Booking Mishaps

I come from a place almost two thousand kilometers away from Manila. With the exorbitant cost of air fares, the obvious torture of bus rides, and the apparent sluggishness of boats, I usually get to go home to Koronadal, South Cotabato only once in a year–that is, only during the Christmas break.

Because of my parents’ constant reminder, I began making reservations early this week at the Cebu Pacific (which has the cheapest rates available) for my brother and me. I know the break is still some time in the future, but December is a busy month for airline companies; so the prudent thing to do is to book flights the earliest possible time. I don’t want to sleep in the airport hoping that someone will miss his trip, so I could take it in his stead–which was the fate of my friend who, a couple of years ago, made a decision to go home to the province only on the the second week of December, during which time the flights were already fully-booked.

This afternoon, I went to a travel agency in SM North to purchase the tickets. I was greeted by a lady who asked me to fill out some bits of information on a piece of paper . As I was scribbling down the curves and the loops of my name, the lady was phoning the airline company to confirm the reservations I made. I heard her mutter, “Ralph Vincent…uh-huh…bound for General Santos…on December 26.”

I was horrified. I made reservations for the 16th, not the 26th.

“Miss, 16 po ‘yung ni-reserve ko hindi 26,” I quickly butted-in. The lady patiently relayed my clarifications to the person on the other line. After a few minutes, she got back to me: “Sir, 26 po talaga ‘yung naka-reserve.”

I was hoping the problem would be sorted out immediately, and that there would still be flights available on that day. Praise God because there were! And the good this is, the price is a couple of hundreds lower than the flight which was erroneously scheduled on the 26th.

So there. With the problem solved, and the tickets paid out, I walked towards the jeepney stop, all the while thinking how good and in control God is even in situations such as that. I was filled with joy, because God has made my heart sensitive even to these little things. I also thank Him for the financial provisions. Surely, the decrease in the cost of the ticket is most welcome, especially now that it is enrollment period.

Going home, indeed, creates in me pangs of excitement. But before that, there will be mountains of cases to read, stressful recitations to prepare for, and teachers of different breeds to get used to. It is my earnest prayer that God in His mercy and grace would sustain me physically, mentally, and most of all, spititually.

I can’t wait for Christmas.

Welcome to the Club

Finally, my roommate decided to join the blogosphere. As far as I can remember, he has intended to create one (or have someone create one for him) around nine months ago. But for some reason or another, he has kept on delaying the acquisition of the blog-writer status–until today, that is.

May his blog become another venue by which he can make known the wondrous works of God in his life.

Welcome to the club.

Block Cee

(From www.leozulueta.multiply.com)

To these, Cling on

“Your promises have been thoroughly tested…
Your righteousness is everlasting
and Your law is true…
Your statutes are forever right…”
Psalm 119: 140a, 142, 144a

Friend,

I know you very well. You may appear alright and happy on the outside, but I know the struggles deep down–the confusion brewing in your heart like boiling water in a kettle about to overflow, the battle between soul and flesh that leaves you exhausted everyday, the struggle that grips you by the neck leaving you desperately panting for air. Just remember than in the midst of these uncertain circumstances, some things are for sure: the righteousness of our God, and the enduring truth of His Word.

To these, cling on.

Those Days When I Had to Recite

During the mock recit…

Professor: Mr. Catedral?
Me: Ah…uhm…ah…
Professor: Thank you, Mr. Catedral. Sit down.

During Consti 1…

Professor: You, the guy wearing the black glasses.
Me: Sir, me?
Professor: Yes, you nerd-looking guy. Doesn’t he just look nerdy?
Me: Sir, I’m not a nerd.
Professor: Well, you certainly don’t look cool!

Short Trips

If I were to list down my favorite spots in UP Diliman, the Sunken Garden will make it to the top–that submerged patch of land area at the heart of the campus which is home to football players (and wannabe-football-players alike), to couples and their love affairs and catfights, and to people like me who just want to breathe in a dose of silence and solitude.

There are points in my college life when I just wormed my way from the noise and the chaos of the metropolitan jungle of Quezon City, and retreated into the Sunken Garden for a peaceful and quiet afternoon, no matter how momentary.

One of those points was when I was about to graduate from college. At that time, I had already taken up the law aptitude exam together with thousands and thousands of people fighting it out for the two hundred slots available. I thought I did poorly in the exam–what with the only ten math questions I answered out of forty-five. And I’m not even sure if I got the entire ten correctly!

You see, I have always dreamed of becoming a lawyer from the time my mother successfully dissuaded me from pursuing the medical profession early on in my gradeschool days. She had this spiel about doctors being at the beck and call of patients round the clock, and doctors not ending up in lucrative careers despite having gone to school in who-knows-how-long.

So after that exam, the future was as uncertain as the mood of a menopausing woman. I remembered going to the Sunken Garden with my Bible one Sunday afternoon. I just sat on the grassy area near the gnarled root of the Acacia tree in front of the College of Law. There, I lifted up my eyes to the heavens, and the words of Oswald Chambers came into mind: Be certain of God in your uncertainty. I opened my Bible to the Psalms and was reassured that God is sovereign and in control. I closed my eyes and laid down everything before Him. I asked him to teach my fainting heart to trust Him and His will.

That was almost one year ago.

Now, I’m in the U.P. College of Law. But my trips to the Sunken Garden didn’t end there. When I received the results of my first exam in law school–which I miserably flunked, I retreated to that same spot–that grassy portion near the gnarled root of the Acacia tree in front of the College of Law, and there, I poured out my heart before God. Then, I remembered that moment almost one year ago, and realized that the only reason I was in law school was because of His grace alone; and the only way I could stick it through for the next four years is only by His grace alone, as well.

I lifted up my eyes to the heavens, and I knew God would see me through.