We had our first YCLC apostolate yesterday morning at Boystown in Marikina. It was a pretty enjoyable experience but it left us TIRED at the end. The boys were around 9-11 years old and came in groups of 6, and they were just a handful!! May mga nagaaway pa kaya ang hirap awatin ng gulo. Pero ok lang, kasi enjoy naman, and it paved way for meeting new people from different batches as well.

Was also supposed to meet the wife of my mother's officemate in Megamall today to get something my mom sent through her, but I found myself drained so I just rested up until 2pm. Then it was time for the Koine Foundation again, which I haven't been able to experience for 2 months already since last summer.

And seriously, ang saya, saya ng Koine. Being back there was just... exhillarating! (ooh, how perky. did I even spell that right?) That foundation's seriously been a great blessing to us, I swear. The moment Steph and I entered back into Studio 2, our former scholar classmates greeted us with hugs, even though we didn't get the chance to really bond with them over the summer.

But it wasn't all smiles for me althroughout. At first I'd actually been getting frustrated because DireQ Niel had us sit in the intermediate class, where they were performing at a faster pace... and I couldn't keep up with them because they were doing steps from the sessions I had missed last summer. Eventually, DireQ (I have no idea why it's spelled that way, but I like it) suggested that we take jazz sessions as well so we could catch up with them. That was good too, because I haven't been very active in any sports lately so at least this'll give us a little more exercise during the year.

And DireQ Niel's been so generous... because when I asked him how much two separate sessions in one day would cost, he just shrugged it off and said, "Ay, sa susunod na natin pagusapan yan... basta magattend lang kayo."

He was practically giving us the sessions for free, or at least for something less than we would normally have to pay. Niel de Mesa is just so cool... he's accomplished, talented (he sings, he dances, he writes and directs plays, he plays the piano, and he does EVERYTHING BRILLIANTLY. Mediocrity isn't in his vocabulary... hanep to, I don't know where he gets it.), and generous(!)... and I respect this guy a lot. He's short-tempered, yes... but we all have our flaws, don't we?

And he even had us stay for free ice cream along with the other Koine members (mostly kids) at the end of the day, because one of the members, Ate May, happened to be celebrating her bday on that day. The thing was, we didn't even know her (along with MANY of the other people there), but all the people there welcomed us like old members anyway and we found ourselves spending an entire hour on music (we had a dose of the Spice Girls the whole time), dancing, and picture-taking. Seriously, that was the most fun I've had in Koine, especially considering that I wasn't acquainted with 80% of the people there. I'm really glad to be back. :-)

Whatta Saturday. Glad it had been productive though, and my 2 cousins, brother, and I ended our Saturday evening with 50 First Dates (haha... I really liked this movie) and a late-night snack of popcorn, yogurt and fruit salad (mga patay gutom... we finished everything 15 minutes into the movie... ahehehe *sheepish grin* p:).

By the way, salamat talaga niceta!!! I owe you a lot. =)

And welcome back, Claude! :D