You know it is Christmas when:
1. Out-of-tune carolers try to serenade you with their mondegreens.
2. Non-Christians flood the mall just to take advantage of Christmas sales.
3. Your SMSes do not go through temporarily.
4. You suddenly are pesos poorer.
5. You gained some extra pounds.
6. *Add your other observations here.*
But Christmas is not about those that are mentioned above...
It is not about the colorful ornaments...
It is not about the fireworks...
It is not about what is found under the tree...
It is not about having a smorgasbord for Noche Buena...
On Christmas eve, when my Mama said, "Thanks for the gift. I'm really sorry I am not able to give you anything for this Christmas... you know how hard it is nowadays..."
I just really wanted to cry in front of her but instead I held my tears back and tried to look stable... I gave her a smile and said that "It's alright..."
It was just last night that I realized that Christmas is really about FAMILY.
It is about LOVE that make people gather together... despite the tough trying times.
But more importantly, it is about the LOVE OF GOD that dwells in our hearts.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Dreams are Necessary to Life
Reality and Fantasy are two different realms. These two worlds face opposite directions.
Reality is right where you are right now. It is what you see, taste, feel, smell and hear. No more. No less.
Fantasy is a place that you yourself have fabricated. There, you are the master of never ending possibilities.
Unlike Reality, it knows no limits. It is never bounded by anything and it never will be.
*******************************************************
"DREAMS ARE FREE, SO FREE YOUR DREAMS."
- Astrid Alauda
*******************************************************
If dreams are something to be bought from the store, then I must be poverty-stricken. But I thank God they aren't!
In my every waking moment, clouds filled with intangible dreams hover above my head. I never stop to pray and wonder when will this wild goose chase end.
Fortunately, Faith, Patience and Perseverance act as a portal that will take you to either side of both realms.
And you know what? By grace, slowly, the desires of my heart are being fulfilled.
Never stop believing and always dream high for they bring you much yet cost you nothing.
Reality is right where you are right now. It is what you see, taste, feel, smell and hear. No more. No less.
Fantasy is a place that you yourself have fabricated. There, you are the master of never ending possibilities.
Unlike Reality, it knows no limits. It is never bounded by anything and it never will be.
*******************************************************
"DREAMS ARE FREE, SO FREE YOUR DREAMS."
- Astrid Alauda
*******************************************************
If dreams are something to be bought from the store, then I must be poverty-stricken. But I thank God they aren't!
In my every waking moment, clouds filled with intangible dreams hover above my head. I never stop to pray and wonder when will this wild goose chase end.
Fortunately, Faith, Patience and Perseverance act as a portal that will take you to either side of both realms.
And you know what? By grace, slowly, the desires of my heart are being fulfilled.
Never stop believing and always dream high for they bring you much yet cost you nothing.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Lost and Found
Rummaging through heaps of stuff, I was looking for something I utterly needed as of that moment.
To my dismay, I had to discontinue the search because after what seemed like an eternity, I failed to find that I was looking for.
However, while I was in the middle of ransacking the entire house prior the inevitable surrender, I found something else. Something which I was obsessive in finding some time ago when I needed it the most.
Not having the right thing at the right time can cause irritability, frustration, stress and, in rare cases, baldness or a mild heart attack (maybe).
Okay, I confess. I am a neat freak's nightmare. Digging in masses of clutter is practically a given.
Occasionally, I do wish that what I am looking for can be reachable through my mobile phone. Thus, locating it would just be a dial away and all I have to do is wait for it to ring. Makes life easier... MY LIFE EASIER for that matter.
Are we on the same page here?
To my dismay, I had to discontinue the search because after what seemed like an eternity, I failed to find that I was looking for.
However, while I was in the middle of ransacking the entire house prior the inevitable surrender, I found something else. Something which I was obsessive in finding some time ago when I needed it the most.
Not having the right thing at the right time can cause irritability, frustration, stress and, in rare cases, baldness or a mild heart attack (maybe).
Okay, I confess. I am a neat freak's nightmare. Digging in masses of clutter is practically a given.
Occasionally, I do wish that what I am looking for can be reachable through my mobile phone. Thus, locating it would just be a dial away and all I have to do is wait for it to ring. Makes life easier... MY LIFE EASIER for that matter.
Are we on the same page here?
Monday, November 30, 2009
A Confrontation with Fear
Earlier today, I woke up to the sound of a ringing alarm and then dragged my groggy self out of bed to prep for a 7:30 class.
When I was about to turn the hot shower on, out from nowhere, a GINORMOUS COCKROACH suddenly smacked up against the bathroom door!
I just stood there, literally trembling with fear, before it.
Then I came up with a sharp realization that I was locked alone in the bathroom with that disgusting creature. Claustrophobia grew upon me at once.
As the thing was constantly moving around, I kept my eye on it as I slowly wrapped myself with a towel in case it would hurl itself towards me.
I then patiently waited for it to crawl towards the ceiling. And when it did, Bravado led me to close our distance.
I hastily unlocked the door and stepped out from the shower! HOORAY!
After I got out, I let one of our housemaids put an end to that nasty critter's life, I finally claimed victory albeit still shaking from a horrific experience.
Fear is a response whenever we feel threatened. In some moments of our lives, our fears surface when we least or most expect them to happen.
If ever we get ourselves into a fearful situation, the first step is to be patient. Slowly build up your courage and prepare yourself for the second step.
The second step is to face it. There will be times that nobody will be able to save you from your fear but yourself so deal with it. Learn to take charge.
I may never recover from my phobia but at least I was able to conquer it at some point.
When I was about to turn the hot shower on, out from nowhere, a GINORMOUS COCKROACH suddenly smacked up against the bathroom door!
I just stood there, literally trembling with fear, before it.
Then I came up with a sharp realization that I was locked alone in the bathroom with that disgusting creature. Claustrophobia grew upon me at once.
As the thing was constantly moving around, I kept my eye on it as I slowly wrapped myself with a towel in case it would hurl itself towards me.
I then patiently waited for it to crawl towards the ceiling. And when it did, Bravado led me to close our distance.
I hastily unlocked the door and stepped out from the shower! HOORAY!
After I got out, I let one of our housemaids put an end to that nasty critter's life, I finally claimed victory albeit still shaking from a horrific experience.
Fear is a response whenever we feel threatened. In some moments of our lives, our fears surface when we least or most expect them to happen.
If ever we get ourselves into a fearful situation, the first step is to be patient. Slowly build up your courage and prepare yourself for the second step.
The second step is to face it. There will be times that nobody will be able to save you from your fear but yourself so deal with it. Learn to take charge.
I may never recover from my phobia but at least I was able to conquer it at some point.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Common Filipino Mistakes: Religion VS Ethnicity
I was sitting attentively in my Political Science class in the summer of 2007 as my classmates were giving a short introduction about who they were.
And the MOST memorable introduction for me came from this petite girl who was seated at back of the room...
She said, "I am Half-Christian... Half-Muslim."
I froze in my seat for like 2 seconds and thought:
"Seriously? Never thought that's even possible...
Makes me wonder if there are Half-Christian-Half-Atheists out there too. LOL."
Living in a place with diverse cultures and where there is this ALMOST silent discrimination between Christians and Muslims, people tend to confuse religion with ethnicity.
I shall demonstrate that with the following formula which is embedded in the minds of the local people:
Muslims = Maranao People
Maranao People = Muslims
Not Maranao People = Christians
However, those formula found above happen to be erroneous because...
1. NOT ALL Muslims are Maranaos. In general, Tausugs, Maguindanaos, Samals and Yakans are other ethnic groups that submit to the religion of Islam.
2. NOT ALL Maranaos are Muslims. Some have converted to Christianity or to some other religion.
3. NOT everybody who does not follow the religion of Islam are Christians. Do not forget there are agnostics, atheists, animists, Buddhists, pagans and so on.
So, if you are still one of the many who failed to notice this simple error, I hope that this has given you a little light.
And the MOST memorable introduction for me came from this petite girl who was seated at back of the room...
She said, "I am Half-Christian... Half-Muslim."
I froze in my seat for like 2 seconds and thought:
"Seriously? Never thought that's even possible...
Makes me wonder if there are Half-Christian-Half-Atheists out there too. LOL."
Living in a place with diverse cultures and where there is this ALMOST silent discrimination between Christians and Muslims, people tend to confuse religion with ethnicity.
I shall demonstrate that with the following formula which is embedded in the minds of the local people:
Muslims = Maranao People
Maranao People = Muslims
Not Maranao People = Christians
However, those formula found above happen to be erroneous because...
1. NOT ALL Muslims are Maranaos. In general, Tausugs, Maguindanaos, Samals and Yakans are other ethnic groups that submit to the religion of Islam.
2. NOT ALL Maranaos are Muslims. Some have converted to Christianity or to some other religion.
3. NOT everybody who does not follow the religion of Islam are Christians. Do not forget there are agnostics, atheists, animists, Buddhists, pagans and so on.
So, if you are still one of the many who failed to notice this simple error, I hope that this has given you a little light.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
