I couldn’t thank God enough. The other day, I was at band rehearsal and I just felt that I was being the person God created me to be. A musician.
When cancer hit me, I had to give up a lot of activities. For one thing, I had to end my bird-breeding hobby. I am left with my pets Dante, the cockatiel and Cricket, the african lovebird. :) Then, I had to give up my gym regimen. I’d be so thankful now if I could do a 30-minute treadmill exercise as compared to the hour-long aerobic exercises and power lifting I was doing a few years ago. Even my mountain bike and Vespa are just parked, waiting for me to go riding again. Then one thing I really had to painfully give up is wedding photography. At this point, it will be suicidal if I push myself to shoot weddings. Not with the 10-hour gig of being up and about, anticipating everyone’s movement and keeping up with the fast pace of the event. Even an engagement shoot is out of the picture. 
What else was there for me to do? Music - the one part of my life that never left me. My companion since I was a child. It is the only thing that I can do that doesn’t require extra energy. And again, I am so thankful that God has gifted me with music. Though there were a lot of times I forcefully tried not be a musician, God didn’t take me seriously. At the end of it all, music will still be by my side.
So what was that band rehearsal all about? Oh… tomorrow, I play second keyboard at Charice Pempengco’s concert at SMX Convention Center. A blessing, that is what it is. How did I get the gig? Oh, I was visiting my friend, Gino Cruz, who just opened his rehearsal studio, Eight Note Studios in Panay Ave. While catching up with each other, news walked in the door that he might just get the gig of being the musical director for Charice’s concert. Once he heard the news, he said, “If I get this gig, I want you to be my second keyboardist.” Knowing that the concert will be on June 27 and since it was supposed to be a chemo-free weekend, I said, “Sure!” I mean, who would say no, right? ;) However, since my chemo was delayed two weeks ago, I’m supposed to have treatment today. I just asked my oncologist if I could move the treatment to Monday so I can play at the concert. Good thing my oncologist allowed me to.
So tomorrow, I play at Charice’s concert. :) Thank God! Oh, can you please pray for me? I wasn’t feeling well the whole day. I felt so unusually weak and I couldn’t walk too much. The only thing I could do this morning was to work on revising a score I am working on for a radio advertisement.
Anyway, during the rehearsals, I just felt good playing with fellow musicians. I was enjoying what I was doing. Though my back was hurting and I was really freezing inside the studio, still, I pushed myself to practice with the band. I loved what I was doing. Inside me, I felt like I was a round peg inside a round hole. :) I hoped that God won’t take me yet because I am still enjoying the music gigs. Then again, I thought that if God will really take me home soon, perhaps God needs more musicians in heaven. I’d really love to be part of God’s line-up of musicians over there.
This month, God blessed me with handful of music projects. I had the opportunity to rearrange the theme song for GMA7’s Ngayon At Kailanman, this time, sung by Jan Nieto. The show airs every afternoon during weekdays. I’ll try to upload the music here one of these days so you could listen to it too.
This week, God blessed me with three radio advertisements to work on. I worked on all of those and at times, my health wasn’t cooperating. Just like today. Good thing, the producer, Ms. Bunny Hukom, is so understanding of my condition and is patient with me when my body gives me a hard time.
One thing I learned this week is that my body does have its limits already. I just couldn’t do a day-long job and still do other things after. It doesn’t work that way anymore. I can only do so much and usually, my energy is at its best for four hours. After that, I really have to pray and rely on God’s provision of strength. My schedule this week was just so busy and I had to repeatedly tell myself that I shouldn’t go through one like this on a regular basis. Not if I could help it. Even if I wanted to push myself more, my body was just letting me know that I am not as I used to be. I can’t go raketeering like I always do. Again, good thing I was working on making music. There’s just something about my job that keeps me going. In a way, music is indeed therapeutic. I’m being comforted while at work.
Then another work is coming this Sunday. Scoring an AVP (audio-visual presentation) for John Ong ( my boss at Imagine Nation Photography) and Monique Lopez’s wedding. They’re getting married on July 2 in Boracay. It’s a wedding I will have to miss, unfortunately. :( Even if I would love to be there, I just can’t. If anything happens to me, there is no decent hospital in the island that can take me in.
Of course, my music editing job for GMA7 is still my bread and butter. It is also one of the jobs I enjoy doing. I get to watch a show while working on one.
Indeed, music is my all-time companion. These are the times when I just thank God for giving me the gift of music. Very appropriate for a pancreatic cancer-stricken person who just can’t make herself stay put. God couldn’t have chosen a better gift. 
. You know how some devotionals are written, right? There’s usually a bible verse for the day and a literature/experience/encouragement to boost it. Well, with this bible I’m reading now (NIV version), I get to read a few chapters of the bible a day and a daily discovery (somewhat of a devotional) about Jesus weaved into what I’ve read. Yup, even in the Old Testament. You’d be surprised how Jesus is present even during the Old Testament.
by Randy Alcorn. I thought, “If I know where I’m going to when I die, I’d better get to learn more about this place called Heaven, while I’m alive.” ;) Of course Randy Alcorn didn’t ‘go’ to heaven and come back to tell us what he saw. This is more or less a product of 25 years of research. It is bible-based of course so you know you aren’t lead to believe something false. You can double check scripture too if you like. Just so you can compare notes and know that you are not being misled. That’s what I’ve learned from Pastor David Yount. “Don’t just believe what you’ve heard. Go check your bible and read it.” 
written by Prof. Randy Pausch. He died of pancreatic cancer. I didn’t have much time to research about this book and honestly, I’ve completely forgotten all about it. One day, while working in one of GMA7’s scoring bays, my friend Ria (in the Philippines) pops in and hands me a book which she would like me to read. Guess what the title is. The Last Lecture! ;) I guess God wants me to read this book, eh?
by Tim Lahaye. It talks about how we all have different temperaments and how we are configured differently from and similarly with others. It helps to understand oneself and others, better. It can help in learning how to build character and relate to people.
. Since I was twelve years old, this topic has always held my interest. Of course, at that age, I couldn’t understand much of it except for the major events being pointed out in the Book of Revelation. This book has really helped me a lot in imagining the details of the big picture. It’s simply written and quick to understand.
Richelle’s on her fifth month with Baby Yum-yum. We’ve been documenting her pregnancy since month two. We were all so surprised that another Ligot is coming our way and since this may be Richelle’s last pregnancy (and we think it is), we thought of having a monthly photo session with a different concept each time.
The room was cold, the pillows were cuddly and the blanket was warm and soft. Perfect for a long stay in bed. Then I heard crows. Several of them. Squawking here and there. I wasn’t one to pass up the opportunity. I got up quickly, changed and grabbed my camera. Time for bird photos! 
by gerdie
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