing keyboard wasn't actually a plot and I thought it was really 

failing. I even thought of buying an expensive replacement built-in 

keyboard from Dell or from used components shops in Akihabara. 

The keyboard problem was really annoying and it even caused 

dropped frames and skipped audio packets while recording the 

Sunday service in the church in my notebook. 

While reseating the keyboard connector, I noticed that when the bottom

of the keyboard unit hits the metallic case of the internal optical drive, 

it would signal key pressed events. A simple DIY (do-it-yoursel) fix is 

what revived the 4.5 year old notebook. I just covered some areas of 

the bottom of the keyboard unit that hits metal parts, with thin layer of

electrical tape, to act as an insulator. It was a "quick and dirty" fix, but

it seems stable and working well. This fix looks like it will give the 

notebook another 3-4 years of service. ;-)

One time I went to an electronic store and I saw the aluminum

Macbook for the first time. I was totally impressed with the sleek

aluminum unibody, the LED backlit glossy display, and the glass

multi-touch trackpad. I showed my wife the reason why Macbook

is the top candidate for my notebook upgrade. The new Macbook

is one of the sturdiest notebook out in the market today, because 

of its aluminum unibody. The NVIDIA chipset is also a good addition

to the hardware update, giving the Macbook more graphic processing

muscle compared to the previous chipset. The only thing I hate with

this machine is the missing firewire port (IEEE 1394) which render

my HDV cam useless on this machine. However, I was able to fix 

my other notebook for HD video streaming tasks.

The unibody Macs are a bit pricey compared to the previous

polycarbonate Intel Macs. But if you bump up a similarly or 

slightly higher specd Dell systems with a LED backlit display,

internal bluetooth and type N wireless, it would also jack up

the price almost similar to the price of an aluminum Mac and

loosing the prestige and benefit of using the glamorous

Mac OS-X. 

One thing I really like with current Macs is the capability to boot

Windows, thanks to Bootcamp. There are times I'm really required

to use Windows XP, particularly MS development tools, some

devices and applications that only work on Windows. Being a

PC user, I find OS-X  is easier  than XP, and miles away better

than Vista (I hate Vista's interface ;-) ). The OS-X graphical 

interface is more similar to KDE and the console to that of a UNIX

systems, since it has UNIX ancestry. OS-X is quite sluggy on 

some applications but I still find OS-X way better and stable than

the current Microsoft's offering Vista. I'm not being biased, but I

really find Vista's system and interface a bit bloated. I'm not seeing

myself loading Vista on this machine in the near  future, not  until

Microsoft fixes Vista or optimizes whatever the next Windows

release will be. I'm still satisfied with XP, hehehe ...

Pictures to show why the new Macbook is indeed the perfect

upgrade for me ... ;-)





I won't go into detailed benchmark with the CPU and graphic

performance, I can just leave that to Engadget and other sites,

you can just google for those sites and see how the current

Macbook performs. As for me, I find the unibody aluminum 

Macbook a perfect upgrade, software and hardware wise.

And lastly, a blessing and a wonderful birthday present from

my loving wife ...

Extended Family

Another definition of church is "family" this is the one thing I have taken so lightly. Its difficult to explain but I could feel the love and care for one another at New Hope Yokohama. Last Sunday we had a Thanksgiving Party and citizens from their respective country presented something. Everybody was encouraged to say something about their country through dance, music, games, drama etc. For us, my Filipino friends made a powerpoint presentation about the Philippines and sang a song of confession titled " The Philippines is for Christ".

There was only one service that day and after that the party began, It was a very joyful party. It was like a big family reunion.
Kei the bassist observing a booth hmmmm...
The Filipino family, Mabuhay!
Variety of delicious food from all over the globe
My wife`s maja blanka sold out !
Tan tan the pastor and Jason the half Filipino half Hawaiian funny huh
Kazuya the beat boxer yeah!
Me doing some rounds, tried a Japanese wig.
Yuuichiro the sound man with Hiroshi funny guys!
Japan presentation
Jowelle at the Tech booth
Grace with our Toru the pastor
Family picture
Jireh and Koa

Tambourine

Today I was at the frontline again and the new thing is, for the first time I played with the tambourine and it was great. All glory belongs to God.
Only one week before my two sweethearts go to a long vacation in the Philippines...sad but not for long anyway. Christmas is just around the corner but before that New Hope Yokohama will have an International Festival yahoo! cant wait for that. We will be having a presentation about the good side of our country. Got to take a lot of pictures!

Worship Lead

Last Sunday I was assigned to lead one song for the first time . I was nervous and felt humbled to lead, it was a privelege for me. I practiced the whole week and the difference when your in front is that you are not just singing to the King of Kings but worshipping together with the church. Worship is not just the skills or talent but God looks at the heart. I made it through the two services by God`s grace. All glory belong to Him.

MTB and Family

Who says you cant mix family and MT biking? last weekend I had a great time with my family, my I used my wife`s granny bike and she took care of Xam for me. FYI my wife was the first person to tumble down with Xam. Anyway we went to Minami Osawa just to window shop and also have family bonding. We passed along the park at the back of Machida Technopark so we could have a good view of Sagamihara City. Erika was very thrilled to ride with me, since I was the one using the customized "Granny with child seat" bike I rode like it was a roller coaster ride for her. After an hour of riding we arrived at Minami Osawa, we rested for a while and strolled around the area for some good buys or just plain window shopping. For me it was quality time for my wife and daughter because I am not available during week days.
Me...
Peewee with Xam...Im nervous!
Erika rides with me at first class

After a long ride we enjoyed ramen at Taishouken.

After a few days, Jowelle also bought Grace an new Granny Bike so we could all ride together. Riding in Convoy is fun. From our home we went to Kobuchi Hard off looking for another good buy. I was looking for a guitar amp and acoustic processor for my Martin alternative X guitar, instead my wife got lots of good stuff. Grace and Jowelle bought some stuff too.
Outside hard off...Erika at first class seat and Andre at the economy seat..Grace rides with Jmee

Riding and Shopping could be tiring so we took a stop over at Big Boy and ate our dinner there.
The Pinlac family

The Lagadon Family

We ordered hamburger steak and the delicious eat all you can salad and soup bar.

Riding with our family is worth more than the nice trails we could ever imagine.

The bargains my wife bought...good stuff from hard off...
Whatever life would bring I know one thing just enjoy the ride of your life!

Rekindling the Passion

One of my favorite hobbies besides MT Biking is playing the guitar. Almost 20 years ago I learned to play it through a free lesson at church. Since that day I loved playing it. There are lots of guitars and I liked acoustic the most. The sound of the steel strings as you strum makes a nice tone pleasing to the listener. On top of it I met my wife through playing the guitar so knowing to play an instrument has advantages. I used to play the guitar at church and camps however I have not bought one for myself. When I went here to Japan I have not played that much and my skill stagnated. After a while suddenly the passion came back after we transferred to a new church.

At New Hope Yokohama I auditioned for the Frontline Ministry as an acoustic guitar player and by God`s grace I passed. A new beginning for me to relive my passion, after that I have been praying for a new guitar so I could skill up at home. After 5 months of waiting the answer came, one day after practice my pastor came and gave his guitar. A Martin guitar ALternative X limited edition since it has an aluminum top and a sleek cutaway design. I was very surprised since this guitar costs a fortune, maybe a month`s salary at the most. I was grateful to God in using him as a channel of blessing, my pastor said " the Lord told me to give it to you... it was given to me by the worship leader at Oahu, Hawaii" I was joyful and it made me more inspired to play more skillfully. The guitar is a treasure to me not because of the amount but due to it`s history.

Includes a hard case and ready for rough environments.
The Cutaway is very nice and makes the ALternative X a unique guitar

The Fishman on board amp suits this great acoustic guitar

The Family

I got married 5 years ago and for the first 3 years of marriage my wife and I were separated due to work. She has to work as a supervisor in Makati while I continue my work here in Japan. Looking back it was a great nine years of friendship before settling down, we have overcome a 3 year long distance relationship, thank God for that. Well I overcame Japan, the pain of living alone and separate from your loved ones, how agonizing it is when you leave the airport and feel your heart is aching, longing to be with your wife and loved ones even for just one more hug. Those days have passed and never again will be. A year ago I started living with my wife here in Japan. How joyful am I, being a couple everyday of my life, being together, knowing each other. I think no one is as joyful as I am when that happened but wait there is much more! God has more blessings to give us. After 3 months my wife got pregnant, at long last! a baby is in here womb, Oh how grateful I am because we have been longing for a child since we got married. All things are beautiful in His perfect time.
Erika at 7 weeks the first time we saw our little angel!

There were ups and downs especially, I have to take time off and go with my wife to the hospital. Eventhough I am the only guy there I need not be shy because I love my wife and my baby, that is it ! period... I learned a lot of Japanese medical terms also while being asked by the doctors, hitting two birds with one stone.

Peewe outside the Sagamino Hospital.

Everynight before I go to sleep I always say to ERika( my daughter`s name ) Daddy`s here! then I could always feel her kicking my wife`s belly , maybe she`s is trying to tell to shut up dad! I am sleeping.

Me and my wife also got the habbit of eating hehehe against the advice of our doctor we ate ramen often especially Nagahama Ramen, I think ERika loved it too!

Weeks were like days and it was the 40th week so its time for Erika to be born, we went to the hospital on Dec. 18th and waited, Peewee started to labor and there are pains however it was not enough to have a natural delivery. On the second day we are the first to go to the labor room but each pregnant woman who came after got to the delivery room first. Hmmmm God is good all the time, I thought. I read the labor pain graphs of the other women and its the same as my wife but how come she did not feel that much pain. All things work together for good, the whole day in the labor room we just laughed and shared memorable stories maybe thats why she did not feel any pains. The second day was over and still no Erika. Third day, I went to office in the morning and worked half day. When I arrived at the hospital the doctor told us that it was not possible to have a natural birth. Caesarean operation was needed, ok so we decided to have it the doctors way, the doctor also asked if it would be a bikini cut or the normal cut.Hmmm, whichever I thought would suffice, since my wife would not wear two peace anyway.

The Day we checked in at the hospital, only the two of and GOD. No problem God is with us!
Peewee at the labor room relaxing hehehehe
Outside the operating room

After two hours they prepared the operating room and at exactly 4Pm my wife entered the O.R., I was never but I did not show it to her, I just kissed her I think on the forehead and said I love you, see you later. That was a long 15 minutes....jajajan! then the O.R. opened and viola! Erika came out sleeping...but I could never forget her reaction when I said Daddy`s here!, you know what she cried! hahahahahahaha it was time for her to see the handsome guy who always says those words....then after an hour my wife came and we were together at the recovery room and

I took pictures and held the princess of my life for the first time.

Erika when she went out of the Delivery room

Peewee and Erika

This was the best moment of my life ! and no amount of earthly treasure could suffice.

Sagami River Trail Ride

We live in Sagamihara City, which is located in the south of Tokyo. This city is blessed with tons of industries and natural resources. One of the known place to go is the Sagami River. The Sagami River is one of the mother rivers that runs right through the middle of Kanagawa Prefecture. It's a blessing for us that we're just 7.5Kms. away from this wonderful river. It's a great place to experience outdoor activity in the heart of an industrialized city. Many people go to this river for fishing and camping, but we went there to explore its riverside trail and to enjoy our Creator's abundant creation.

Our usual meet up time is at 6A.M.
Since we're just next door neighbor, in case one of us got carried away dreaming in a long way, either one of us can just push the door bell's button (to eject the rider, hehehe ...).

Before we start pedaling, we always make sure that our bikes are properly adjusted to our riding preferences and well conditioned to absorb the beating. Actually, the riders are the ones being beaten up, and not the bikes. hehehe...

Now that our bikes are well conditioned, we made an emergency pit stop along our way. We had our usual McDonalds' breakfast set.



When we got there, we had a short warm up on a slightly steep track.


We just agreed to keep on pedaling until the end of the river side trail. Our purpose - to start from one endpoint of the trail and finish our trail ride for the day on the other end point.

We took a short rest once we reached our starting point and enjoy the scenery.


We needed to carry our bikes, for us to get closer to the river.


The classic pose, Joriz with XAM.


Some nice pictures in action... here we go ...

This one here, fail to survive ...


That's the Takada bridge and this is where our MTB's had fun. Since it's a river side, we expected that it would be as rocky as a rocky road ice cream.It was indeed a bouncy trail ride, but our bikes didn't disappoint us.


Xam got to cool down in the middle of our hottie trail riding, while J-mee is off the river keeping his heaten up momentum.



Note : There are no other girls that I love other than my wife and my daughter, because I chose to be faithful... That's why I chose to be with a boy and not with the other girl... and that's J-mee... ;-)


The stretch of Sagami river side trail.




The river was too deep, that it can only be crossed by carrying our bikes on our back and swim with it. We failed to cross the river... Not now baby ...


Anyway we got a nice bridge up there.




At last we reached the end of the rocky river side trail, and we pedaled and crossed short wooden bridges.


Finally, we reached the other end of the Sagami riverside trail. But we had a cardiac killing climb (about 400m) before we got there.




Until our next trail ride. Ride safe !!!