Brown gel pens and blue butterflies

• As a writer, I have preferred instruments, i.e., non-black gel pens and blank paper. My current favorite is the brown gel pen... it's got that lovely sepia quality which makes me think of ancient manuscripts (like the replica of the handwritten Noli me Tangere at Museo Pambata). After my first brown gel pen, though, I could not find a replacement so I got a violet and a green gel pen instead. But you know how people sometimes borrow pens and don't quite return them.
  
  So there I was (5/10/11) walking in the mall near closing time wondering where I could get a pen. Part of the mall where the bookstore was located was under renovation. I passed a stall with pens but I didn't even go in. I knew I wanted a gel pen but where do I get one? Maybe I should just get one tomorrow...
  
  Lo and behold, a National Bookstore stall was right where I was passing. And brown gel pens were available! I got three and went up to the cashier before realizing they were about to close. But the saleslady let me make my purchase even though they had been packing up.
  
  Thank you, Lord! Thank you, lovely salesladies. 
• Facebook applications, anyone? By the grace of God, I gave up Vampire Wars for lent and have not been playing it again so far. But I do still enjoy Pet Society.
  
  In Pet Society, you have a virtual pet with its own house you can decorate. Every time you visit in a day, you're allowed one free spin that wins your pet coins. Lately, they have these butterfly prizes. Now I usually get low or average prizes, nothing really fabulous but the other day when the wheel was spinning, I asked God, "Lord, can I have a blue butterfly please?" Immediately the wheel stopped at the blue butterfly! Whoa. Thank you, Lord. Kinilig na naman ako =)
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• Just today, I was playing Pet Society again. As the wheel was spinning, I asked, "Lord, okay lang ba mag-request ulit? Can I have the green butterfly naman?" Yup, you guessed it. He granted my request. Thank you, Lord! =)
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• I attended the Mariapolis in Tagaytay this Saturday and Sunday, mostly to spend time with my family because of my brother's birthday. Mariapolis, the city of Mama Mary, is a concept from the Focolare movement. The truth was I didn't really want to be there but I went for family.
  
  Saturday afternoon. Fun games were scheduled. I did not want to participate. I did not want to play. I whispered to my mother, who was also my teammate, "I'm beginning to regret coming here. I don't want to play."
  
  The theme for this year's Mariapolis was "Not what I want but what you want." Not my will, but God's will be done.
  
  I did not want to play but as the games began, something just kicked in. Grace? In the marble relay, I suggested part of the strategy which the team accepted and used.
  
  In the next game, my sister was one of the better stackers that helped build a five-layer stack of cards while I contributed by holding my breath. Hehe. ;-)
  
  So our team went through the games, letting different people take the lead when they had a strategy in mind. We knew our time was good. Everything flowed smoothly for us.
  
  In our last game, we had a scavenger hunt. We completed our list as a teammate brought in a dual citizen, our most difficult "item" yet. Then our marshal asked for a non-black pen. O-ho, a secret item not written on the scavenger list. I brought out my brown gel pen. There was some dispute on its color but eventually the marshal agreed... it was indeed brown. =)
  
  As we walked back to the pavilion, my mother whispered to me "O, kilig moment na talaga yan!"
  
  Hehe, thank you, Lord! =)
  
  BTW, our group won first place. Praise God! =)