Our Kkeia's Academic Honors for God's Glory

Neilkkeia Sheryce Macaraeg Aquino is the eldest grandchild in the Macaraeg and Aquino families. She's our very first angel in the family. We are truly blessed and proud for having her in the family. Without an iota of doubt,her stunning look and wit are a duplication of her Dad and Mom's - Noel and Shel. She's a consistent honor pupil from kinder until grade six. She graduated as Salutatorian of her batch at the Gospel of Christ Montessori School. She was also the GCMS Little Miss Montessori (Pre-School) and Miss Montessori (Grade 1 - Elem.). We praise God and we remain grateful for all her achievements. It's always our fervent prayer that she will become the kind of person that God designed her to be.

My First Article in PH.D - An Introduction

Teaching has always been my passion since I was eight years old. But due to the turn of events in our family, I ended up taking Accountancy at SLU as an undergraduate degree. I'm now on my 14th year as a practicing professional in the field of Accountancy and Finance. I'm currently holding the position of Accounting Manager at Camp John Hay Development Corp. Through the years, my desire to become an educator did not die down. I took up MBA and eventually I enrolled in PH.D with a firm belief that the higher studies will further enhance my training and hone my skills and will prepare me for a fulfilling career in the academe. I'm a born-again Christian and I give glory and honor to God for who I am and what I've become. I always believe that God is the substance of my existence. Human as I am, I'm very much a goal-driven person but I never forget the fact that life here on earth is just fleeting. I always put myself on check and see to it that I live to please my Master - the God who sent Jesus Christ so I can have eternal life. For me, Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with a Savior. I'm married for almost seven years now to a man who made my life complete. We're still hoping and praying that a baby will grace our union. There are times that I'm on the brink of giving up and letting go of my desire to become a mother someday but as I look up to God in prayer, my hope is renewed. I'm a bookworm and a homebody. I'm a self-proclaimed writer, counselor, blogger, event organizer/program coordinator, comedienne, and cook. Family and friends remember me as a leader, a speaker, and a hospitable person. My elusive dream? I want to explore the world of fashion and I want to become a fashion and style icon someday =).

Memories of Yesteryears Made Alive

My flair for organizing events urged me to reconnect with my High School classmates through a simple yet heartwarming get together that was held in my Ate Shel’s “bahay-kubo” on the first day of 2013. I organized our FB group and we’ve gotten to know more about each other’s whereabouts. Time and distance gave birth to a handful of changes in us. Nothing has really changed in our relationship and for me it’s the best thing. It’s as if graduation day was just yesterday. As part of our preparation, we solicited the support of able donors. Most of them are based in other countries yet they shared the spirit and joy of giving. We had our reunion shirts, tokens, and we also bought raffle items from the funds we’ve raised. We all agreed to bring foods ala “potluck” style and encouraged everyone to bring something for the exchange gifts. In spite of every ones’ lack of sleep due to the New Year’s Eve festivity, we still had the energy to show up at the venue. We opened the program with a prayer and acknowledged God’s supremacy throughout the event. We gave out special awards that left everyone at a loss for words. It always feels great that our special qualities are given recognition. We really had fun time as we played games. The Pinoy Henyo portion made us really laugh and shout at the top of our voices. Games brought out the kid in us. Foods were overwhelming and we even had our take-outs! One of the things that we enjoyed most was the Raffle Draw. The raffle items were a great source of enjoyment – from “arinola” to stand fan. No one left the venue empty handed. Everyone enjoyed the fellowship. Indeed, memories of yesteryears were made alive. It’s always great to start the year with a bang. To God be the glory!

First CHRISTmas in Baguio

Christmas celebration is always memorable when spent with people closest to your heart and whom you care about. I and my siblings orchestrated our schedules in order to spend Christmas together with the whole family in Baguio. We are thankful for God blessed us with a new house this year. We had agreed to share the burden of dividing all the Christmas expenses among ourselves. First who came in were Mama and my Ate Shel’s family from Pangasinan. They endured the three-hour trip just to make it to Baguio. My two siblings Hani and Kit from Makati, together with their families were the last to arrive after struggling with a seven-hour trip. What made our get together more memorable was a bible study and fellowship facilitated by our church pastor an hour before the Christmas eve. We really praised God for His provisions. There were a lot of foods and delicacies on our table. We have not only enjoyed the fellowship and merry-making brought about by the holiday but also rejoiced for God’s amazing love that He brought His one and only Son to the world in order for the human race to be saved by grace. All glory and honor belong to God alone!

"SHARE-A-JOY" in my hometown!

A heart that takes delight in helping our deprived kababayans resonates a life that is filled with God’s incessant blessings. “Share-a-joy” or SAJ was conceived out of sheer delight to share and give back to our community. Our dear friend and kumare Christine and her friends pioneered SAJ. We were invited to join in December 2008 and Sim’s barangay in Sison was the chosen beneficiary. It was such a heart-warming experience back then. But due to some of life’s circumstances, we lost touch of SAJ. There was a flashback when we had a chance encounter with our kumare Christine and kumpare Ward in July. Sim and I were tasked to select a barangay to be our beneficiary this year. Without hesitation, I nominated my hometown and had chosen Capataan to be the venue of SAJ 2012. It’s a place with a greater margin of indigents. Good thing that the barangay captain was my batchmate in high school so it was easier for us to coordinate the mechanics and details of SAJ. December 15, 2012 was a day to reminisce and thank God for. The group from Manila and Baguio arrived at Ate Shel’s bahay-kubo early in the morning to partake breakfast before setting off to our mission. There were already a number of beneficiaries when we arrived at the venue. Sim and I were assigned at the registration booth. There were games for the kids, gift giving, and the distribution of Christmas baskets to the chosen 130 families. We really saw their faces beam with pleasure and excitement as they take hold of the goodies and hand-me-down clothes. After the strenuous activity, we were received warmly by Kap’s family and we had our lunch there. The foods were neatly prepared and not only pleasing to the eyes but also flattering to even the most discriminating taste bud. After lunch, we headed to a neighborhood located near the railways. We have also shared with them the goodies and hand-me-down clothes. The people were extremely delighted and were surprised that they too received something from SAJ. After the challenging task for the day came the parting time. Groups from Manila and Baguio were really happy for being instruments of God’s love and channels of His blessings. Out of our grateful hearts, Sim and I gave them boxes of Mayfair’s delectable cassava. Indeed, SAJ has leveled up through the years. God has given me an even greater perspective of SAJ. I’m very blessed to realize that the spirit of sharing is not just by mere abundance of material things but it’s more of a heart that is willing to give and to share. Sharing and giving is the essence of Christmas! God gave His Son Jesus for us to live life to the fullest – now and forever.