Keeping your commitments

Last weekend was all about living up to one’s end of an agreement. Sort of like keeping your promises. This is the commonality that I can find in all my activities:

Friday >>

Chin would be attending the SAGIP conference somewhere in Quezon City and I would be in the GK empowerment in Pasig for Saturday so we would really be in servant mode for the weekend. Since I knew that Saturday and Sunday would be an all-service weekend, I decided to make my Friday a time for my relationship. My GG and I (Naks! I didn’t think I’d be able to write that phrase anytime soon. Hehe) decided to go out. I picked her up at her office, got to meet almost all her office mates, canvassed the mall for a ‘project’ we are working on, ate some dinner and watched ‘Snakes on a Plane.’ The movie was not really good since the story had no sense. So anyway, that the gist of my Friday. This one goes to honoring your commitment to make time to nurture your personal relationship.

Saturday >>

I attended the GK empowerment retreat from around 2 – 6:30 pm. The event very much lived up to its name. I was so inspired and empowered from the talks I’ve heard that my resolve to serve in Gawad Kalinga was strengthened. As JM observed, it has been a while since we wrote anything for GK because of other services and other personal activities. This retreat reminded me that I too made a commitment to tell the story of Filipino heroism in our sector through GK activities. And yes that is one commitment I am intending to keep. This one goes to keeping your promise to serve your country in your own little way.

After the retreat, the Cheriboys had their August session. Honestly, I didn’t think we’d be able to have a session for August. That would have been the first time that we’ll miss a month for our session. JM and I were planning and checking our schedules and we couldn’t find a common ground. There was no common free time for the last weekend of August primarily because the schedule of our services in our respective chapter was in conflict. We were even considering having the session on a Monday night. Hehe. Anyway, we saw a window of opportunity and we grabbed it. It was not your usual overnight session since I had a talk on a Sunday morning. We just went to this clean, well-lighted place (thanks Hemingway) called Star Diner among other places. Nobody really had a major concern to confide to the group so the session was very light. We were just telling stories and laughing and simply enjoying each other’s company. So there, this one goes to keeping your commitment to make a conscious effort to grow in friendship and brotherhood. 

Sunday >>

With barely 3 hours of sleep (I had to prepare for my talk before sleeping), I woke up at 7am to attend the 8am mass in our Parish. Our chapter decided to attend the early mass because we had a full day of CLP Training and Financial Stewardship and also because we wanted to show our visibility as SFC to our parish priest. After the mass, we greeted Line because it was also her birthday that day. We went straight to my house to prepare for the day. The heads had a service meeting to decide on some important matters then we proceeded to giving the CLP training and FS to the chapter members. I was so sleepy that day that after my talk (Talk 2), I crashed in my couch and took a nap. I woke up to join my chapter after the nap. It was a good day well spent and I felt that at the end of it all, our chapter was more equipped and was more ready for our upcoming CLP. Here’s to keeping your commitment to share your resources, time, energy and talent so that others may learn and grow.

MMLC Hits and Misses

I intentionally delayed writing about my MMLC experience because I simply couldn’t force myself to write only good things about it. Weeks ago, the bad outweighs the good and I wanted to gain a fresher perspective that I hope to achieve by letting all the hype pass. Some people said that it was the worst MMLC ever and weeks ago, I agree. Now, I’m just sort of in the middle. It was ok after all. It was not the best on some aspects but it had its strong points.

From my overall experience of the Metro Manila Leader’s conference in Laguna last August 18-20, here is what I think are its HITS AND MISSES:

MISSES

1. Way to the main venue (National Arts Auditorium) – My chapter was lucky to have brought our own transportation that could go up that steep hill going to the main venue. But for the majority of delegates, it sucked. It’s bad enough that the conference fee was raised from P800 to P1,000 that the organizers had to ask the delegates to pay extra P10 whenever they go up or down the National Arts auditorium. And it’s not like there’s an abundance of transportation choices. The delegates had to fall in to a long line and wait for a long time since the jeepneys can only strictly accommodate only 20 people from all the long line of waiting passengers. In effect, mobility was quite paralyzed.
2. Food -  I used to laugh over the idea that for this conference, we would be eating Chowking from breakfast to dinner again. But during this MMLC I was wishing for it. It’s not that the food was bad; it was the catering service that was a miss. Initially, they distributed the food on paper plates so it would mean that almost all the members of our chapter would have to fall in line because a person can only carry at most 2 plates. The effect is longer lines (again). This was worse as compared to the packed foods because at least with that, 2 chapter members is sufficient in getting food for the whole chapter (shorter lines = faster delivery = more satisfied stomachs). Added to this was he delay in service. Saturday lunch came so late that it could pass for mirienda. Saturday dinner ran out that some of us were in the line for food while trying to absorb whatever we can on the talks that we already in progress because it was already late in the night.
3. Sports – Oh where do I begin…. The badminton competition that the East A team was seriously preparing for…. well, we lost by default. We didn’t make it on time for our game because we were supposed to be on the second match. A default was perfectly fine if it was reasonable. But for this one, I didn’t think it was. I mean, we lost by default not because the jeep that contained the East A Badminton and Basketball team got lost and was stuck in traffic going to the venue (Did I mention that the conference kit did not contain any map going to the competition venue and that the venue was also outside UP LB?). We lost by default because the Badminton competition itself started way ahead if time. It started at 930am when the Saturday praise fest was still ongoing. What?!?!? From the many email circulation up until the last day prior to MMLC, the information regarding the events were sequential – distribution of breakfast, gathering and praise fest, then sports competition. It was clear and straightforward. But on the last minute they decide to change the schedule. They called a meeting with the delegation heads and unfortunately Kuya Pando was not there to attend it. I couldn’t blame the guy because it’s highly possible that he and his chapter came in late because of Miss # 1. Besides, I would think that a change with that impact should have been announced in the stage on a Friday night after the first session. Or at least mentioned in the white screen in the stage. I mean, they project vehicle plate numbers blocking some way, people needed at the back stage… so why not inform everybody of a change that big. In addition, I also didn’t think that the decision to change the schedule was appropriate. The decision was inappropriate because the organizers are in effect asking the players to choose between playing the sports they’re in or worshipping our Lord. Hmmm…. Come to think of it, there is actually no choice. They are saying that if you want to stay in the game and still have a chance to win it for your sector, then give up the opportunity the worship on the start of the day. Oh and never mind the oath taking of sportsmanship. Just go straight to the venue and you should be good to go. For me that is just stupid. Prayer should take the higher importance and nothing should be done to conflict that. I could go on and on about this but hey, it’s done. I guess we’ll just have to wait for our championship next year.

HITS

1. Final Marker – need I say more? Hehe.
2. My chapter and our bond – For me the ultimate representation of this was our group hug on the front of that nice altar on the way to the National Arts auditorium. You wouldn’t find a picture of that (not even in Ryan’s post) because that moment was just ours. We didn’t prepare for it and it was something that we did out of a grateful and joyous feeling. Anto felt it so he asked for a group hug. I was beside him and I really could see in his face how happy he was. And that sentiment is shared by all of us in EastA1B. At the hug, we were just all there…. silent… We were just quiet and feeling the moment and savoring the realization that we are blessed with a good bonding. And that as time passes, our bond and our chapter only gets stronger…. After being silent for a while, Anto lead us to a short prayer of thanks. Hayyy…. There’s a lot more to this actually. Those untold stories, little anecdotes, significant events and reaffirmed friendships. But let that moment be the representation of Hit # 2.
3. The talks and sharing – This MMLC was the best in terms of the talks and sharing. It had the most impact and I believe it touched the most number of people. At first I didn’t think it would be like that since the theme is ‘Unlimited.’ I thought, how could a theme that is that abstract be relevant to the daily lives and struggles of Singles for Christ? But the talks and sharing captured it all. It hit a lot of nerves and it brought a lot of encouragements. For me it was the talks and sharing on absolute abandon. All we need to have to receive all his promises is Absolute Abandon to God’s will. Imperfect as my efforts are, that is what I am trying to do after a time of spiritual cleansing. The talks and sharing reaffirmed that decision. I am in a better place right now and I feel blessed for that

So that’s MMLC for me! The good, the bad. The hits, the misses. It’s all part of the adventure, the process, the fun and the experience…..

Final Marker

After the action comes the response from the affected side. It was on the affirmative. Thank God! I am ecstatic, overjoyed, nervous, excited, blessed, looking forward, optimistic, hopeful, thankful and grateful to start this journey with you. I pray that He guides us in all the new experiences that we’ll have and I pray that we never forget to put Him in the center of everything. You are the joy of my life and you make me want to be a better man.

This is the final marker. The rest will be unmarked monumental life happenings that I think I’ll keep to myself.

Happy Birthday Father

Yes, that’s what I call my Papa. I don’t call him Dad because that word is reserved by my sister. Hehe. I call him father because I am quite fond of those movies where the children speaks quite formal English and calls their parents ‘Father’ and ‘Mother.’ Anyway, last Sunday was my father’s birthday. The four of us checked our schedules (yes, we have busy schedules so we really check on each other ahead of time so that everybody can make arrangements) and we decided to celebrate his birthday on a Sunday night dinner. It’s good that my badminton training was moved to a Saturday morning so I was able to free up my Sunday night. The four of us attended the 8am mass and I believe that was the first time that my parents saw Chin (she was with me as well) as someone who is not just my chapter mate. Hehehe.

Moving on, I had my lower household on the afternoon and proceeded to meet my father after. We picked up my mom and my sister who just came from a whole day of shopping. I’m glad that my sister finally found time to buy all the things that she needs and just be a girl. She has been so preoccupied with SFC services lately that she couldn’t really find time to pamper herself. Hehe. So we got to Galleria and picked our girls up. They were so tired from all the walking and choosing of clothes that all they wanted to do was to sit down and eat. But where? This is the question that always bothers us whenever there is an occasion. We’ve probably eaten in most restaurants that we’re running out of options. We usually do not want to repeat a place so we try to eat at a different place every time. Anyway, since we’re all trying to promote healthy eating, we opted to go buffet on Seafood. If that is the case, then Tong Yang it is.

Oh it was seafood heaven. Everything was delicious. The only food that I didn’t quite like was this baby octopus that took a long time to cook and was still hard when I ate it. All else was a pleasure. I think the feeling of a full stomach on seafood is quite different as when eating meat. I mean, you feel that your stomach is not bloated, unlike with meat, but you just couldn’t eat anymore. That’s when you know that you’re full. Hehe. After dinner, we went home and watched this movie with Marisa Tomei in it (couldn’t remember the title again).

Happy Birthday Father! I am not a person who idolizes a lot. I usually have high regards, respect and trust to some people but never idol status. You’re probably just the one who reached that. Your life is inspiring and your service is even greater. You have taught me a lot not through words but by the kind of life that you live and how well you raise your family. I appreciate you more and more as I mature and come into my own man as well. I wish you good health as you grow older and more success as you grow wiser. God Bless!

Coming Clean

The Truth About Blogging…..

…. is that it is quite therapeutic. Yes, as weird as it sounds, it is. As everyone who visits my site knows, I got into blogging so that that I could write easily again for my GK News Bureau service. I thought maybe I’d write a post or two every now and then just to satisfy my need write easily and swiftly. But as I went on to this blog thing, I actually began to enjoy it to the point that I always ensure that my site is updated. My site actually became my release. In some bizarre way, it has become my sanctuary where I write a thing or two about who I really am.

And that’s one more point I want to stress to those who almost scold me for maintaining a blog site. No ladies and gentlemen, I don’t write everything about myself. And no, I don’t feel exposed at all to some people knowing things about my life, even if I am not aware that they read my page. I only release information that I want to. So all those things that are too confidential, I keep. I think that when you are able to release, you also become more able to keep. Because you let go of things, you are able to keep more of other things. In effect, you only hold to yourself those that matter more.

I’m not saying that the things that I post mean nothing to me. They’re all a part of me but only a part of me that I decide to tell you. I mean, you might know that I had a date, but I don’t tell you the conversations that transpired in it. You might know that I had another Cheriboys session but I do not tell you the impact that the session had on one of the guys or on me. Yes, I might tell you that I had lunch with people, but I do not tell you how blessed I feel for the friendship that I’ve formed with some of them. I may tell you that I am SFC but the words in my post do not even come close to its effect on me. And if not for my latter posts, I do not tell a word about matters of my heart. I am still a private person. It’s just that this time, I have a public face. How close is it to who I really am? Close enough. Those who know me outside the context of the blog site know that what I write is just the surface. There’s a deeper TA where only a few trusted people are allowed in.

So there, I am coming clean… with the truths and false assumptions. As they say in MTV Diary, ‘you think you know, but you have no idea.’

Besides, it’s just blog folks. Just relax and enjoy the read.

Making the cut

I just found out yesterday (Sunday) that I made the cut (I think) for the MMLC East A Badminton Team. Actually I am more sure than unsure although I cannot be certain because our Coach, Kuya Pando, kept on talking in mysteries. Hehe. Maybe that’s the agony of having to decide which people to drop especially in our case where we were down to only 9 people who continued with the try outs and training sessions. I guess there’s comfort in numbers as supposed to letting go of only a few. Oh well, I wouldn’t want to be in his position right now. Hehe.

Anyway, I haven’t played badminton for around 7 months prior to my attempt to be in the team. I have only played twice before I attended the first tryout. Yep, I’ve been dormant in this sport for the longest time. Hehe. Actually, my initial intention was just to be back in form – attend practices here and there, participate in the training drills etc. But since I figured that there’s a slight chance, I tried my luck and became more serious in playing. If I didn’t make it to the team, I would have been perfectly fine simply because I haven’t really played for the longest time so I am really not expecting anything. Anyway, here’s the initial thought of Kuya Pando on the competition line-up:

• Men’s Doubles – TA & Jong
• Women’s Doubles – Agie & another sister (sorry, I forgot your name! waaahhh!)
• Mixed Doubles – Pando & Rowan

Actually, Kuya Pando wants everybody to have a chance to play. He’s thinking of asking Nicky, Jonas and Anto to play in the second men’s doubles game but that one is still quite tentative since Nicky might not attend the MMLC (huhu) and Jonas and Anto seemed to have given themselves more in the Bounce practice in the past days. In any case, I just hope that it all works out in the end and we get the line-up all figured out. After all, we’re all doing this for the love of the game and we’re basically playing with fellow brothers and sisters in the community. Besides, right now, I am more excited on the new uniform that we’ll be getting! Hehehe.

A different kind of fellowship

It sprung from the first chapter fellowship that we had in Makati, Crocodile Grill to be exact. This time there was no Anthony to provide the humor and to facilitate some of the conversations. It was just me, Chin, Ryan and Hazel. We had dinner in the restaurant where we were really supposed to dine back in the first fellowship – A Veneto. But this time it was in Libis. After Chin’s household in Hazel’s house, Ryan and I got to the house to pick them up. It was raining hard and there was heavy traffic going into the restaurant but we didn’t mind. We had a lot of candid conversations in the car that we didn’t realize it was taking us longer to get to the venue. When we got there, we ordered pizza, pasta and this sampler starter. There were so many foods that we couldn’t eat them all. The dinner went smoothly and we decided to go somewhere else afterwards. We were supposed to watch The Break-Up but the movie schedule didn’t fit our schedule. The girls cannot go home very late so we just decided to play in this Power something. It’s like TimeZone but I forgot the name. Hehe. We played and laughed and played and laughed then claimed whatever prize is applicable to the number of tickets we gathered. We decided to call it a night at around 10:30PM.

Special thanks to Hazel for still coming even if she is not feeling very well. Much appreciated! I hope you get well soon!

For me, it was a different kind of fellowship because of the context. Period. Hehe.

While writing this post and remembering all the surrounding events relating to this night in one way or the other, I made a couple of realizations. They are not the most pleasant ones but I deem them to be true now. Sometimes, some truths about some people or some things are right in front of our faces but we still do not see them because we choose to look the other way or focus our eyes on other aspects. It is all clearer to me now. It might not be good but at least it’s clear. I don’t know what to make of it yet. I guess I just have to live with that. Or maybe not. We’ll see…..

(Honestly, I don’t even know why I allowed myself to write this last paragraph, but then I have to be honest in what my mind is saying.)

IC goes to Cafe A-Go-Go

There’s nothing like the feeling of discovering a new place to eat and actually liking it. In my series of updates of my IC lunches, this one is a discovery. Our Friday lunch out this time is to celebrate Chris’ birthday. I scheduled it on a Friday since Nick was out and he just came back from his Palawan vacation. By the way, thanks Nick for the pasalubong! Anyway, Chris didn’t want to go in Glorietta nor Greenbelt since she’ll leave the office early. We decided to just eat at Tempura in the new Convergys building here in Ayala. When we got there, there were so many people! We asked to be put on the list but when we checked the queue, we were eighth in their paper. That would be a very long wait considering people are just starting to eat their lunches. We didn’t want to eat at Max’s and Brother’s Burger also has a long line in it. We thought of going to the People Support building but the only viable prospect is Yellow Cab, which we thought would also be full given what we know of that place. So where are we going to eat? We were teasing Chris that we would really need to go to Glorietta and what was happening is a sign of that need. Hehe. Think….. Think…. Think….. Then Nick suggested this place. It was called Cafe A-Go-Go. It was located near the Mini Stop in Legaspi street corner Dela Rosa. At first we were apprehensive since we didn’t know the place and the last thing that we want to have is a bad lunch on a birthday celebration. But since it was Nick’s suggestion, we thought of trying it out. Now, Nick is a guy who is also quite picky with his foods. He doesn’t eat at Jolijeep and only eats the ’safe’ meals. Hehe.

When we got to Legaspi street, we saw this quaint place with a red door and an elevated entrance. The place actually looked nice. It has this homey, Old Spaghetti House feel to it. The chairs are unique from each other and the menu is quite Italian. It was very conducive to conversation. And conversation we had. Hehe. There were a lot of ‘may-sasabihin-ako-sa-inyo-pero-quiet-lang-kayo-ha.’ instances. Nothing too confidential actually. It was just all for the sake of fun. But there was this one thing that left us hanging….. Argh! Anyway, we were very entertained at all the stories that we didn’t notice that lunch time has already passed. We got the bill and headed back.

Thanks Chris for the treat!
Last stop – Lui’s birthday! Yahoo!

Time Flies

I just found out that my former ‘#1′ is now in a relationship. And of course, as those close to me know, my former ‘#2′ is married. Hayyy….. How time flies. Everybody moves on with their lives… Including myself…. Now, I am on a splendid journey with my ‘only one.’ It is really in His time where all will be revealed and understood. I had to go through the whole process to be able to get to where I am right now. Cool…..

Celebration Challenges

Whew! At last it is done! This one was particularly challenging for me to pull off but I did it! As part of the ‘Rewards and Recognition’ (R&R) team, I was tasked to prepare some gimmick for Chris’ birthday. Now this one was particularly special. Not so much because Chris is our manager but more because she is a friend (IC group. Hehe). From my stint in the R&R team, this one was the most challenging for me. I had to overcome a lot of things to make this birthday celebration work:

1. Alone feeling
When Ekky asked me to do this, I thought that the celebration will only be for the Release team. Given this, I didn’t involve my other R&R team mates since they belonged to Operations. I only found out that this celebration was for the WHOLE group, meaning the WHOLE floor late Monday night when it was too late to involve anybody since Chris’ birthday was on the following day already. WHAT!?!?!?!? It’s a celebration for 80 people and only I am involved?! Not-so-good thoughts came into my mind like ‘Wala naman pakialam ‘tong mga to eh. Ang gusto lang nila kumain.’ or ‘I’m sure pag pumalpak yung celebration, and dami na naman mamumuna. Sila nalang kaya gumawa.’ Things like that. I overcame that feeling simply by remembering who I was doing that celebration for – a friend. They probably don’t know her the way I was fortunate to discover. So I continued.

2. The theme
This project was initially assigned to Nick last Friday. He was supposed to send me an email on how we should go about our gimmick for her. Well, he did. But the idea was too complicated to be executed. It involved taking Chris’ stuff and putting it all over the building for Chris to search for by following clues through roses then ending up in the 30th floor where all the team are there to greet her. It was nice in theory but a nightmare in execution. I was the only one doing everything. How can I possibly set-up and monitor the markers. Hehe. Plus it would involve Chris running around the building and carrying all her retrieved belongings along the way. Hahaha! What a funny sight! I decided to abandon the idea and opted for something simpler but personal. I decided to involve the whole R3 team by providing everyone miniature cards for their messages. Here’s my email to the team:

=============================================
Hey Guys,

As you might all know by now, today is our manager’s birthday! Hehe. Since this is our last release for the fiscal year and this is the last time that she’ll be our Manager for R3, we wanted to make it a little bit more personal. I’ll give out little cards to ALL R3 folks to write their short messages for her. I hope that you don’t just write ‘Happy Birthday’ and that’s it. Make it your own personal greeting to her. After all, this is her day. Hehe. I need the cards before lunch since we’ll set all of them up during lunch time. Just drop them by my desk. After lunch, we’ll have some dessert to celebrate her day.

Note: Please don’t just leave your cards lying in the table since this is all supposed to be a surprise for her.

Thanks for your cooperation!

TA
=============================================

3. The logistics
As you might have read above, we had cakes after lunch since Chris is a dessert person. Problem is who’s going to order them. I can’t order them since I’d be the one buying the balloons and cards so I’d be out and no access to a landline. Good thing Alvin agreed to take on the responsibility of ordering food for the group. He agreed instantly the moment I asked him and I am very thankful for that. Thanks Alvin! And then there’s the email greeting to her. I wouldn’t even have to think about it because Fruj already had it covered. Fruj is the expert on these nice emails and I thank her for taking on this one again.

4. The balloon arrangement
I’d have to say that this was the hardest task for me. This one made me sweat. Hehe. We wanted a nice balloon arrangement much like a nice bouquet of roses. Ekky mentioned that they have this in National Book Store and that I would just have to pick from sample on which one is the nicest. After I got there and asked the sales lady for the samples, she said she didn’t have any. She said I would have to pick my own balloon shapes, sizes and colors that would be used for the arrangement. WHAT!?!?!?!? So it’s like I would have to create my own arrangement! Oh no! What do I know about these things? I’m good at planning but not on the artsy, creative part. And the sales lady wasn’t even helpful! I am doomed! I thought the total effect of all the balloons I’ll choose would look like crap. It would look like an ugly piece of S**t. I had to calm down and think. As I was pretending to think while picking the balloons that will be included in the arrangement, I thought ‘Relax. Just think of them as your usual ‘porma’. It’s just a matter of mixing and matching.’ On decorative balloon arrangement, I am clueless. But on ‘porma’, well, let’s just say I know my style. Hehe. So that’s what I did. I just thought of matching the appropriate color for the appropriate size and shape that is appropriate to the occasion. The result is a nice-looking arrangement. Thanks to the creative arrangers at National Bookstore! Hehe.

So there! Everything was settled and all fell into place. I placed the balloons on Chris’ table, hanged all the cards on a neat background on a post beside her desk, spread out the cakes on the whole floor and asked Fruj to send the cool email. We even got a bonus bouquet of red roses delivery from Chris’s husband, Tristan. I coordinated with Ekky on Chris’ arrival after lunch.

Chris was surprised and delighted when she entered our floor. All the people in the floor participated and greeted her warmly. And everybody grabbed a hold of all the varying cake flavors. People came to Chris’ table to read some of the cards posted. The mood was joyous and celebratory. It was a success. Whew! At last it is done!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Cheriguests

The Cheriboys had Cheriguests! Bwehehe! On our July session last Saturday in JB’s house, things were a little bit different. We had ‘guests’ who came in and out of the full stretch of the session:

First, there was Mitzi. She dropped by but this time as JB’s GG. Yahoo! Congrats you guys! You look great together!

Second, there was GJ. For the longest time, I’ve wanted to include GJ in one of our sessions but schedule conflicts always get in the way. Since GJ is coming back to the US soon, I invited him fervently and this time he was able to go. He came with Luanne and their two cousins. We talked about branching out the Cheriboy brand in the States with him being the pioneer member. Hehehe.

Then there was Claudine and her friends. I actually met Claudine when she went to my house for the first Bounce audition. I was surprised to see her drop by since we didn’t expect her. Actually, I was the one who saw them outside JB’s house. Not thinking that it was them, I told the guys, ‘look outside, there are some girls waiting.’ JB went out to check and saw them. Apparently, they were looking for a friend’s house since they’ll be attending that person’s party. They were lost so we initially asked them to join us.

Lastly, there was RM, JB’s brother. Actually, he is not strictly a ‘guest’ since he also lives at that house. Hehe. He is a guest to the Cheriboys session and it’s the first time I got to drink with this dude. You’d think this guy is quiet but during the night, he contributed to much of the discussions. Hehe.

The night (until the morning after) was all about ‘following your passion’ and ‘correcting things that needs to be corrected’. Let’s just put it at that. Hehe. We all had a relaxed atmosphere, probably a sign that the group is maturing. With them, I can just put my feet up and chill.

To these guys, I appreciate the support, prayers and correction that you give to each other. You rock and that makes you unique!