I was Kidnapped (with Consent) the Day Before Valentine's

Last Friday night, Febraury 13, 2009, the eve of Valentine’s day where almost every boy is excited to treat their girls out on a date - maybe they’ll watch the movie of Richard and KC; eat in a fancy restaurant; or maybe just doing a sport they both love…

As for me, I was just infront of my PC in the office doing work for Monday because my plan was cancelled that night and I didn’t want to go home yet.

Everything changed when Maan and Mavic (officemates) invited me to come with them in SM Mall of Asia to watch the free concert of Boyce Avenue.

I said NO at first.

But I think Maan knows how to make me say YES because she knew I have this crush on her friend. She said “Bilis na JC, kasama si Liz!”

Well, without thinking about it much, I agreed to join them. Hehehe…

And we’re off….


At the Concert...

I’m sure the girls know who these boys are…

This is Alejandro Manzano, the lead vocalist.

This is Daniel Manzano, the one who plays the Bass guitar and sings the background vocals.

This is Fabian Manzano, also plays guitar and sings background vocals.

The one who plays the percussion and beat box is Stephen Hatker…

Anyway, we were not able to come near the stage because of the jam-packed crowd. We just settled in watching them on the white screen.

The crowd went wild when Daniel and Fabian Manzano would be flashed on the screens. Imagine – merely three seconds these guys smiled and you could actually hear a surge of those voices screaming for them. What more if those smiles would flash on the screen for ten seconds or more?

The 3 girls would jump up and down when they love the songs while I stood behind just watching them. Good luck naman kung pati ako nakikitalon sa kanila diba….

The band was awesome! They really rocked the crowd. I was especially impressed when they played their own rendition of the songs "Apologize," "Umbrella," and "Bleeding Love." I’m a little inspired to learn to play an instrument – maybe an acoustic guitar or keyboards.

Bravo Boyce Avenue! I’m a new fan!


AFTER CONCERT

The concert ended around 1030pm and we agreed to eat dinner at Teriyaki Boy.

Oh well that’s me! I saw Liz ordered that drink so I ordered the same thing. It’s called Cookie Tea Frappe. It’s amazingly delicious.

That’s Maan and Liz! Maan is an 11-month-old friend. Liz, hmmm… 3-day-old friend…. Hehe…

Beautiful…. Oh by the way, these two girls attended the St. Scho Youth Life in the Spirit Seminar last 2005. So, they are familiar in what I do in the community.

This is Mavic! One of the fewest ladies I know who has never been kissed, never been touched but totally DAMAGED! Haha. Joke! She never had a boyfriend but when I talk to her I can feel that her love tank is full. You’ll find your Prince Charming soon friend….

******

We went home before midnight and all of us were happy with each other’s company.

Well, I can’t really give much of a reflection about Valentine’s day since I had no partner to celebrate it with for the past 3 years. I can’t exactly remember the joy I feel when I see her reaction after I give my surprises.

That day will come again.


A little research about St. Valentine

Let me end my blog entry with the story from St. Valentine himself. God bless.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!


Happy Valentine's Month Everyone!


JaN