(link courtesy of youtube)
Not a Catholic anymore but I’m thrilled of Pope Francis’ papal visit.
I was a teenager when Pope John Paul II visited the Philippines for the World Youth Day in January 1995. Eh wala pang internet nung panahon na yun so kelangan pang manuod ng TV para makibalita. Sa nakikita ko, ka-level ni Pope Francis si Pope John Paul II pagdating sa charisma.
I hope that everybody will experience the gift of love.
🙂
Dear God,
Please give us the faith that we need to fully trust in Your plan.
Please guide us in our decision-making especially if it will affect the people around us.
Please remind us to be humble and forgiving, open-minded, respectful and loving.
Please shower us with optimism and please give us the gift of being the sunshine on anyone’s cloudy day.
Please keep us away from harm and sickness so that we can still help to spread the word of God through kindness and charity.
Lots of love,
Us
Through the years, my role in life has always been the patient listener and empathizer and to some extent, the unofficial peacemaker. What I realized from the problems shared to me were the following:
1. Problems are mostly created by us, therefore, only the “perpetrator” can solve the problem. A friend like me can only offer a shoulder to cry on but I can never solve somebody else’s problem. What if the problem is money? I can only offer up to a certain amount but unless the person do something to solve his money problem (like maybe finding a better job), then there’s no way that I can be of absolute help.
2. Don’t problem somebody else’s problem. Believe me, it’s emotionally draining! You can empathize without ruining your plan for the weekend just because you become too affected by somebody else’s problem. But you need to be sensitive of your friend or loved one’s nature of problem, too. It’s unethical to flaunt about your latest designer bag to somebody who has money problem. It’s hurtful to show off your holiday vacation with the love of your life to somebody who has just been dumped by a lover.
3. There should be a balance between being optimistic and being pessimistic. If you tend to look at the positive side of things, he might get too hopeful. If you do the opposite, he might lose hope and end up suicidal. Being a patient listener is striking a balance between giving positive and negative opinions about the other person’s problem.
I’ve always believed that when life throws you lemons, make a lemonade and I’ve always shared this thought to friends and loved ones who are in trouble. Aside from a good support group, a strong relationship with God helps during life’s trials.
Cheers!
Good vibes!
I heard that the current management is going to revive the programs that my team used to spearhead some years back. It’s still unclear who will be in-charge to facilitate the re-launching but some units are now silently making moves for the ownership of it. Frankly, I am not anticipating to be involved in the re-launching. I’ve long moved on from the pain of losing the programs that me and my team enjoyed facilitating. In addition, the rapport that I had with my ex-teammates was just great; maybe that level of commitment and participation could never be duplicated. Things happen for a reason and I realize that I will never achieve this level of thinking if I get stuck in my old mindset about career, work-life and finances. It’s time for other people to shine, isn’t it? I would be very glad to be of help if they need my assistance though.
Yes, I’ve moved on from that heartbreak 4 and a half years ago. I am no longer defensive and I no longer question the intention of people who question the achievements of our program. In the end, what matters most are the lessons that I learned, the friendships that I made and the trust that was given to me and my team.
Good vibes! 🙂
The whole family went to Philippine Arena last December 30 to attend the activities for the two-day New Year countdown. There were designated parking spaces for vehicles and visitors were required to ride the shuttle for better traffic flow. The kids enjoyed the carnival and the rides were 50% cheaper as compared to the ones at the “peryahan” (of course, comparing them with Enchanted Kingdom is like comparing apples to oranges!) The goods that were sold at the bazaar were cheaper yet of good quality, I wish I brought more cash!
What I particularly enjoyed was the program at the Philippine Arena with no less than Kathryn Bernardo in an opening number. Kathryn’s charm filled the arena. In my opinion, she and Liza Soberano are the two most beautiful teenage girls of today.
It was nice to see Cita Astals back in her witty old self.
It was good to hear veteran singers like Anthony Castelo and Victor Wood. If my grandmother were alive, she would be happy to see Anthony there because she was a BIG fan!
With the majority of the audience being teen-age girls, it was no wonder why Ruru Madrid received the loudest clap among the performers.
Faith Cuneta was in her best singing element that night.
Regine Angeles was like a life-size doll.
Snooky Serna looked happy.
I look forward to more events like this.
🙂
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 39,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 14 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
I was caught off guard when Adi asked me where do babies come from? I gave Robi as an example that he came from my tummy. Adi became more curious and asked if I meant “I gave birth to Robi.” I tried to keep my amusement and simply said “yes.”
“I think it’s wrong, Mama. Baby boys are delivered by daddies while baby girls are delivered by mommies.”
I explained that only women give birth. In time, he would understand.
I don’t remember me asking my parents questions that would put them in an overwhelming position. Maybe, it was just me. I better prepare myself for more “shocking” questions from my kids. LOL.
The World of Second Chances 