Last October 2014, I was extremely looking forward to our visit in Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Japan. However, tickets were sold out. We also found out booking starts the first of every month and three months ahead. So we should have bought tickets on September 1. Due to my dismay, I prayed to God that I will either go there with my family or with my future boyfriend/husband. ((:

When I found out about the Studio Ghibli Exhibit at I'Park Mall in Seoul, South Korea, I knew then that "This is it!" There were no online bookings or reservations so we went directly to the exhibit area without even lining up. The entrance fee was 15000 KRW or approximately P614.18 for adults. This exhibit would last until March 1, 2015. Since we visited on a Thursday, there were few people. We had the chance to take our time in each display. We had a very comfortable experience.

All along, I thought the exhibit was made by people in South Korea. But during the exhibit, I asked one of the attendants and they told me that everything was made by Studio Ghibli Japan. Excellency in the work could be found everywhere. I fell in love with the designs and details of each display. The design team made it look like as if each visitor was part of the films. There were beautiful transitions from one film to the other. The exhibitions included Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Pom Poko, My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso, and Spirited Away. The only disappointment was my most favorite films were not included: Kiki's Delivery Service and The Wind Rises. At least, the most famous ones and some of the beautiful ones were there. And I was more than happy just to see anything Ghibli! We also visited the souvenir shop and bought some goods. The prices of the products were similar to the prices of the Studio Ghibli products in Japan.

Here goes God's third letter to me:

Dearest Kaye,

I feel your joy! I brought you here because I want to see the joy of a child in you. It took a little time for I long to see your focus and dependence in me. You have remembered my promise. As your father, I have granted it and I will continue to fulfill more of my promises to you.

Calcifer

Howl <3

Daughter, I want you to enjoy and savor each moment. I will watch over you and protect you because you have a childlike faith (Psalm 116:6). Stay focus in me and depend in me. You are not self-sufficient. Without me, everything else is meaningless.

Ashitaka

San a.k.a. Princess Mononoke and the wolves

Ashitaka and the Great Forest Spirit

Great Forest Spirit

Kodama or Tree Spirits

Pom Poko

Mei and Satsuki

Totoroooooooooo <3

Dreamt of this for a looong time. (((:

Porco Rosso, a film that I haven't watched in full ((:

Spirited Away

Yubaba

No Name Face

Chihiro

Remember that I will provide for your every need always.

Guided tours and tight schedules were not our preference so we chose to go to Nami Island by train and take the bus to the ferry station. We were so blessed to be accompanied by fellow Filipinas who happened to be our roommates in Mori Guesthouse and who were also bound to the same destination. However, they opted for a package to see not only Nami but Petit France and Garden of the Morning Calm. As for us, we wanted to make the most out of the island. The bus was taking so long so to save time, we walked instead. Little did we know that while walking we would meet a lovely lady that would drive us to the ferry station. We met her when we were about to ask directions from the people inside an indoor golf club. The lovely lady's house happened to be just in front of the zipline beside the ferry station so she dropped us off at the parking lot of the ferry station. Wow, see how God moves in mysterious ways!

Your excitement is my excitement. Your joy is my joy. 

I created you and I have fallen for you with my everlasting love. Do you feel it? 

Open your eyes to the beauty of everything around you.

For everything you see is my gift to you.

My desire is for you to nurture your love for children.

Keep teaching in whatever language you choose.

Also, love your neighbor as yourself. 

Remember to walk with me always.

Take my Love, fall deeper

and I will give you the desires of your heart.

Still fallin',   

Your Best Friend

In the past 5 years, I have applied to four visa applications. The first one was the U.S. Visa which I could consider as the strictest application in comparison to the other three. I applied for a U.S. visa by myself because my mother applied earlier than me. I was very surprised by the 10-year validation they gave me. My second one was Schengen visa for my trip to Denmark, Hungary, France, and Austria with my mother. This was only valid for 12 days. The third one was Japan visa which happened to be the quickest and easiest among the four. To my surprise, the visa was valid for 3 years. Of course, the most recent visa application was the Korean visa. I was given 59 days.

Complying with the rules and completing the requirements is a must to be able to be granted a visa. Being able to do those can assure an approval but I believe that a greater purpose always lies beneath it. In this blog, I want to share a few basic tips on how to apply for a visa.

Establish Strong Ties with Your Country

Almost all visas that I have applied for seek this. International embassies want to know if you are going back to the Philippines and when you plan to go back. Aside from the purpose of your trip, the most important thing for them is your intention to come back to your own country. Giving proof of this will strengthen your application. A stable job that you are committed to or an undergraduate or graduate course that you need to finish is a strong proof.

Collect Travel Stamps

Past travel stamps could be a big help. The consular officers will really look at your travel history. If you have travelled to other countries and have come back to the Philippines, then it will show a pattern of returning and not fleeing away to be a TNT (Tago Nang Tago). In my case, I was asked about my past travels when I applied for my U.S. visa. I told the consular officer about my first trip to Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore. If you can travel to non-visa countries first in order to gain travel stamps, then do so.

Proof of Income

Having an income to spend on your travels will be easily proven when you are applying with a parent or a sponsor to pay for your travels. But when you are applying on your own, you have to obtain your own Bank Certificate. Borrowing a "show money" can be a big help if you have not saved enough. You only have to make sure that the money stays there until your visa is approved or disapproved. I hope the latter will not happen to you! You must also remember that visa will not be approved or disapproved based on your income alone. All the requirements submitted will be considered.

Certificate of Employment

When requesting for a Certificate of Employment, especially for part-time employees, make sure that your employer indicated the date of your return to work. This will clearly indicate that your employee knows about your travel and that you are committed to come back.

Pray

When the colors of leaves change during autumn or fall, a fire-glow radiates from each tree. Then each leaf falls to the ground as winter approaches. This turning and falling of trees have been given different symbolisms. In classic literature, autumn's symbolism is a natural dichotomy: a time of detoriation, death, and dying and a time of harvest, preparation, and maturity. Both happiness and sadness are carried by autumn which makes it more beautiful to many. Because I have not experienced autumn in full bloom, I have always dreamt of it. Like most writers, I wish to tell my story about it one day.

Whenever I see autumn in movies and pictures, I am reminded by what the Bible says about abandoning the old life and starting anew. As detoriation, death, and dying occur, harvest, preparation, and maturity come.

Detoriation, Death and Dying

Autumn reminds me of being dead to sin and being alive in in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11). Like the color-changing leaves falling from trees, I see a person like a leaf, being set free from bondage or sin. The old life is buried and a new life begins.

Harvest, Preparation, and Maturity

Autumn is the time to reap the things we sowed and prepare for the harvest ahead. It is a time to learn from hardships in the past and blossom into a better self. As we have been made new again through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), we are given an opportunity to live a new life.

The beautiful dichotomy of autumn reminds me of the importance of truly trusting God not only in this season but in every season. We may not know when He will change each season for us but He is always in control. He said in his Word, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father has put in his own power (Acts 1:7)." But in every good and bad season, He promised that "you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8)." He not only revives us from the dead and restores us but He gives us a beautiful eternity with Him.

During this autumn season, like the leaves of trees, let us trust God, change foliage, get rid of the past, and welcome the future seasons ahead.

(:

Exactly three years ago, September 3, 2011, I received a prophecy from the husband of our good family friend. He was a prophet who received a Word from God to go to our house that day and share to me what God wanted to tell me about my future. What I received from God that day was more than what I expected to happen in my life. It encompassed more than where my imagination could bring me. I'm not writing to share about His Word to me. I'm writing to share to you what He always teaches me to do whenever I receive a Word from Him.

1. Fight for it.

When a person truly believes in a Word from God, he/she can stand firm in his faith. Faithfully, he/she will believe in it even though the whole world stands against it. His/her faith will linger and become stronger. Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12)!

2. Hold your peace.

Fighting for something does not usually involve weapons and arms. In peace, a person can fight without causing pain or destruction to others and to himself/herself. I am sure holding our peace is not an easy task. But it is an act of honoring God, letting Him fulfill His promises, and letting Him fight our battles for us.

3. Remain at rest.

During a battle, resting seems odd. How can one be at rest when everything around him/her appears to be falling apart? But rest does not necessarily entail that one is lying down or sleeping. When a person holds peace in his/her heart, then he/she is capable of resting whether in stable or rocky grounds. In the book of Mark, Chapter 4, Jesus was in a storm with His disciples and He was sleeping. Then He was awakened by His disciples because they were worried that He did not care about them and they were afraid to drown. Like Jesus, we could remain at rest in a storm. He has the power to command the winds and the waters. In a storm, we can have faith in Him and His Word.

Until now, I could not picture how He is going to fulfill His Word. But I am blessed to be able to see and understand that He is currently in the process of fulfilling it. In some days, He may look like He is not working at all. But even if He is not looking like it, He is moving. He is truly the God that can make all things possible. Nothing can stand against Him. In every promise given, He only asks one thing from us. And that is to have faith in Him.

Believe that "the Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest" (Exodus 14:14).

My strong desire to drive a car arrived after college. I actually could not believe that I did not desire to drive when I was commuting from UP Diliman to UP Manila almost every single day for two years. But I came to a point when I was really tired from commuting. When one carries a lot of stuff to work or to graduate classes almost everyday, he/she can only wish for a car to carry all the load for him/her. When I started to drive one of our family cars, I appreciated the convenience it brings me. But I also came to a point that I appreciated commuting and I learned to enjoy it. This blog will enumerate the perks of commuting that I have discovered.