Highlights of 2015

It's 2016 in about a couple of hours and I just wanted to take time to reflect on the past year because 2015 was an eventful year for me. A lot of ups and downs, but I praise God because the good still outweighed the bad. I just want to share highlights from my 2015 because 2015 was a great year for me.

~ Highlights of 2015 ~

1) I finished my third year of high school! I miss my section from last year though. Shout out to Thessalonians 2014-2015!!

2) I flew to the US for the Holy Week and got to spend time with relatives there! Hello Vegas and Houston fam!

3) I attended the #ohlife GCF Youth LIVE camp! I definitely had a blast meeting new people and spending time with my friends. I was blessed by the plenaries and the buzz group sessions that we had. It's definitely one I'll remember many years from now.

4) I had review classes for college entrance tests. Those four weeks (?) were long and tiring but I guess they were, to some extent, helpful!

5) My friends and I threw a surprise birthday party for my bestfriend and we all had an amazing time! Aside from that, I attended the birthday party of one of my close friends where I participated and won in the Chubby Bunny Challenge with a total of seventeen marshmallows in my mouth! I can't wait to see what I'll do in my friends' birthday parties next year!

6) I went to the Pentatonix concert here in the Philippines! I saw Scott and Kevin up close and Kirstie waved at me. It was a great way to end the summer vacation to be quite honest.

7) I entered Senior Year and started the school year with O-Week - three days of fellowship, physical activities, and God's Word with the entire high school body. Although my house didn't win the House Cup (Congratulations, Scepters!), we did win the Cheer Dance Competition and I'm happy with that! Without a doubt, the seniors and I definitely had fun spending time with our kids and I think that's the most important part of O-Week.

8) I was placed in Year IV-Romans for this school year, and to be quite honest, I wouldn't want to be in any other section for my last year in high school. I am so blessed and happy with this section. Shout out to Romans 2015-2016!

9) I failed a quiz this year, but I still praise God for that because if I hadn't, then I wouldn't have pushed myself to do well in the exam. Even if I was initially distraught with what I got, I looked to God and saw the blessing that He was giving to me.

10) I took exams at three colleges and got results to two of them already. Praise God for His grace and faithfulness!

11) I had a misunderstanding with one of my really close friends this year. It was without a doubt tough on both of us, but we both got through it and now, we're good. Our friendship has definitely gotten much stronger because of that and I praise God for that and of course, for my friend! You know who you are. Thank you.

12) I did a concept paper on nationalism and my group's final product was a comic book in both Filipino and English! Even though it was stressful especially for my group mates who drew the comics, I can say that it was all worth it in the end!

13) I directed my last ever Dulaan, "Walang Sugat" by Severino Reyes. I'm very proud of it. Also, my role for this play was a general who gets into a conflict with the priest...again. What does this mean?

14) Tyler Oakley noticed me twice this past year! I honestly do not need to explain anymore.

15) I made new friends this year! I am so happy for them. I also got closer to some of my friends and I'm also happy about that! Shout out to my friends who make me smile each day.

16) I turned 16 this year. Woah.

17) I performed my last ever skit for my guild, Theospian. Theospian is my baby and to have performed for it one last time made me quite emotional. The skit I performed I also co-wrote with my great friend, Yumi Paras. That skit is our precious baby. It came from our hearts. I'm happy with it.

18) I was able to serve in church more even if I took a leave from church. In my time off from singing, I was able to serve in other ministries too which I think is great. Yay Creatives Team and Tech Team!

19) I encountered God more this past year. I felt His presence in my life more. I praise Him for that! While I still have a long way to go in my relationship with Him, I thank Him for His unwavering love for me.

~

I know this post is already long, but it's the last one, so I'll fit in all that I want to say now. Moving right along, I wanted to share both the good and the bad events in my life from the past year because both of them have made an impact in my life. Having gone through what I went through this past year has really helped me change into a much better person. I still have a lot to work on, but I'm pleased with the progress that I've made this past year. This past year has truly been reflective for me. In a lot of situations this past year, I found myself in deep thought, reflecting on the things that were happening to me. I praise God for that! Being in a state of reflection has helped me see His blessings and understand even more the plans that He has for me.

I'm definitely looking forward to 2016! I know a lot of people say it, but I really do think that 2016 will be a great year. Greater than 2015? Maybe. We'll see. I have so much planned for 2016 that that alone makes me excited for the coming year. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me in 2016. I hope you enjoyed the past year as much as I did. If you didn't, then I hope that 2016 will be much kinder to you. But that is all that I have for 2015!

Until Next Time!

~ Luis ~

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us"

Romans 8:37

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/12/baking-brownies.html

Baking Brownies

Hello! Ever since I posted about brownies about ten months ago, I have been trying to make the perfect batch of brownies (moist, chewy, and not crumbly). I baked brownies the other day and I wanted to share some photos that I took from that day.

I use the Betty Crocker Brownie Mix for my brownies. It already has instructions on how to make brownies, which makes it so much easier to make especially for those baking brownies for the first time.

When I bake, I use a large clear mixing and a wooden spoon. Sometimes, I use a spatula but then mixing it becomes a bit difficult. I only use a spatula when making cookie dough because it's easier to mix the dough with the spatula. Back to brownies...

1/2 Cup Water is needed for the recipe. A human needs a lot of water even if they're already 70% water. If you haven't already, drink a glass of water right now! It's good for you.

The recipe says 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, but I don't use vegetable oil at home. Instead, I used olive oil because that's what I use for all my cooking and baking needs.

The recipe also calls for 1 egg! I personally use large, free-range, organic eggs for cooking and baking. Free-range means that the chicken isn't caged in the farm and is allowed to roam around the field. Organic, in terms of food, means that there is no chemicals added onto the plants, food of the animals, or fertilizer used for the soil where the crops grow.

My addition to the recipe is 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The vanilla extract adds a nice touch to the brownie giving it just the right amount of sweetness. Too much of vanilla extract can make your recipe go wrong in an instant, so be careful when adding it to your recipe.

Mix together all the ingredients to make your batter. The consistency should be thick but not too thick that the batter is difficult to mix already. It shouldn't be runny also. That'll make the brownie too fudgey, which will cause the brownie to break apart easily.

Transfer the batter onto a baking tin/pan. The one I used is about 9x11 if I'm not mistaken. This particular tin is not expensive. If I recall correctly, it's about 140 pesos. It's an effective baking tin/pan bought at a really good price!

Place the tin in the oven for about 40 minutes at a temperature of 175 degrees Celsius! If you haven't preheated the oven, do it now and wait for about 15 minutes before putting the brownies in.

After 40 minutes, take the brownies out of the oven and let it cool down for 30-50 minutes.

And because I'm new to photoblogging, I forgot to take photos of the brownies sliced and neatly arranged in a plate. Oh well. I promise to update this post with a picture of the brownies as soon as I can!

I hope you enjoyed reading through this post! This is the first time I'm having photos on my blog, and I really hope it looks great. I'm hoping to have photos in most, if not all, of my blogposts. That is all I have for you guys today!

Until Next Time!

~ Luis ~

Previous Post: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/11/never-have-i-ever.html

Brownies: http://whatdoesluissay.blogspot.com/2015/02/brownies.html