// thoughts

HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION - IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

If you're Catholic you're supposed to be going to church for Mass today! Today is the feastday of when Mary was conceived without sin.

I always go to church at St. Pat's for lunch and today was crazy! I got to the front of the church and there was a huge line, huge. One of the ushers was outside telling people that only those for mass could come in the church today - that's a good thing because the tourists are so annoying with their pictures and talking and all that, it distrupts the solemnity of the church.

So I get inside and wow, there were sooooooo many people! The 12:30pm mass usually ends before 1:00pm but it went on until 1:20pm because there were a lot of people getting communion still! The church was packed! Like seriously packed! It was really good to see the church filled to the brim today, it was standing room only and you could just feel Him there with us.

Just thought I'd share that with you guys now don't forget to go to church today!

+ mon

Short and sweet - no more budget meal for me, I've had it for two days and it seems that I have had the runs for two freakin' days! Gotta get some real food from now on...

Ppprrrrrtttt! (_|_) OoO o O o O o

+ mon

Well the night started out with me having to work a little bit late. I got out at 7pm and then went home - I was supposed to give Dudoy, Diday, Jon and Shing a ride to Ultreya (we were going to be just a little bit late).

So I'm walking up my block and I see four people standing in front of my house. I ask them where they are going and how they are getting there, they say to Ultreya and me. Diday didn't tell me that Miguel and Jason were going! Ok so there's still room in the car, we can all just squeeze in.

I go and change, eat really quick and head downstairs with the video cam and the digi cam because we were planning on video taping everyone saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Ate, a video card. And we were going to take some pictures of the youth. So I'm driving up my block and the kids say that Ken Ken is going! Went back around the block and picked him up - ok so in the car now, Diday is in the front seat and Miguel, Jason, Dudoy, Ken are in the back seat of the car. I'm pretty much full.

But I still have to pick up Jon and Shing! I get there we had to figure out how everyone else was going to fit! [flashback] during one Vigil we fit about 8 or 9 people in my car. So what ended up happening was Shing and Jon sat in the front seat, and the rest were in the back (five in the back). It was a pretty uncomfortable ride the whole way for everyone, except me - the kids in the back were having a great ol' time, laughing and tickling each other.

So we get to Ultreya at 8:50pm already, the Ultreya started at 8:00pm. I find parking by the Funeral Home and just use the "Clergy" tag that we have I walk in and I see the NJ girls in the front singing! I was like whoa, this is kewl. So I get up there and start video taping them (click me for the video!). They sang really good! You'll hear them in the video, and dang! Grace got a monster voice, she's o-some!

Ultreya went well, go to the gallery for some pics from the Ultreya, nothing fancy this time, didn't have much time to take the shots and didn't have a lot of time after we got there all late. Some of the youth afterwards had to wait for rides and whatever else so we here just waiting around a bit and "talking." Didn't get to leave the Ultreya place until 10:30pm and had to take some people home. Got home about 11:45pm - but all in all the last Ultreya of the year went out with a "bang."

One thing that I learned during this Ultreya night was that pride can be a horrible thing and it can mess things up. Sometimes people have to back down and let their pride just go as low as possible, humbling yourself is a lot better than being to proud about certain things. Admit their faults, admit their wrongs, and just say sorry, or just hug. Remember that everyone is B.A.S.I.C. - if you guys don't know what that means, give credit to the man who came up with that back in the 90's during an Ultreya in NJ - Michael Perez. And it means Brothers and Sisters in Christ. That's what we all are! So regardless of the beef, regardless of whatever happened in the past, let that sh*t go - no need to be carrying that sh*t around, for whatever reason.

Don't stress over the smallest things, the way I handle things is that if it isn't killing me or hasn't killed me then I don't have to stress about it.

Remember we're all one fam here, drop all the bullsh*t and let's do this together! BNP B.A.S.I.C.

+ mon