Lessons from Aunt Grace

Nope, not my aunt.

This is actually one of the stories I read from Chicken Soup For the Soul (Woman to Woman Edition). I just loved it so much, I took notes and thought - why not blog it too!

"Bloom where you are planted."

The story is really inspiring. It moves you to do something, not only for others but also for thyself. To nurture the body, the mind and most specially the spirit.

So what are "Aunt Grace's" rules-to-live-by? Here goes: (including an excerpt of how she did them)

Reflection for the Day

Jesus says:

"You do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand." - John 13:7

Thank You Lord for saving us. <3

Happy Easter! :)

Good night. Sleep tight. ♥

Parkview Square, Singapore

 "God is always in full control."

Last night, during our prayer meeting (Eucharistic Mass since it's the first Wednesday of the month), we we're given this beautiful reminder. Such a beautiful promise!

Prayer meeting's indeed one of the best way to end my Wednesday! I slept soundly last night. <3

Note: Photo of Parkview Square taken April 28, 2011 during my 3-weeks stay in Singapore.

SMILE, Jesus loves you

8:08AM. Made it! Whew! Considering I left the house 6:40-ish it’s a miracle I made it here this early.

I left the house late, all because I couldn’t find a tee that fits! I see bulge everywhere.  Shoots. I really should lose these extra pounds. asap!

Tried the pink top and a vest to go over that (I don’t like the vest) next! The Zebra print tank top and a cardigan (cardigan not bagay sa pants) sigh – back to the pink top – brushed my teeth looked at the mirror – and left the house wearing this black shirt. Crap! I chose black so I could hide the bulges and yet I can still see ‘em right above the hips. Damn. 

I am so gonna be late! Run chim, run!

Ever notice how the universe seems to conspire against you when you’re in a hurry? Ayaw ako pasakayin ng mga tricycle drivers! After what felt like years (okay, that’s exaggeration), nakasakay rin. Yey! And there it was, right in front of me - a sticker: SMILE, Jesus loves you. And then I just knew – I’ll make it on time! I don’t know why, but my heart felt it. God is talking to me through that sticker. And it made me smile.

*Happy*

Buti na lang, dahil yun nasakyan kong jeep, lahat na yata ng kanto hinintuan! On normal days, that would’ve pissed me off, but today I chose to ignore manong driver kahit kainis sya. Took a deep breath and let it go. Pagdating sa terminal – puno na yun van. camote! On to the next van, tatlo pa lang kaming sakay. boohoo!

Panic mode. Tick tock. 10 minutes before seven. Tick tock.  

7AM, napuno na rin. Sa wakas! And off we go. Smile, Jesus loves you – I’ll make it on time! Knowing this, I dozed off the entire byahe. When I woke up we’re already in Baclaran. Looked at my watch – 7:30! Whoa! I can’t believe it! It usually take around 45 minutes – without traffic, and based on experience traffic’s heavier on Fridays. But there we were, and it only took 30 minutes. Amazing! God grants even my petty little request!

Took my time maglakad sa MRT, umarte lang, ayun – missed the train by seconds! Natakot akong maipit nung pinto eh. So I had to wait for the next. I would’ve been earlier had I made it on that train, but its fine – more than fine, 8:08AM is a miracle! I’m so happy! Jesus indeed loves me!

So if you’re feeling down today, bothered, anxious or whatnot – Smile, Jesus loves you! :D
 

Keepin' the Faith

"In all things, always remember to give thanks. 

  You might not be where you want to be, 

  but neither are you where you used to be. 

  If it hasn't happened yet, that doesn't mean it won't happen.

  

  Remember, a delay is not a denial from God;

  In His own time, He will make all things beautiful.." 

Amen!

I received this text from a friend about a week ago.. so timely.

"not (yet) where I want to be, but neither where I used to be"  -- my exact predicament as I blog.

Thank You Lord for this beautiful reminder. Just when I thought my world is crumbling (and i  must say crashing down on me!). Everything seems to be a mess I can't help but wonder - of all the "things" to rain and pour - why these? Hinde ba pedeng blessings na lang, Lord?

And here, You've used a friend and a book to remind me that there is hope - in You. Always.

A chapter in Bro. Obet Cabrillas book Spell Out Your Love titled - The Lord gives, the Lord takes away (Yet He always has a beautiful way of replacing things) what a wonderful promise. A promise we can all look forward to. - blessed be the name of the Lord! - Job 1:21

And now I chose to keep the faith. A work in progress - yes. Through constant prayers, Bible readings and simply surrounding myself with loving people (those who care and love me genuinely). Knowing that in all these I'm still truly blessed.

With a grateful heart Lord, I thank You.


"Faith is believing in things we cannot see and the realization of the things we hope for"
- Hebrews 11:1

In Hiatus

hi·a·tus  (h-ts)
n. pl. hi·a·tus·es or hiatus
1. A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break:

Q4 at work = b.u.s.y.n.e.s.s – that’s what happened. Gosh. There are a lot of stuff I wasn't able to blog about. From the Marketing Department Halloween Party, Trick or Treat-ing with my nephew, my mom's birthday, The Social Network (movie) and even the new TV Series I'm into - The Walking Dead.

But today I am finally back – hopefully I can blog about all these including the just watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: the first part of the (Harry Potter movies) final installment - the beginning of the end.

So there.. To be continued (on to the next post please!) :D

Life in the Spirit Seminar: Come fly with us to the Greatest Height!

If you want to experience God and the Holy Spirit in a way you have never done before. Fall more deeply in love with the Eucharist, with Jesus Christ and the Trinity, with the Mass, and with the Bible, and receive the charismatic Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Join us at the Rivers of the Living Water Catholic Community's

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT SEMINAR

  

When : October 16 - 17, 2010 (Saturday and Sunday)

Where : MERALCO THEATER, Ortigas, Pasig City

Time : 8:00 – 5:00

Registration Fee : Php300.00

Inclusive of meals and souvenirs

Most of us have a relationship with God; some of those relationships are closer than others. It doesn’t matter how close you are to Him or how far away He may seem, He is calling every one of us to deepen that relationship and He has nothing but LOVE waiting for us as we accept His call. There's always more of His love for everyone; all we have to do is yield ourselves more deeply to it and receive it.

For many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen - Matthew 22:14

Last May 15 and 16, 2010 - My life changed when I answered to God’s call, and I will be forever grateful. It could be your life this time. God is waiting for you. ♥

P.S. Thanks Rachel Brillante for the best description of what the LSS is all about :)

Bellas Share a Smile and Inspire

Last Saturday, August 21st, marked my first time to join an outreach program.

It was Belle de Jour’s second installment of the BDJ Passion Series.

To join we needed to submit a photo of our favorite spread in the BDJ planner and tell them why.

I submitted my January calendar spread.

Here's why: “I love the monthly pages because it's where I put important events (in advance) and those that I was able to accomplish, including the highlights of each day. ♥ “ 



The outreach venue was in Tondo, Manila - Scuola della Gioia, in cooperation with Fr. Giovanni Gentilin of the San Pablo Apostol Parish.

MEETING PLACE: 
McDonald’s near Quezon Avenue MRT Station
(Corner of EDSA and Quezon Ave, across Centris Mall)

DATE AND TIME: 
August 21 (Saturday), 7 am – 1 pm

 The kids were already waiting for us when we arrived.

After the brief introduction of all their "ate" for the day - off to the presentation:

 Ang  Alamat ng Unggoy

Ang Sakim na Kapitbahay

Now, for some FUN! 

Let's do this! Group 2 - for the win!

The Relay Game (Cup and Straw or  Calamansi and Spoon Game) - which as you can see I'm a part of! Group #2 wins! Yay!

The Boat is Sinking ("Nalulunod ang barko") haha! yes, we meant lumulubog ang barko! :P

Then we teach them how to properly wash the hands and brush the teeth:

rub-a-dub-dub

Handwashing Techniques

"ngiiiiiiiiii"

 Teeth-brushing Techniques

And finally - LUNCH!

Danica Mae, Mark Lawrence, Racquel, Kristine, Judy Anne and Christian
I hope I spelled their names correctly!

Most of these kids still live in the Smokey Mountain part of Tondo, a place called Aromas. We weren't able to visit their homes but we've been told that half of the day spent with them already meant a lot.

The day ended and we had to go home. I just hope and pray that we did inspire them. So they would remember that there's still hope out there, that there are people who think of them, and most importantly, God the Father loves them dearly and cares for them.

'til we meet again!

 
“There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.”
- Mother Teresa
 
It was really a heart-warming, humbling and fulfilling experience for me. Indeed, it's true that "in helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us" - Flora Edwards

I can't wait for the next outreach! ♥

just keep blogging!

What a crazy week! Been pretty busy at work so I never had the chance to post this entry - thanks to my non-wifi-capable Nokia N70 (bitter), I'm able to save a draft of what's been running through my mind at the moment. woot! :P

So there, after I couldn't find my "creative juices", you might think I'm already done with blogging. I thought so too! haha!

BUT I refuse to give up.

I may not be able to do this everyday, nor use "deep", techy, (add-term-here) words in my entries, but that doesn't mean I'd stop there.

Every day is a new day. A fresh start, an opportunity for adventure, a chance to meet people, make new friends, most importantly a time to do something with the possibility to make a change.

I'm not saying it's easy because I know it's definitely not! Hey - even I find it hard to blog!

But when life gets you down and you can't think of anything worth posting here - you know what you've gotta do?

Just keep blogging!

.. just keep blogging, blogging, blogging. ♪ ♫

creative juices where art thou?

What’s wrong with today?? I can’t think of anything worth sharing.

I wouldn’t want to write that today is not a good day for me - and I certainly hope not! It’s like sharing negative vibes and who would want that?

Not even me.

I promised myself that I’d be more optimistic. And learn to count all the blessings I receive instead. So for the email that sort-of ruined my morning. Damn you. Delete forever! Haha!

It’s too early to admit defeat  (it’s not even lunch time. Boo!) I will try again later. ♥

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

Literally.

Today we’ve started drinking Lemon Water. Pauso ng aking ka-officemate, Charlie Oracion. Pang detox yata or pampayat – something to that effect (haha). We’ve noticed him doing this for several days na, pero ngayon namin napagdesisyunan i-try. (Bumili na ako kahapon ng 3pcs nung nag grocery kami, pero hinde ko na-prepare. Tamad mode sa umaga.) 

     What You Need:

• H2O
• Water bottle o baso
• Kutsilyong pang hiwa
• Lemons (syempre!)

     What to Do:

1. Siguraduhing malinis ang lemons. Hugasan.
2. Hiwain ang lemons ng pantay-pantay (joke) – kahit anong hiwa pede na. basta kakasya sa baso mo.
3. Maglagay ng ilang piraso sa water bottle, baso or in my case sa Starbucks tumbler ko. (Kailangan pa talaga sabihin yon?)
4. Lagyan ng tubig. (Voila! May lemon water ka na!)
5. Haluin at inumin.

Charlie suggested we buy our week-long lemon stock para mas masaya (and para wag na namin kunin ang dala nyang lemons dba!). Doing something like this with your friends, I think, is actually helpful and more fun. Mas nagagawa mo. Parang diet and jogging. Mahirap gawin pag nag-iisa. (Kakatamad kaya!)

The Verdict:

Masarap naman. Refreshing! (walang tingly feeling katulad nung kumain ako ng fresh Durian for the first (and would be last) time. Brrr.)

Kulang na lang honey, para na akong nag North Park’s Honey Lemonade (my favorite – besides Salted Garlic Squid. Nagutom ako bigla!)

O kaya naman vodka (ayon sa GM namin na nag akalang umiinom si Charlie habang nagta-trabaho dahil may ganito sya sa table nya. hahaha!)

Sige na nga, idagdag na natin sa list of Ingredients.

     (What You Need):

• Honey or Vodka – optional

Enjoy! :D

Pressured. Not!

There - me and my big mouth (haha!) told my good friend Ely that I've already started a blog. Too much for incognito. I was too excited that I can't help but tell him I've done it. No regrets though, he inspired me after all.

Well, I felt I owe him that, after all I did use his page to rant about the gum on the bus’ handle. (chewed gum na nahawakan ko bago ako bumaba ng bus isang umaga. Kaasar. The perfect way to start your morning dba!)

He’s even excited and happy for me! Said he’s gonna launch my blog on his blog to promote and gain more hits. S-w-e-e-t! (Google analytics stuff - we'll get to that. soon!)  Although… is that even possible? After all, this is a personal blog. Who would bother checking random thoughts from little ol’ chim, right? Well, besides family, friends.. (haters of course!) Kasi naman, do I really have to ask?!

Anyway, I haven’t given him the link yet. A few more posts wouldn’t hurt. :P

So here I am adding another entry. Baby steps, yes. But it’s progress nonetheless! Woot!

So am I pressured? So NOT. Happy to say - I’m Inspired. ♥

Chim did it - Finally!

Yup. I've FINALLY decided to start a blog!

I love writing but I never see myself sharing thoughts, feelings and a whole lot of stuff about me for everyone to see. That's why I keep a journal instead.

But i'm bored lately. And I've been thinking about starting one anyway - it's even included in my list of 2010 goals (it's already August I know!) So there, cheers to my first ever post! :D

Now off to try and make this blog more decent.

I'm pretty excited. I did it! Hooray! ♥