under God's grace

when this day started, i never expected it would turn out the way it did.

i was assigned to substitute for classes in Makati, somewhere i wasn't familiar with. i said yes yesterday as i got clear instructions on how to get there. around 6am, i woke up to the sound of heavy rains. i really don't like rains at all; i've never been a fan of rainy days (i'm grateful for them and at times i do admire them, but really not a "rain-person", if there's such thing). while half-awake, i was praying really hard that it would stop, thinking about what i have to go through this day.

when i finally woke up around 9am to prepare myself and get ready, the rain isn't getting better. i felt so stressed and started worrying too much about what might happen to me. yes, i even thought of getting stranded in that unknown place, with no one to call and rescue me. (my brain in total panic mode, haha!) i even asked if the classes are suspended, but sadly i got "no" for an answer. i prayed REALLY hard for one thing: please let the rain stop, dear Lord.

and.. it wasn't stopping. from time to time, it was getting harder and harder, which made me get really stressed. feeling so helpless, tears suddenly fell from my eyes. i didn't know anymore what to pray for. when Teacher Chelo called me, i had nothing to say; i didn't know if i would want to back out or just go through this. her prayer strengthened me, and her words of encouragement allowed me to "give it a try". when the rain calmed down, i finally decided to leave the house.

while i was still in the south area, it was still raining. not as hard, but my prayer of asking it to stop still unanswered. approaching Makati area, the skies were brighter and clearer - i had hope. when i got off the bus, i was relieved to see and feel no rain. God has answered me. while walking along Jupiter Street to find the building, i suddenly found a Serenitea store. i smiled thinking, God loves me. i bought myself mango milk tea (i LOVE their mix of mango milk tea! so good!) to comfort me that stressful morning. when i finally got to find the building (it wasn't too far walk, and not so hard to find, thank God!), i still had time to grab some lunch and calm myself down. time check: sometime before 12:30, class is still at 2. while inside Starbucks having lunch, i was trying to compose and relax myself. i'm grateful that i was able to get where i'm supposed to be - on time, no rain, and i have milk tea. :")

but my worries didn't stop, despite having experienced already God's goodness. the day wasn't over - i still had to rush back to Alabang for modern class. thoughts of rain and getting stranded still bugging me. when i finally finished the last class at 5pm, i first looked outside the window for any signs of rain. there was none. i felt relieved. as what Teacher Chelo said reminded me earlier that day, God will cover me no matter what happens. upon reaching the south, i suddenly felt the feeling of being "home" - safe and secure. nothing beats the feeling of being in a familiar place.

looking back on what happened today, i just felt i was under God's grace the whole time. His way of not answering my prayer of letting the rain stop right away made me trust in Him more. during my helplessness, He carried me through. He proved to me that He is greater than my fears, and most of all, i am not, and will never be, alone.

one thing i need to learn is to trust God RIGHT AWAY. my own fears took over before my trust in Him. i can hear God saying now, "I've done so many unexpected things for you already, how come you still don't trust me right away?" with everything that happened this day already behind me, i can finally see how panicky and fearful i was, hehe. but i'm really grateful that despite me not getting God's lesson right away, God has been really patient in dealing with me.

and, nothing beats the feeling of realizing that you are under the grace of God - bounded and protected by His love. keep my heart, O Lord, quick to trust in You and my ears swift to hear Your comforting voice.

that sign of love in where i thought was a "hopeless" place.
thank you Lord for that Sereni-treat! :")

the milk tea addiction

oh yes, i am one of those who are into this milk tea craze addiction obsession. the newest Serenitea branch in Festival Mall opened earlier, and even though i have tried (FOR A MILLION TIMES) their milk tea, i still got excited with the new store opening and looked forward to buying in that new store. srsly, obsessed milk tea drinker over here.

Serenitea's new branch in Festival Mall!
located outside, Starbucks area, beside Aggy's.
(from my instagram)

so anyway, since i blog so much about the things (and people) i love and what matters to me, why not create a special post too about my love for milk teas? :") as i was thinking about creating this post, i also realized i have so much milk tea photos on my phone, haha.

my personal milk tea "craze" started in 2011, when Serenitea had this promo card of getting a free large drinks after completing 10 stamps. i didn't realize i was having it so often; it started as once or twice in a month, then became every week.. and then more than twice a week. i think i completed around 4 cards then, so imagine 40 LARGE MILK TEAS = 4 thousand + pesos spent for milk tea!

but let's rewind a bit further. Serenitea wasn't the first ever milk tea i tried. i fell in love first with ZenTea's Nai Cha. it was then the ONLY milk tea place i know, and because it was located near Benilde. i loved it then because it was cheap, 45 or 55 something for XL size, and they have yummy pearls. :") so when i discovered Serenitea in ATC, i found it expensive (at 105!) because i got used to ZenTea's cheaper milk tea. after graduation, i missed ZenTea so much that i finally gave in to trying Serenitea just to compensate my milk tea cravings. i forgot what i first tried there, but when i was recommended to try the Wintermelon Milk Tea, that was the beginning of everything.. i srsly fell in love.

because of this "addiction", i have tried different milk tea stores. my top three are:

1. Serenitea
it really tops my list, for my most favorite milk tea is from here - Wintermelon! i shall dedicate a separate post about this, because i just have SO MUCH to say. you will get bored if i say everything over here, haha!

me and my favorite milk tea ever - Serenitea's Wintermelon! <3

2. ZenTea
of course, it comes second because this was where my fondness for milk tea started. their Nai Cha will always be my favorite, forever. i just wish they have a branch here in the south. and even though they don't have sugar option, their Nai Cha isn't too sweet - tastes just right. :)

thank you google for ZenTea's Nai Cha photo.

3. Chatime
the first time i tried Chatime, i got disappointed because the pearls don't come with the drink by default! i didn't know i had to order them as additional sinkers, haha. my ultimate milk tea partner, Tracy, then told me to just get the Pearl Milk Tea next time, which already has pearls. i only got to try them before whenever we were in Makati, because there was no Serenitea branch yet there then. when it opened in Alabang, i had it more often (alternating it with Serenitea) because their Pearl Milk Tea (in 50% sugar level) tastes like ZenTea's Nai Cha. and, their pearls are way better than Serenitea! i also got to try their new Strawberry Choco Milk Tea and liked it too. and i discovered a new favorite sinker, their rainbow jelly! YUMMY INDEED! it reminds me of Serenitea's black diamond (which they phased out, boo), but they're white, hahahaha. next time, new Chatime mix that i should try is Chatime Milk Tea with rainbow jelly. i can already feel it would be SO GOOD. :>

Chatime's Strawberry Choco Milk Tea with Rainbow Jelly!
oh-so-yummy! :) (from my instagram)

i've tried Gong Cha too, but it didn't make it to my top list. i love their House Special Wintermelon Tea. without mixing the cream, the tea tastes good as is already. and the cream is yummy too. well mixing them tastes better, but asdfghjkl, sometimes i enjoy not mixing them, haha. i disliked Gong Cha before because i tried one of their milk teas (which i already forgot) and totally didn't like the taste. and same with Chatime, pearls weren't included with the drinks automatically! but anyway highway, after trying their Wintermelon, Gong Cha has redeemed its brand, hahaha. sad though that they don't have sugar option for their Wintermelon! (and i feel their cream's fattening, so i rarely buy from Gong Cha, haha)

Gong Cha time with ballet friends :) (from my instagram)

major disappointment for me was Happy Lemon. tried it once when we went to Eastwood for a dance engagement. i tried their best-seller (based from their recommendation) - Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese. i'm sorry but i really didn't appreciate it because i didn't like their cocoa mix (too sweet and there's a taste with it that i cannot describe). and i found it too expensive for the drink size and taste. :( i dunno if i should try Happy Lemon's other flavors, but since they don't have a branch here in the south, i won't make an effort to visit their store in the northern mountains just to try a different one, mehehe.

the other milk teas i've tried are:
BonAppetea - i love their caramel jelly sinkers!
Simple Line
Infinitea
Tea Talk
..and those are the ones that i can remember, haha. i just wish they also have the sugar level option, because i already find them too sweet. (currently, i order in 25% sugar in Serenitea and 50% in Chatime, naaaks!) they don't taste bad either, they can already pass as "legit" milk tea, hahaha. when we went to Hong Kong last year, of course i had to try milk tea there as well! we tried from like 3 stores, but my most favorite was the one in Mongkok, like one of those "street food" stores there. i lalalalalaloved it! :")

anyway, i guess i've said TOO much already about my milk tea craze addiction. i shall continue soon with my special post on my ultimate milk tea fave - Serenitea! :)

how about you, what's your milk tea flavor? (tell me what's you flavor, ooooh!)