Big Day

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I got this test coming up and let's see how it will turn out. If this works out, I will have my taste of how it really feels to be a "marketer".Seriously, this makes me nervous but this time, I think I know how to take things. Let this begin and if pressure and stress come bothering me, then, so be it. I got a great God who will help me come through it all. I'm seriously excited.
 

Pedring

This is the first time I have experienced typhoon back here in Manila. I was out during the rainy season thus making me miss experiencing most of the typhoon that hit my country. Sadly, this Pedring, which hit my country on the 2nd anniversary of typhoon Ondoy, is too strong and is now considered to be a super typhoon.

Pedring got me thinking. Natural phenomenon such as this happens. How do we respond to it? Do we choose to stop living just because it imposes danger and causes us so much uncertainty which leads to anxiety and fear? Do we choose to just wait until it comes and see how it will affect us?

In life, we encounter so many storms. Loved ones die, trusted best friends lie, boyfriends cheat... What else is there? So what do we do with it? Do we skip life? Do we crumble and give up?

No!!! No!!! No!!!

No storms in life will ever kill me. It may cripple me but it will never ever gonna bring me down forever.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Living

You know what sucks? Life. Simply because life is hard. Problems exist. Not everyone has the great opportunity to enjoy it. Bad people surround you. Finances trouble you. Growing up means you have to think about these things. There's no room for being carefree exactly because if you want to live, then you have to make a living. 


Life has been getting me down. Few opportunities come up for me. Here I am struggling to belong and struggling to find out who I really am. There are so many things that I want to do. There are so many things that I want to learn and experience but it seems like there's no breakthrough for me yet.


Despite all these, though at times I feel like quitting, I choose not to give up. Every waking moment of my life means there are new things to explore, new things to learn. No matter how minuscule it may be, point is it is something new. With that said, life may not be good all the time but it remains worthy to be lived for because God gave us new things to learn and experience everyday -- no matter how great nor small it may be.

Time to Conquer

Boracay with Mav & Paulo

 I love my friends. They bring balance to my life. They tell me straight if things are doing well in my life and they do not hold back if they need to correct me. I like that. 


I have known Mav & Paulo for 3 years now and I am truly grateful to the Lord for bringing them to my life. We enjoy similar things and it usually means experiencing adventures with them. Since I have known them, I was able to come out of my safety bubble and explore new things again. Because of them, I started going out of my comfort zone and enjoying the life that was meant for me to enjoy.

Being with them allowed me to try new things out, celebrate occasions in a special and random way, go to places and make things happen. They help me realize the plans that I have long buried and sort of forgotten. These guys reminded me that I got the power to make things happen if I choose to make it happen.


Next year looks promising. With plans of conquering Asian countries, what else is there not to look forward to? Starting today, I will iron my financial obligations and settle what needs to be settled so I could go and enjoy the things that I need to enjoy.


Life is good. This is definitely something to look forward to. Thank you, Lord, for awesome friends. :)

What To Do

If great opportunities are only for great people, what will happen to ordinary people like me? 


Do I really need to break rules to say that I got confidence in me?

Reminiscing

I'm going through my past blogs. Last year though I was drained, I just realized that God has still blessed me with the time of my life. Life has been the same. It remained like one heck of a roller coaster ride. It was stressful most of the time but reading through it made me realize that God had His hands upon me and that He continued to direct my life so I may enjoy life to the fullest. It was not bad at all.


It's nice to go through the past sometimes. It makes me realize that I am blessed after all and not forgotten. 

Me & You

This is cute. This is something I wrote last year. Might as well repost it.

I enjoyed every moment having you around but knowing you're so far always leaves me with a doubt.
Whenever you become silent, I can't help but wonder, "do you still think of me?" or "have I been forgotten?"
I feel things have turned from surreal to real. 
The longing and the pain, both these emotions, I could finally feel.
I don't want to hold on for I am scared to be let down.
But whenever I give up,  your honest answers pull me back.
But then again, who could ever really tell that you have been so honest?
I miss you.
That's all I could say.
That's all I could do.
That's all I that's in my head - Me & You

Lessons Learned

Twenty - eight years of living your life is not yet long enough but in the 28 years of my life, I have learned the following:


1. Life is unfair.
We live in a damned world. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad ones. Injustices take place everywhere. We just all need to learn to accept reality that life is not fair at all.


2. Do not be too cautious.
Though it is good to guard your moves, it's not so good to be super guarded at all times. Learn to jump and fall. Move out of the box. Go out of your comfort zone. Experience life. You are bound to make mistakes. If you do commit some, stand up, learn from it, and move on.


3. Be adventurous.
Try things which you never imagined that you will ever try to do. Bungee jump, sky dive, scuba dive. Enjoy such thrills. Conquer your fears. Travel the world. Be independent. Any of these experiences would lead to new lessons learned.


4. Love more.
Nothing beats loving more. :)

Timothy's Milk Tea

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of milk
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tea bags
• 2 cardamoms
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• sugar to taste
• small slice of ginger

Preparation:

Boil water. Let the tea bags steep in it. Add milk. Drop the slice of ginger and cinnamon. Add the cardamoms. Then, put sugar according to your taste.

That's it! :)

Enjoy your cup of tea!

Nothing Lasts Forever

And so you're down. Things are not going the way you perceived it to be. You feel like nothing seems right. Everything seems so wrong. You work hard to turn things around yet it still fails. You plan to get up only to find out you're in too deep. You let it out, thresh it out, cry your hearts out, only to realize that it's not yet over. Things aren't getting any better at all. 


But you know what's a nice thing to know?
NOTHING LASTS FOREVER.

In time, things will get better. 

Worlds Apart

You're there, I am here
Opposite sides, opposite spheres
How in the world did we ever meet?
Heavens did conspire for us to meet


Separated by oceans
Even heavens outstretched in miles
Not seeing eye-to-eye
How does this even work out?


Things like this rarely happen in reality
Can I be stuck forever in fantasy?
When we connect
The world doesn't seem to object
Stay with me...
Please stay with me


I believe we're meant to be
Just how it became possible that's there's now you & me
Let's see how far we could go
Despite the fact that we're worlds apart

Me

When problems come my way, I often find a way to get over it and rise above. Because of this, I often find myself encouraging others more. In return, I believe I do not burden others about what I am going through.

Lately, however, I have never felt so sad, worthless, and alone. Words can not even express what I have in mind and what I feel. I can't even find the strength to meet my friends because I do not have the energy to even fake a smile.

Realizing this, I just made a conscious effort to turn things around. Exercise faith, right? God will turn things around for me. I will just keep myself doing what needs to be done.

If there is one thing I'm sure of, that's the fact that I am not born to be a burden but instead I am born to bless others.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tea & Sympathy

I woke up realizing that I am not ready to apply. My insecurities and fears are overwhelming me. Today, I succumbed to it and opted to stay home. Wrong decision you may say but I say otherwise. 


It's tough to move on when one is faced with reality that's pulling one down. So I started my day with a cup of tea. I am a big fan of Twinings. I love how it makes the flavors come out. It doesn't taste like your usual flavored green tea. Today, I tried Darjeeling and I loved it. It tasted like prunes. If you are into fruity flavors, try this out.

Commercial break... I am watching the re-runs of The Voice on AXN and I can't help but pause for a while and watch Adam Levine enjoy listening to Blake Shelton and his team's rendition of "This Love". Yes, I got this weird crush on Adam Levine. His smile makes me melt and often helps turn my frown upside down. Who wouldn't? His smile seriously makes me weak. It is crazy but yeah, he seriously has a weird effect on me. It's good. And don't worry I'm not going super crazy. I still know the different between reality and fantasy. It is just nice to have a good reason to smile when you're down.

One of my first conversations
with Miguel

Going back to reality, after weeks of not being able to speak properly with Miguel, we were able to talk today. He updated me of his plans. He will travel probably next week to Brazil or Mexico again. He has set some job interviews back there which is good. We started to talk about Brazil and he actually got shocked that I am visa exempted to get there. But of course, reality tells both us that it remains a fact that it's difficult for me to get around. After that, Miguel shifted our conversation to future plans. I like that in my guy -- a guy who has plans for the future. He plans to fly out after a year or less so he could be nearer in terms of proximity to me. 


I could not deny the connection we got. It is really something else but our language creates this invisible barrier which makes it hard for us to dig in deeper about our future plans. I am excited. This talk with him makes things better. I am excited for what is yet to come. It feels good that he continues to think of me and that I am part of his plans after all. I just hope I'd be strong enough to hold on to whatever this is that we got.


For now, I'll just drink my tea, do what I need to do, and maybe some of you could offer me some sympathy. Haha. Oh well, life must go on.  Toodles!

Of Struggles and Strife

It has been over a month since I have been back. Picking up where I left off has not been easy. When I got back home, I continued to apply jobs there, hoping to land to something. Until now, I got no response. I started applying for jobs back here and sadly, I haven't received much positive replies from my target companies. 

It is sad. There were mornings when I feel so down. Of course, there's this easy way out of this dilemma of mine. I could always come back to my past job and settle for it. Yes, it's like settling for mediocrity. Honestly speaking, this is not an issue of my pride, I just need to find  something which would be out of my comfort zone and would allow me to learn more.

Life is hard. I am experiencing it now. Living it hurts me every now and then. It's tough. BUT I refuse to give up on my dreams. I refuse to give up on life. I will just cry buckets of tears or until my tear ducts dry out. I am not giving up. I will succeed.

I know I have been questioning God about things but it doesn't mean that I have lost my faith in Him. It just makes it clearer that His will is not same as mine. I maybe down right now but I know that in time, I will rise above. I will be successful too. After all,

Struggle and strife come before success... 
even in the dictionary.

Feeling down. Can't seem to push the bad vibes away. Feel like crying. No tears come out. Emptiness in my heart. Surrounded by uncertainties. I don't know where to run. Left with nothing. It's sad. I don't want to succumb to the feeling of loneliness but it's pulling me down.  Opportunities strike but it doesn''t seem so good. This is so sad. I don't know what to do and where to start. 

Today, my country was well-represented by a beautiful lady named Shamcey Supsup. She had the beauty, brains, and the courage to stand up for her faith. She studied Architecture from the University of the Philippines Diliman where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and topped last year's Architecture Licensure Exams. That alone was a major achievement given that she's a woman conquering an endeavor which was perceived to be a man's turf. 

Summer of this year, she competed for Bb. Pilipinas where she was crowned to represent the country for the Miss Universe. Finally, the said pageant transpired today where she faced the toughest question ever asked of her -- would you change your religious beliefs for the one you love? Surprisingly, she said that she will not do so for her first love remains to be God who created her and the man who loves her must also love the God she loves. 

What a conviction! In a world where people try to call God different names, where people try to avoid an intriguing question like this, Shamcey definitely stood out! The way she spoke of God without thinking twice about it made me proud as a Christian. She did a great job in representing the country. She did a great job in reflecting the kind of people we are. Most of all, she made God proud because she proudly boasted His name up high in worldwide television.

I know that's tough. I wish to have that same confidence to do what she has done. She is definitely someone to look up to and may people find the confidence to do what she has done. 

Congratulations, Shamcey Supsup! You are a winner for me, the Filipinos, and most of all, you are the best in God's sight. :) What else could you ever ask for? 

Something Borrowed

I watched the movie Something Borrowed. It was about two friends who met in Law School, enjoyed each other's company so much and later on, developed a special attraction for each other yet, never acknowledged it. The guy dated the girl's best friend to the point that the guy actually got engaged to the the best friend. Things got complicated when the girl finally confessed to the guy that she really loved her since Law School. Unfortunately, the guy wasn't man enough to stand up for the girl and so he never pursued her. Until finally, he got to muster all his confidence and made a decision to stand up for her. In the end of course, the wedding was called off and the guy and the girl became together.

It was actually a sad story. I am only judging based on the interpretation of the movie. They guy and girl have hurt so many people around them. Not that I am less conservative in views, but I believe that when you love someone, you have to tell the person that you do so before time runs out on you. Love is about risk-taking. The other person may not love you back. Rejection will always impose a stumbling block but if one continues to be hindered by these feeling of rejection, one will never find out if the one you've set your eyes on is really the one for you. You will never be on the losing end when you express your love for someone. In the first place, love has always been and will forever be meant to be shared to special loved ones.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunshines & Rainy Days

I'm not a big fan of the rain. Just as I am typing this blog, rain  is pouring outside my windows since 3pm. Yes, it is depressing. Very limiting even. I personally do not like the feeling of raindrops on my toes, making me feel cold, and of course, the fact that one has to bring protective gears against the rain. There's the trusty umbrella, cap, and jacket. Hassle, right?


Life is full of sunshines and rainy days. There are days when everything wrong seems to just keep pouring down - messed up job application, getting rejected, misunderstanding with a boyfriend and arguments with family. Just like any rainy day, we need to be prepared with our gears -- a heart full of love and understanding, patience, respect and a lot  of dose of obedience.

Rainy days dampen our spirits. We can choose to go down with it and sulk or we could always look up and remember that God has taken care of things like these. We got to sun to shine on us after the rain. Are we allowed to feel bad? Yes. Do we sulk and prolong this feeling that pulls us down? Heck no! Get up. Rise above. There's always rainbows and sunshine after the rain. Cheer up! God has better things in store for you and I. 

Blessings

1. I got a family who cares for me regardless if they have the tendency of being overprotective.


2. I got brothers whom I think are awesome and supportive of me.


3. My friends, regardless of all the ups and downs we've been through, remain to be supportive of me, loving me, and still sticking by my side all these times.


4. Being friends with Miguel for 3 months now definitely is another reason to be grateful for. He has been a great source of encouragement and joy.


5. Cleo, Joanne, and Joel are more receptive to God's Word now. I also get to share with Karl and Erwin more openly about my faith. 

Lessons and Blessings

My best friend sent me an email today. She told me about 2 super good news; she's off to Phuket for her pre-birthday and her boyfriend could finally fly back to where she is now after being banned to enter another country. At first, I couldn't help but question God, "how come I haven't received such an extravagant good news just like that of my best friends?" I'm sorry but I am only human but anyway, after that thought crossed my mind, I automatically dismissed the question in my head.


I am just human. I am not perfect. I get envious and I get hurt. I aim high and dream of accomplishing so much in life as well. Don't judge me if this thought ever crossed my mind. I was also thinking if God would ever condemn me for entertaining such thought. Then, I realized that God doesn't expect us to be perfect just because we are Christians now. It is more of what you choose to do after that thought entered your mind. I could have chosen to be bitter. Oh, it is so easy to be bitter. Envy can seep in your heart and really cause you to be mad and be bitter. Instead, I chose to rejoice with my friend.


My best friend deserves all those blessings. She's been going through a lot and it has been causing her anxiety and depressing. This outpour of blessings was just given at the right time. I truly praise God for that. With her birthday coming up in a few weeks from now, I am sure that she felt how awesome our God is with all these that's been happening to her.


So for my issues, I choose to brush them away. It's not yet my time and I would not feel envious. My heart is filled with joy for my best friend. I hope this is the beginning of something great and wonderful for her. I would really be happy to hear more awesome things for her. I do hope this would begin a desire to get to know the Lord more. :)


Am I happy? Yes. Do I have issues? Nah... forget it. Today, I learned a great lesson and witnessed an outpour of blessings. That's enough for me now. God is awesome. He never fails to amaze me.

Blessings

I have been praying that I be a blessing to my family because they have been a great blessing to me as well. I think it is but right for they have loved me unconditionally and continued to do so. Anyway, I have been at Nanay's house for almost a week now. Tita Ching got asthma attack initially and so I decided to take it upon me to take good care of her. A day or two after, I was scheduled to join Tita Siony for her check up where I found out the worst news ever -- that she got the big C.


I thought I will never accomplish that but hearing how proud Tita Ching is when telling the rest of my titas of how I took care of her make my heart swell. It's an awesome feeling. Thank you, Lord, for filling my heart with so much love. It means so much to me. 


Today is a special day too. I was about to give up on Miguel. We haven't spoken much lately. I am seriously too scared to trust him so much because I'm scared to be hurt in the end. Anyway, I was about to tell him all my frustrations when I found out that it's the 7th today. The 7th day of the month means so much to me. It was the day I have "known" Miguel. I consider Miguel to be a great blessing. What he has done to me has greatly made an impact in my life and I will always cherish him. 


All is well that ends well. This day has been good and I like it. 

12 Ideas for Healthier, Easier Workouts | Diet & Exercise | Reader's Digest Asia

12 Ideas for Healthier, Easier Workouts | Diet & Exercise | Reader's Digest Asia

If you are one of the minority of people who regularly goes to a gym for exercise, then congratulations! It means you have the right priorities and terrific discipline. But it's fair to say that at times, even for committed exercisers, motivation often flags, and there are days when it requires a Herculean effort just to put on our workout clothes and walk through the gym doors.

If you're lucky, the sights and sounds of exercise are all you need to motivate yourself to get moving. At other times, you still may not have the slightest urge to get started. For those days, here are some ways to get the most out of your workout.

1. Avoid the mirrors. Many fitness locations line exercise rooms with mirrors to allow you to watch your form as you work out. Yet a study of 58 women found that those who exercised in front of a mirror felt less calm and more fatigued after 30 minutes of working out than those who exercised without staring at their reflection. The national exercise chain, Curves, deliberately designs its small gyms without mirrors so women can concentrate on each other and the workout rather than on how they look. Other gyms are beginning to offer “reflection-free” zones. If yours doesn't, mention the idea--and the study--to the gym manager.

2. Try using aromatherapy oils known to enhance energy, such as rosemary. Mix them with water and store them in a squirt bottle in your gym bag. Give your gym clothing a few squirts before leaving the dressing room so you can smell the oil as you work out. If you're in the midst of a more meditative, slowerpaced workout, such as Pilates or yoga, try lavender oil instead of rosemary.

3. Create your own personal gym mix tapes, CDs or digital recordings, and listen to them as you work out. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse found that people who listen to up-tempo music got significantly more out of their stationary bike workouts. They pedaled faster, produced more power, and their hearts beat faster than when they listened to slow-tempo music or sounds with no tempo. Overall, they worked between 5 and 15 percent harder while listening to the energizing beat. Although the type of music you choose is up to you, pick something with a fast beat that makes you want to break out in dance. You can custom-design your own exercise music to burn to a CD or download to an MP3 player at Internet sites such as www.mywalkingmusic.com or www.workoutmusic.com.

4. Think of someone who irritates you. Then step on the treadmill, stair stepper, stationary bike, or elliptical machine and sweat out your aggression as you run, climb, or cycle. You might even imagine that you are running an imaginary race against this person. You'll get in a better workout--and blast away anger and stress at the same time.

5. Drink a bottle of water or juice on your way to the gym. If you show up for your workout already dehydrated, you'll feel overly fatigued during your session, says Craig Horswill, Ph.D., principal scientist for the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington, Illinois. “Nearly half of all exercisers are starting their workouts at a real disadvantage--by arriving at the gym already dehydrated,” he says. “When you're dehydrated, you can't work as hard, you don't feel as good, and your mental function is going to be compromised. Consequently, you're not going to get as much out of your workout.”

6. Think you can and you will. So simple, yet so often ignored, positive thinking can help you power your way through a workout. In a study of 41 adults ages 55 to 92, exercisers who thought positively were more likely to stay active than those whose minds often uttered those two evil words: “I can't.” Whenever you find yourself making excuses, mentally put those self-defeating thoughts in a locked cabinet in your brain and replace them with positive messages such as, “I feel great” or “Bring it on.”

7. Turn off the tube when exercising. It's tempting to try to lose yourself in television programming as you slog away on the treadmill or stationary bike. Yet a 1996 study found women worked out about 5 percent harder when they weren't watching TV than when they were. Although your favorite TV show may take your mind off your workout, it also causes you to lose touch with your effort level. You unconsciously slow down or use poor form as you get caught up in what you are watching. If television sets line the workout area, get on the equipment closest to the monitor tuned to C-Span. Sure you'll glance up at the monitor from time to time, but unless you're a complete political junkie, you probably won't get sucked in.

8. Work out with a friend. If you're feeling stale and are thinking of skipping your gym workouts, ask a friend to meet you for a gym date. As you walk or run on the treadmill, you can share stories of your day. Thirty minutes will go by before you know it. You can also encourage each other to work a bit harder. Your friend can also help you find the courage to approach unfamiliar gym equipment, as it's easier to laugh off your foibles when you have a trusted companion nearby.

9. Set a short-term workout goal. We all know that goals help motivate you to work harder, and that the best exercise programs include measurable goals to achieve weeks or months down the road. Sometimes, though, when your motivation is drooping, a goal for what to achieve over the next 30 minutes is really what you need. So pick something achievable: Maintain a sweat for 20 minutes, or cover two miles on the treadmill, or give just your arms a really good strength workout. A target like that gives you focus to get through on even the tough days.

10. Change your routine every three to four weeks. This will keep your body guessing - improving your result - and fuel your motivation. In the weights room, alternate exercises and modify the way you lift weights. If you usually do two sets of 15 reps, complete one set of 15, then increase the weight for another set of 8 reps. On cardio equipment, switch from the treadmill to the stair stepper etc. Mix up your exercise classes as well, switching around from Pilates to aerobic dance to yoga to kickboxing.

11. Slow down. In one American study, participants who lifted slowly - taking at least 14 seconds to complete one repetition - gained more strength than participants who lifted at a rate of 7 seconds per rep. Slower lifting may help increase strength because it prevents you from using momentum or improper techniques.

12. Invent a competition with the person on the next treadmill. If you're on the treadmill and you're bored, glance at the display on someone else's nearby treadmill. If you're walkig at 3.5 miles per hour and he or she is chugging away at 4mph, see if you can increase your speed and catch up, as if it were a race. The other person won't even know you're racing.

"Home is where your heart is."

I have been staying at my tita's for 3 days now. I did not go through any major adjustments when I started staying and sleeping over here. Usually it takes time for me to fall asleep and really get accustomed in staying over at a place but this place is different. It just feels right. It's like I never left my home at all. That's how comfortable I am in staying over here.

This is where I grew up. I spent the first 7 years of my life here. I learned how to walk here. My grandpa used to make me sit at the walls of the gate every morn so we could both catch the early morn sunshine. I ran around the front porch. Played hide and seek where I used to hide by the santan bushes in the garden. Too many sweet memories. You see, it doesn't take a structure to declare a house a home. I believe that home is where your heart is. I'm glad I could proudly say that I got two homes where I truly could be myself...where I truly belong. 

Better When We're Together

Kuya Karl & I

Twins - Jem & Erwin

We really complement each other.

Different Sides of Me as Captured by Karl & Erwin

Truth be told: It's REALLY always better when we're together