Clan, Here's to 12 Years of Dancing! :)

HAPPY 12^TH ANNIVERSARY BRODS & SISSES!

Long live UPLB STREET JAZZ DANCE CO.

One love. One group. One passion. One family.

To GOD be the glory!

And many many many more years to come. Let the Clan's legacy live on. Remember, dance from your heart. Give nothing else but sheer passion. PERFORM!

Much love,

TE CHIE :)

Ma. Richelle A. Abitria
SJ Batch '09
Elite Pioneer Batch '08

This just in...

Best served while still hottt.

Apparently, I'm a mistress of some guy I haven't even met!!

My first reaction: HYSTERIA!  The absurdity of it all made me bawl over with laughter. I mean SERIOUSLY?!?!

When you hear the whole story, it'll blow your mind too. I swear!

Now that I had time to think, I feel like I have to write this down so I won't forget. Just so, you know, for future reference or somethin'. Bear with me please; I'm still trying to stifle a giggle here. Besides, this is a good thing…me writing again. I subjected myself to some form of self-inflicted social hiatus for more than a month now.  Literally and figuratively speaking.  What I'm basically saying here is I have a valid excuse for this verbal diarrhea. I haven't "talked" to my closest friends; I always gave them the proverbial "I'm fine" excuse to a point that they got tired of asking... I read… an awfulfreakin lot; but haven't written a single thing. Not even a blog, well not until recently.  And it's sooo not me, coz I find writing therapeutic. That's how "purplegoddes" (my alter ego) was even born in the first place. So no, no writing for me.  Well, unless you consider 140-character one-liners, writing. I think not, that's why they coined the term tweeting anyways. So as I was saying… sorry I digress (writing skills shamefully unused here, people.  Cut me some slack).

My dear friend, Steffi, came by the office today. As already mentioned earlier, I haven't met with my friends for the longest time. Imagine my surprise for her "surprise" visit; but I was glad to see her! After the usual pleasantries, she went on to disclose the main reason she felt compelled to see me (note: this ain't verbatim).
Steff:        Chie, do you remember the rumor about you last year that Janis went gaga over?
Me:         Yah? *puzzled*
Steff:         You know, that one where everyone thought you were the mistress of J@#!$%@?!? Just because they didn't really know the girl, and everyone knows you!
Me:         U-huh *still puzzled*
Steff:        Alam mo ba that it still persists pala? And somehow the whole hospital knows about it!
Me:        *dumb-founded. started cracking up. When I found my voice, all I can say was… "WHAT?!?"*
Steff & Chie:         *laughing our ass off*

Again… seriously? UNTIL  NOW?!?!  Di maka-move on? That's one helluva run!  Talk about "lasting" power. Showbiz na  showbiz lang ah! ROFL Oh well, according to the grapevine, we're still selling like pancakes. Steff was just concerned because this came up whilst she was chitchatting with her "boss", who incidentally used to be the head of the Admin mafia upstairs. And boss lady was hesitant to tell Steff about it because I was her friend. Can you imagine?


The story behind the story (about a year ago, when this nasty rumor first surfaced): It was Janis' (another dear friend) Ma'asallamah party, we just finished stuffing ourselves with good food. Then in the middle of scoffing even more delectable stories, Janis remembered this incident that she witnessed wherein 2 girls where gossiping about somebody else's life. You know, the usual. She accidentally picked-up on their conversation where one was saying to the other that a prominent hospital figure was having an affair with one of the secretaries of the younger breed. Girl#1 was heard saying, "Si Rachel daw. Kilala mo ba yun?" And Girl#2 hastily blurted out without even thinking, "Aahh, si Richelle! Yung tiga-Appointments!" Odb? Ang gara! Just because our names sounded one-freakin-vowel alike. Josme!

But what made it even funnier, beside the fact that it was…uhmmm…  NOT TRUE…was:
1.        I don't even know the guy. I have HEARD of him; but I don't recall ever being introduced to him. I have the vaguest idea who he was or how he looked like!
2.        I had a boyfriend that time. And if you knew me… if you really knew me… you can attest to how devoted I am. I am deeply loyal to a fault. Faithfulness is one virtue I can definitely live up to. Yip. This girl is a one-man woman!  I'm superfriendly (that I am too), but one bad vibe from you and you're out!lol. Bottomline is, when I'm in a committed & loving relationship, I just don't have the heart to even entertain other people. That would be cheating. And I can't even get off a tiny little lie without feeling guilty about it!  
3.        Did I mention how preposterous this was?!  wahahaha.

I wasn't really bothered about me; coz there was no way in hell that it was true.  I didn't even feel the need to defend myself. It was sooooo far off base, it was ridiculous!  And the only thing we could do was laugh it off (and me blogging about it now).  As long as I'm good with the Lord, nothing can fluster me. His is the only opinion that counts in my tab. And I know that He'll vindicate me from this… somehow.

So yah, another Tuesday has ended.  I'm done for the day but I still can't stop laughing. Good thing it's payday. Can't wait to get my claws on that gorgeous gladiator shoes I saw in Bershka!    

PLANNING AHEAD

If I were asked what my life-changing book is (aside from the Holy Bible, of course), I would have to say "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. And if there's such a thing as a life-changing email (amongst all the piles and piles of forwarded stuff I'm receiving each day), I think this would be it. Whilst rummaging through my congested archive, I was glad I managed to save this. Somebody dear forwarded this to me during a time when all my plans shattered before my very eyes; crumbling piece by heart-breaking piece. She may have not known it then... but this brought me the epiphany I desperately needed. It forced me redirect my focus on the ONE true thing, the ONE that really matters in life, the ONE whose love for me is constant & never-changing... then, now & til the end of time. My Lord. My Savior. Jesus Christ.

And it lead me to my life-verse then, Genesis 50:20:
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
This spoke to me in immeasurable ways. It taught me forgiveness... to relinquish the anger that was consuming me. Out of it, I got peace. It taught me humility... to accept the fact that I was at the Lord's mercy and not my own. I have done atrocious things in my past and have hurt a handful of people just to get my way. I have no business demanding "why things went south and not according to my plan". With this I got greater understanding. And finally, it taught me complete and utter dependence on God... that I would rather submit my life to God's will and God's plan rather than walk through life... limp, deaf and blind. As a result, I got everything else I needed (walang ng kulang). The Lord made me whole again.

Before I take my leave, I one more thing to say... May YOU live a life full of blessings and abundance, by God's unfailing grace... this I pray in Jesus' mighty name.


******************************************************************
(Author Unknown)


The best gift anyone can give me this new year is a planner.
I like planners because I am a planner.
I like thinking ahead.
I like being prepared.
I get a high from being on top of things.

But some things are beyond planning.
And life doesn't always turn out as planned.

You don't plan for a broken heart.
You don't plan for a failed business venture.
You don't plan for an adulterous husband.
Or a wife who wants you out of her life.
You don't plan for an autistic child.
You don't plan for spinsterhood.
You don't plan for a lump in your breast.

You plan to be young forever. You plan to climb the corporate ladder.
You plan to be rich and powerful.
You plan to be acclaimed and successful.
You plan to conquer the universe.
You plan to fall in love - and be loved forever.

You don't plan to be sad.
You don't plan to be hurt.
You don't plan to be broke.
You don't plan to be betrayed.
You don't plan to be alone in this world

You plan to be happy. You don't plan to be shattered.
Sometimes if you work hard enough, you can get what you want.
But most times, what you want and what you get are two different things.

We, mortals, plan. But so does God in the heavens. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand God's plans especially when His plans are not in consonance with ours. Often, when God sends us crisis, we turn to Him in anger. True, we cannot choose the cross that God wishes us to carry, but we can carry that cross with courage knowing that God will never abandon us nor send something we cannot cope with.

Sometimes, God breaks our spirit to save our soul.
Sometimes, He breaks our heart to make us whole.
Sometimes, God sends us pain so we can be stronger.
Sometimes, God sends us failure so we can be humble.
Sometimes God sends us illness so we can take better care of ourselves.
Sometimes, God takes everything away from us so we can learn the value of everything He gave us.

Make plans but understand that we live by God's grace.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Shoe-therapy heals all wounds

For the risk of sounding too imeldific, these were really good buys. Pinky swear. Besides they were calling my name, I'd be a fool not to buy them. :) And I always subscribed to the doctrine that shoe-therapy HEALS all ILLS. It really does. You should try it sometimes. Lol

On Winning, Losing & Bets

The LA Lakers just claimed their nth franchise victory, Phil Jackson's 11th ring & Kobe Bryant's 2nd Finals MVP. I hope I got my stats right. Today was the exhilirating Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals between the Greens & the Purples (that's what I monickered them anyways) but known to the world as the Boston Celtics & the LA Lakers.

Bets have definitely been placed. Celtics fans are begrudgingly rougin' & coughin' up greens to pay-up whilst the Lakers fans are getting richer by the minute. But I'm pretty sure that not all bets placed were about money. I made some of them myself. So here's what I won:

1. I am not going out on a blind date
2. I have an all-around driver when I go home in September
3. me.

Let me explain that last bit. A few days before Game 1 (if my memory serves me right), I made this bet. All or nothing. And what was at stake? Drumrolls please, ME! Lol. It was a stupid thing to do & we both laughed it off. Things happened just as God has planned & I surrendered…

But if we ever agreed on that bet, I wonder… Did anyone of us really win? Or did we both lose? Coz from where I'm standing, I don't feel like a winner.

They say that things you lose have a way of coming back to you in the end. But what if it was never yours to lose in the first place? Life…it sucks sometimes. Reality bites.

So, the Lakers still reigned supreme and Kobe hailed the king!!! Time to cuff up Celtics fans. And Purple peeps (yeap, I have mah peeps), we have bragging rights all year long. Woooot! Til next season.

*picture was taken from Tweeter*




Originally posted in: http://purplegoddess30.wordpress.com/

I AM FINE

I AM FINE

They say that the 3 most powerful words are:

I

LOVE

YOU.

The 3 hardest words to say are:

I

AM

SORRY.

And the 3 most destructive words are:

I

AM

FINE.

In retrospect, 'Tis true.  We have a habit of dishing out  servings of  "I'm fine" as a staple answer to questions ranging from a quick nod & a casual "Hello. How are you?"to probing inquisitions that starts with "Hey. Are you OK?" followed by a not-so-subtle-look of suspicion.

The degree of being just fine varies from "honest-to-goodness" fine to "who-are-you-kidding" fine. Yip, believe it or not, there's a whole spectrum of "fine-ness". IKR. I pick up things like this on my emotional radar.  LOL). :p

So… well and good if you really are; too bad if you're obviously not and you're just trying on sarcasm for kicks. But you see, it's the grey areas that can get pre-tty scary sometimes. Because when you try to project a strong facade when in fact, you're breaking inside… when you choose to live in a world of make believe and pretend that everybody's fine when they're not… and when you'd rather  be a coward  than own up to your fears… You, my friend, are headed for T-R-O-U-B-L-E faster than you can say "nah!".

There are a million and one reasons why we hide behind the curtain of the proverbial "I'm fine" excuse; some of them immeasurably valid.  But sometimes acknowledging that we are not, can mean freedom. Truth be told, we are not perfect – we fumble, we fall, we make a mess of our lives and we are not ALWAYS fine. Not all the time. But guess what? It's OK. That doesn't make us a bad person, it only makes us human.

There's no quick fix, short-cut or on-the-spot solution to this either.  It's better to humbly face the truth about ourselves… the truth will set us free but it often makes us miserable first.  Only when God shine's the light of His truth on our faults, failures and hang-ups can we begin working on them. So, be patient with yourself and be patient with God.

"Our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." (Ephesians 4-13)

So here's what I have to say if you ask how I am:

Thank you for asking. I'm fine.. though not all the time.
PBPGINFWMY.

(Please be patient, God is not finished with me YET!)   

Men are Like...

This right here... made my day! I didn't know similes could be hilarious. :)



1. Men are like 
Laxatives 
They irritate the crap out of you. 

2 
Men are like. 
Bananas 
The older they get, the less firm they are. 




3. Men are like 
Weather 
Nothing can be done to change 
them. 




4. 
Men are like 
Blenders 
You need One, but you're not quite sure why.. 




5. 
Men are like 
Chocolate Bars 
Sweet, smooth, & they usually head right 
for your hips. 

6. Men are like 
Commercials 
You can't believe a word they say. 


7. 
Men are like 
Department Stores 
Their clothes are always 1/2 off! 



8. 
Men are like 
Government Bonds 
.... They take soooooooo long to mature.


9. 
Men are like 
Mascara 
They usually run at the first sign of emotion. 



10. 
Men are like 
Popcorn 
They satisfy you, but only for a little while. 


11. 
Men are like 
Snowstorms 
You never know when they're coming, how many 
inches you'll get or how long it will last. 


12. 
Men are like 
Lava Lamps 
Fun to look at, but not very bright. 



13.. 
Men are like 
Parking Spots 
All the good ones are taken, the rest are 
handicapped. 

COMPLICATED

Guy & Girl, as new-found friends, spend the remainder of the night together after a gruelling exam under a tree, sipping wine & enjoying each other's company. When suddenly they...

...got caught up in the moment...
...got lost in each other's eyes...
...felt their bodies being pulled together like magnets...

...so they leaned closer and closer together...
...and when they were just about to kiss...
...an inch away from each other...
...Girl pulls away...
...realization dawns on the guy...
...so he picks himself up, shrugs everything off...
...and when he turns to leave...

...casually asks...

Guy: How can a girl spend the whole night with a guy and not tell him that she has a boyfriend?

<<<pause>>>>>

Girl: Good thing, that's not part of the test.

>>>Greek! Definitely hooked.