16 Things about Paolo

So it took me a while to see that Marinel tagged me on a blog. I forgot to set the comments notification option on my blog, but better late then never!

so onward to the goods. i entitle this:

16 Things About Paolo that you didn't know(i think...), but now you wish you didn't ask!

1. I hate buying clothes. sorry kiddos, but its so annoying buying clothes! why mess with a good thing you already got going? My brother yelled at me a while back b/c he saw one of my sweaters was from Britches... hahaha, didn't that store close down like 10 years ago? Oh well, they made very fine sweaters and shirts, and i'm still a proud owner of at least 2.
   
2. I like photoshoppin' friends faces on movie characters. Well, more like MS Paint than photoshop..started as an inner-office war with my friend, SS Agent Mathew M., people are now scared of me in the office, fearing they will become my next project, or better yet, t-shirt! here's one i did of SS Agent Matthew M. and Partner in Crime Dennis Z. Click on it, its pretty amazing!


3. I'm actually really shy. If you never met me before, I am very shy at first. most of my friends would say the total opposite, especially my Young Life and youth group kids, but in social situations i can become very shy. Its weird, but i'm just timid like that.


4. My name is Paolo, and I'm a nerd. I bet my girlfriend, Tracy, will love this one. Yes, i am confessing on my blog that i am, indeed, a nerd. Once an avid World of Warcraft player, XBox Live trash talker, and once had the biggest collection of Magic: The Gathering cards, i am a complete nerd. I work with computers every day, i read blogs about tech and gadgets every day, and i own a heck of a lot of useless gadgets and gear just because they are cool looking! Like my Chewbacca plush backpack!


5. I'm no Photographer, just like taking pictures! The purchase of my Canon Rebel XTi was probably the best purchase I've had made to date. Along with a great lense, I'm all up in your face taking pictures! i've recently gotten facinated with my macro lense and currently thunking up shots to take with it. But i love taking pictures of just people and places, no real meaning behind it. Just like capturing what God intended our lives to be, and showing the rest of the world! You can view any and all my pictures here: Album 1, Album 2, Album 3 These two on the right are a couple of my favorites. The top shot is my previously hacked iPhone, shot with a Canon Macro lense 60mm Fixed lense (if you click on it, you can see each pixel), and the bottom pic are the flowers I got for Tracy, shot with my everyday shootin' lense, 28mm-135mm Canon lense.


6. I ride a motorcycle b/c I like the rush, and because people said i couldn't! i always had a facination with motorcycles, and when graduation from college approached, i really considered purchasing one for my gift to myself. Back in high school, and a lot in college, a lot of people shunned me from riding a motorcycle, stating the obvious that it was dangerous, but one that stuck at was that they said "i can't see you on one... you don't seem right on it" or "you're too big to be on a sportbike"... well i say boo hoo to that! i'm +200lbs and riding a sportbike. I hate it when people tell me what i can't do, or what doesn't look right, b/c if i feel right then its right with me. i could care less what others think! I like proving others wrong.


7. I love working with kids and youth. As annoying and troublesome many can be, i have always had a heart working with kids and the youth in general. A good chunk of my week is working with kids after my 9-5 job. My time is split between my Young Life Kids with Special Needs and my youth group kids at church. I truly and wholeheartedly believe in investing into children because, as cliche as it sounds, they are our future. I am so blessed the Lord has given me a heart for Youth and Teen ministry, and especially for Kids with Disabilities. So many times, teens these days are overlooked and underestimated. Just giving them an outlet to express themselves without pre-judgement or pressure to conform means the world to them.
   
8. I don't think I snore.... do I? Maybe some of my youth group guys who i've spent a guys night out with or went to camp can vouch for me, or bust my assumption... But for the love of me, i do not believe i snore when i sleep. Tracy says I do, even though she's never seen me or heard me sleep, but I really don't think i do. I won't believe anyone without some proof! If you do get video proof of me snoring, i will post it up and give that person a quarter!


9. I'm embarrassed about my feet. Yup, it's true. they are just horrific and ugly. i can hardly stand looking at them, and i hate taking my shoes off anywhere but home.


10. I'm a sucker for girly movies. As much as guys try to say they don't like girly movies, c'mon guys! you know you like them too! Last girly movie i watched was Sydney White, which turned out to be a pretty good movie for what it was! Favorite movie all time is A Walk to Remember because i just love it. ugh, my man stock is falling faster than General Motor's right now...


11. 1 Country n00b. i've only been to 1 country in my life: the Philippines. someday i would like to travel to other destinations in the world, specifically Tuscany, Venice, S. Korea, Dubai, Austrailia, and much more... i've always wanted to do a food vacation Anthony Bourdain style, or even Andrew Zimmern!


12. Computer n00bs = EPIC FAIL. because when people say that defragging their hard drive will make their internet faster, an angel gets its wings torn off. Biggest peeve is when people throw up computer jargon and asinine procedures, or just think what they are doing/did is right when it comes to computers. If you delete all your emails, and then ask us what happened to your emails, you, madam, are an epic failure.


13. I wish i were bilingual. i wish i knew how to speak or understand tagalog, but i can only understand when my mom is angry. maybe one day with the help of Rosetta Stone...


14. I'm a Facebook Stalker according to Tracy. what do you expect?? i sit infront of a computer all day long! It's a routine in my daily life to check Facebook when i have the time.


15. I'm a Christian. What a different experience it is from being born and raised a Catholic, to living and leading a life dedicated to Christ, and having a relationship with Him. I can't tell you enough how my Lord has influenced everything in my life, my life choices, and those He puts in it. Without my committment to Him and the relationship i have with Him, i wouldn't be in the place i am today, the church i attend, the friends i have and have met, or the girl i am growing to like more and more each and every day. Everything i owe to Him because it is all His.


16. Twice a month and Neon Green Shorts! that's how often i do laundry. Some people think thats not enough, but i think its plenty enough! by that time, ive already worn my underwear backwards inside-out... -=P j/k, and laundry day is when i wear my neon green shorts that everyone hates! i think they are pretty awesome! My mom got them for me back in high school. She told me that they were my color and she insisted that she buy them for me. Oh man, she is awesome! These shorts have been all over the world and are pretty much infamous!

Anywhoo, thats me in a nutshell. I don't have that many friends that blog, or that i know of, but if you're reading this, consider yourself TAGGED!!

Stop Lyin'...

**PAUSE THE MUSIC TO THE RIGHT WHEN VIEWING THE VIDEO BELOW**

This is Lavoisier. I met him a couple years back when i spent a month at Lake Champion, a Young Life camp in New York. The month i worked at the camp, we were serving inner-city youths from the hardest cities in the country (D.C., Queens, Chicago, etc..). During the month, we had to deal with constant fighting, usually rival gang members from different cities (yes, they wore their colors at a christian camp), hard facades, straight attitudes and fake personas. So having Lavoisier there as a musical guest and speaker put Christ at a level they could understand.

He was our musical guest for the month, and i was the program tech, so we got a lot of face time together. He is very passionate about his heart, his work, and his ministry. Below is a video he did at a private school, calling out rappers of today.

It's been a while...

Let's see... recent life updates...

Well, if you haven't heard or seen, I have an amazing girlfriend. that's right kiddies, she's awesomely amazing. i am a very lucky man. its not like any other relationship i've been in. we prefer staying in than going out, she hates it when i pay for things, we fight over who drives what car to wherever we're going, and we never go to sleep angry at eachother. There's so much more about our relationship and just her in general, but that would take more than one blog to write about.

It has been a long life battle of mine, committing and trusting in God when it comes to relationships. SOOO many people told me "there is ONE out there for me" and "that she is going to be the luckiest girl in the whole world" when we would finally meet, but do i, should i, trust their word? i mean, they are as mortal and imperfect as i am, so how could i put stock in such encouragement? Yes, it helped a bit back then, short gratification, short term contentment. But what about the long term, the long haul, the future? How could i be content with trusting my Lord with my relationship with others, specifically a significant other?

In high school and in college, i had the mindset that the Lord truly wanted me to be alone. as emo as that sounds, it was true... i constantly pushed people away because of the fear of being hurt or left out or, as weird as it sounds, falling in love. the fact that my heart could be put out there and cared for scared me... why? i dunno... maybe b/c i was scared of being hurt again, being alone, and all those emotions you hear in "break-up songs" as my girlfriend would describe them as. I've been hurt, and its not a good feeling, so why risk it?

My mind started wander, and i started to convince myself that i was meant to be alone in life, even though it is one of my greatest fears in life...

An article I read was about Trusting God in Relationships, and how we were meant to be in relationship. When Adam was created, God said "It is not good for the man to be alone... I will make a helper suitable for him" (Gen. 2:18). We all have the need to be in a compaionship, relationship, fellowship, friendship, it's been coded in us since day one. How i did not see this snippet of information in my earlier years? i don't know, but knowing and trusting God that He will provide me a companion/girlfriend/best friend/wife that is chosen by Him is how my life and mindset should be. When i stopped worrying about who my girlfriend/wife would be in the future, and just set my eyes and mind on the Lord and let Him set my course straight, all my worries and fears went away.

What did the Lord do for me during those years of not dating? He used my singleness to invest in His kingdom. I found myself filling up every day of my week with Young Life or Volunteering or some type of ministry. It is what the Lord wanted of me. It also allowed me to become a better man, in prepartion for the one i would meet in the future.

One of my favorite quotes from a blog goes something like, instead of asking when you will find the right girl for you, ask yourself how can you be a better man for the girl you will meet? It's so true. everyday, i always pray and try to find a better way to be a better friend, boyfriend, son, brother, co-worker, etc..

It all comes down to the committment i have for my Lord, and trusting in His ultimate plan. On those two reasons alone, i am thankful and blessed for the relationship i have today. Because without having a relationship with Christ, how could i even be ready for a relationship with anyone else?

But don't think we're the most perfect couple b/c we are not. We have our imperfections and are constantly learning something new about eachother each day. we just take it one day at a time, thank our Lord for what He has blessed us with, and be thankful for everything else. I am absolutely lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful girlfriend that also sees it this way. The Lord is teaching us new things every day, and we learn together.

I pray He blesses my relationship with Him and it brings me closer to Him. In turn, i pray that my relationship with Christ will bring me closer to her.

i know its a jumble of a mess, but maybe someone with A.D.D. will understand and get something out of this blog.. my mind is a mess with Christmas fast approaching!

For Lola

Everytime the holidays come around, I always think of my Lola (grandma). She passed away a couple years ago, and it was very hard for me. She was living in the Philippines, but she would always make her "U.S. Tour" to all of us here in America. So it was hard when I found out from my mother she had passed away. The hardest part was I never got to say goodbye, or even be there for my mom.

I got the crazy idea to write a letter to my Lola, and have my mom read it at her funeral in the Philippines. This is the letter I wrote:

Lola Dearest,

Hi cooterhead! It’s you favorite cootering grandson PJ. Well, Mom called me the other day and asked what I would like from the Philippines when she goes there to see you. To be honest… I told her a girlfriend, because they are very good pickings there. Its pathetic, I know… and I know I should love for love and nothing more, but Mom has good taste and I trust it.

But what I really wanted was for you to be here, to make your U.S. visit like you always do. But that would be selfish of me to take away one of God’s angels, and I can’t be selfish. I’m not 5 anymore. But after hearing the news, it’s almost surreal, almost too hard to believe.

But it’s not like I missed you. A lot of friends ask me if I’m all right, knowing my Lola is gone. I say yeah! I’m totally fine, why? Because you aren’t gone. I tell them that I didn’t lose my grandma, my Lola, but rather I’d finally gained that guardian angel I’ve been looking for. Knowing now that you are up in heaven and all around me, I know longer have to wait for those summers for you to come.

Lola, you are never gone to me. I promise that your life will live within me. I want my children to know about how you always smelled of siopao dough, how you had one favorite chair in the kitchen you sat on when you cooked in the kitchen, how we would look for the best garage sales around the neighborhood, how every day you was filled with love and compassion and just a spirit that made me happy to come home to. Like how you taught me, I want to teach them how to fish and how to feel if a crab is really biting your chicken. But most importantly, I want them to know how much you cared about others, how much you gave yourself to others and how much you loved others. I don’t think any love in the world can compare.
All my life, all I want to do is make my family proud of me. I do everything I can to provide for my family and ensure my future is bright and forthcoming. Graduating high school, going to College and graduating with a great education, now have a steady job and able to provide for myself. Now the question is when will God provide me my wife, my family, the rest of my adult life! Life is just getting started for me, and its kind of scary. But knowing I got you and Jesus watching over me, I have no more fears to worry about.

Oh, take this picture with you. It’s of my best side!

Just know that I will do everything in my power to make you proud of me. I want you to be proud that I’m your grandson, because I am proud that you are and forever will be my Lola.
I hope that in my lifetime, I can come close to being as great as a grandparent as you were to me. You always made me smile, you always made me feel loved, you always made me finish my plate of food, and I definitely know I got my sense of humor from youI will always be thinking about you, and know that my children’s children’s children will know of your legacy and your love.

Next time I see a garage sale, I’ll pick something up for you!

I love you Lola. And know that I will make you proud. As proud as I am to be an Ambas kid.

Father,
As my Lola moves on to your wonderful sanctuary, protect her, bless her, and give her a warm welcoming as she enters your kingdom of heaven. She’s now in a better place, and in a place where she can see all of us at once. Bless us with her energy, her spirit, her compassion and her love so that her spirit in heaven can be lived here on earth. Go with God, Lola.

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!” (Matthew 25:23)

Amen.

Truly your Grandson,
Paolo J. A. Cabacoy
a.k.a. Your cooterhead

Verses for You, Lola
“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him”
-1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”
-John 11:25-26

Verses for Our Family
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things”
-Philippians 4:6-8

The picture posted with the letter was the last time I had talked to my Lola, on my graduation day. She told me that she was so proud of me for my accomplishments, that I was going to be a great young man, and that she loved me.

I know you are looking down on me, Lola. I hope I, along with all your grandchildren, are making you proud.