Welcome To My World!

Guitars
Guitar-making is the occupation of the people of Mactan District and Maribago District in Lapulapu City.

Mangoes
Tropical island Cebu is famous not only for its fresh mangoes but its export-quality dried mangoes.

Magellan’s Cross
Planted in April 21, 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan, it is the spot where the first Christian Filipinos, Rajah Humabon and Queen Juana and about 400 of their followers, were baptized by Fr. Pedro Valderema.

Image of Santo Niño
Considered as the oldest religious relic in the Philippines, the image of the Santo Niño, or Holy Child, was given by Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana, among the first Filipinos to be Christianized, as a baptismal gift in 1521. The image survived a great fire in 1565 unscratched. It has since been deemed miraculous and venerated by the Cebuanos as their patron saint.

Basilica Minor del Santo Niño
The church was built by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Father Andres Urdaneta on the site where the image of Santo Niño was found in 1565. The first structure of the church was, however, destroyed by fire on November 1, 1568. It was rebuilt in 1602 under the administration of Juan Albaran and was rehabilitated in 1740. On May 1965, the church was conferred the title of Basilica Minor del Santo Niño by Cardinal Antonuitte, Papal Legate during the Fourth Centennial Celebration of the Christianization of Cebu.

Sinulog Festival
Cebu’s biggest and most popular festival, the Sinulog Festival is a feast in honor of the Holy Image of Senyor Santo Niño de Cebu. People converge along the routes of a grand solemn procession and partake in the gaiety amidst a mardi gras parade immersed in wild colors and the constant beating of drums. Fiesta Senyor, as it is widely known, is celebrated every third Sunday of January.

Mactan Island
It is a coral island and famous scuba diving and beach site. It is also the site of the Export Processing Zone, which presently employs a 37,118-strong workforce. Mactan Island, located across Mandaue City, encompasses a total land area of 150 hectares.

Malapascua Island
Malapascua, a term that literally means "Unfortunate Christmas," is a paradise where time stands still. The island is blessed with white sand beaches and crystal clear waters. The west coast is especially ideal for swimming and snorkeling. It takes about three hours by land from Cebu City to reach the island, which lies at the northern tip of Cebu and west of Leyte.

Moalboal
About a third of the way up the west coast of Cebu is the sleepy little market town of Moalboal. About five kilometers outside the town, down a dusty track, is Panagsama Beach, which was one of the first places where scuba diving caught on in the Philippines. In the early 1980s, it was one of the most popular and highly regarded diving destinations in Asia, which led to dive resorts having sprung up all along the adjacent coast. From Moalboal, you can dive straight off Panagsama Beach. All you need to do is swim out a few meters and drop down onto a beautiful, sloping wall that descends to 35 meters. Panagsama Beach is home to an extraordinary array of coral, anemones, sponges, and a swarming host of brightly colored reef fish.

Olango Wildlife Sanctuary
Olango Island supports the largest concentration of migratory birds found thus far in the country. Migration of these birds starts from their breeding places in Siberia, Northern China, and Japan. Based on data gathered so far, the birds use Olango as a major refueling station as well as a wintering ground. At Olango, the birds can replenish their fat reserves by feeding on the rich supplies of invertebrates in the intertidal mudflats. These fat reserves fuel the birds on the next lap of their journey, which may cover from 3,000 to 15,000 kilometers of nonstop flight.

Beaches / White Beach
Boracay boasts of a sugary white sand beach and azure blue waters. The best part of the island is the four-kilometer White Beach known to be the "finest beach in the world." The surrounding water is shallow and the sand is finer and brighter than most beaches in the archipelago. White Beach is so, soooo fine, it feels like treading on miles of baby powder!

Aquasports
The island paradise of Boracay is a perfect place for watersports. Here, you can partake in a smorgasbord of exhilirating aqua action - from swimming and snorkeling to scuba diving, windsurfing, sailboating, kayaking, boardsailing, and boating.

Nature Tripping / Eco-Adventure
World-renowned Boracay is an adventure island ideal for island hopping, hiking, trekking, caving, mountain climbing, biking, and horseback riding. Trekking and mountain biking can bring even the intrepid to the island's quaint interior villages and to the edges' scenic rocky cliffs, discovering along the way many hidden coves with isolated beaches far from the tourist crowd.

Boardsailing at Bulabog Beach
On the eastern side of Boracay Island is Bulabog Beach. It is a boardsailor's mecca that draws enthusiasts from all over the world, especially during the peak season from November to March. In January, it is the site of an International Funboard Cup.

Paraw Regatta
Sailboating and kayaking are popular sporting activities, with Boracay playing host to the annual Paraw Regatta, an international sailboat race that makes use of the native outrigger.

Diving
Dive sites surround the island and are learning venues to both novice and professional divers, guided by competent instructors of the many dive shops that operate in the area. For trueblue scuba diving enthusiasts, Yapak in Boracay is a great deep dive.

Recreational Sports
Laid-back Boracay is the perfect venue for golf, tennis, bowling, even beach volleyball. Top-of-class amenities for these activities are available in the island. For golf bugs, Fairways and Bluewater Resort Golf and Countryclub has an 18-hole championship course.

Partyhopping
The code in Boracay is strictly informal. Walking barefoot than shod is the rule rather than the exception. Swinging discos have the beach for a floor, giving dance a new twist. From dusk to dawn, the island turns into one big party place where everyone is welcome to join in.

Mambo Number 5
For the adventure-driven, "Mambo Number 5" is a little bit of boating and wind surfing, a little bit of scuba diving, a little bit of trekking, a little bit of mountain biking, and a little bit of golf.

Shopping
Bargain shopping is a joy of a diversion while in Boracay. Souvenir pieces provide endless possibilities, from trinkets and native accessories made of shells and semi-precious stones to exotic or contemporary beach wear and fashion artworks.

Dining
The taste of the 6th Region, to which Boracay belongs, is quite simple. Charbroiled chicken is common fare. Another favorite dish is raw fish marinated in spicy vinegar. Dining is no problem in Boracay, with most resorts having their own restaurants that serve both Filipino and international cuisines. Small snack bars line the island.

Relaxation
Diversions are not a problem in Boracay, with leisure activities calendared throughout the year and amenities offered by some 350 tourist establishments. The island is ideal for beachbumming, relaxing, and simply lazing around. At the end of the day, unwind with a relaxing massage. The island never runs out skilled masseurs offering massage services by the beach. For a more luxurious treat, visit the new Mandala Spa.

Boracay Boardsailing
The picture-perfect tropical island of Boracay offers flat-water speed sailing, wave jumping, and longboard cruising. White Beach, shielded from the amihan, or northeast monsoon, is for beginners. Bulabog Beach, on the other side of the island, has ideal conditions for speed, slalom, and high-wind shortboard sailing. It is also the site of the annual Boracay International Funboard Cup. Tabon Strait has superb high-performance sailing, but there is a real risk of being swept away, so this site is for skilled sailors only.

Tibiao Whitewater River
Rising near the peak of Mt. Madja-as, the Tibiao River descends almost 2000m on its short but tumultuous journey to the sea. The lower section of the river, known as the “Chicken Run”, is grade 3; the more difficult upper section reaches grade 4. The Tibiao has all the classic features of a tropical whitewater river, with rich vegetation hemming the banks, views of rice terraces, spectacular falls and clear water. The river is close to Boracay and easily accessible.

JULY 24
ST. BORIS AND ST. GLEB

These two brothers were born toward the end of the tenth century. They were sons of St. Vladimir of Kiev, the first Christian prince in Russia. Their father had had many wives before he became a Christian. Afterwards, he had lived as Jesus teaches us in the Gospel. Boris and Gleb were his sons by his Christian wife Anne. They were true Christians, too.

In an attempt to acquire more power when King Vladimir died, his oldest son planned to kill Boris and Gleb. Boris was warned as he was coming back with his soldiers from a battle against some wandering tribes. His men at once prepared to defend Boris from his older brother, but he would not permit it. "It is better for me to die alone," he said, "than to be the occasion of death to many." So he sent them away and sat down to wait. During the night, he thought about the martyrs who had been put to death by their own close relatives. He thought of how empty life becomes if we make the things of earth too important. What really counts, he thought, is good deeds, true love and true religion. When in the morning, his brother's hired murderers arrived and began striking him with spears, Boris did nothing but call down peace on them.

St. Gleb was killed soon after. The wicked older brother invited him to come to his palace for a friendly visit. As he was sailing down the river, Gleb's boat was boarded by fierce, armed men. He was terrified at first and begged them not to kill him. Yet he would not defend himself by fighting, not even when he saw that they were determined to kill him. Instead, St. Gleb quietly prepared himself to die. "I am being killed," he said, "and for what I do not know. But you know, Lord. And I know you said that for your name's sake brother would bring death to brother." Only a few years after their deaths, the people of Russia began going on pilgrimages to the tomb of the two brothers. Miracles took place. St. Boris and St. Gleb are called martyrs because they accepted death as Christ did, without defending themselves. They died in 1015.

Pope Benedict XIII proclaimed them saints in 1724.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Monday (7/24): "An adulterous generation seeks for a sign"

Scripture: Matthew 12:38-42

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nin'eveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Meditation: What would Jesus say about our generation? Jesus gave a rather stern warning to his generation when they demanded a sign from him. It was characteristic of the Jews that they demanded "signs" from God's messengers to authenticate their claims. Jesus faulted them for one thing: spiritual adultery. The image of adultery was often used in the scriptures for describing apostasy or infidelity towards God. When the religious leaders pressed Jesus to give proof for his claims he says in so many words that he is God's sign and that they need no further evidence from heaven than his own person. The Ninevites recognized God's warning when Jonah spoke to them, and they repented. And the Queen of Sheba recognized God's wisdom in Solomon. Jonah was God's sign and his message was the message of God for the people of Nineveh. Unfortunately the religious leaders were not content to accept the signs right before their eyes. They had rejected the message of John the Baptist and now they reject Jesus as God's Anointed One (Messiah) and they fail to heed his message. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus' birth that he was "destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be revealed" (Luke 2:34- 35). Jesus confirmed his message with many miracles in preparation for the greatest sign of all – his resurrection on the third day. The Lord Jesus through the gift of his Holy Spirit offers us freedom from sin and wisdom for our lives, if we listen to him. Do you thirst for Godly wisdom? James says that the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity (James 3:17). A double-minded person cannot receive this kind of wisdom. The single of mind desire one thing alone– that which is good and ordered according to God's wise plan. Ask the Lord to renew your mind and to increase your thirst for his wisdom.

  

Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow

The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did we do with its opportunity? All too often we will waste tomorrow as we wasted yesterday, and as we are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude us, despite our intentions, until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from our embrace a single, unused day at a time.

Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease.

Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency.

When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game.

Regardless of a person's current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now - this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives - moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.

We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances - lots of opportunities - lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. There isn't an endless supply!

So as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.