An Open Letter

To the jeepney driver:

     Whenever I set my foot on your vehicle and whether I like it or not, I entrust my life to you. I beg you to please be calm and if possible, refrain from driving like you're on a drag racing. It is your duty to make sure that the unloading area is accessible to you as each passenger may tend to say "para" anytime, thus, I urge you to stay on the right lane. And if and when someone says "para" while we're on the middle of the road, please don't stop right there and then. I don't want to die a double death (heart attack and car accident).

     And for all kind of sake, please refrain from texting while driving. Our precious lives were in your hands. 

p.s. it's okay to wait for passengers, just don't wait for the invisible ones.

To the passengers:

     Be reasonable to understand that the drivers can't just drop you anywhere you want. Don't be mad when they follow the rules. More so, always remember you're on a PUV, be considerate to pass the other's fare like they did for you. Sit properly because PUV's seats were meant to be shared. And for the girls with long free flowing silky hair, please hold it when the wind is blowing before it wiped out what's left of my face.

Jeepney -  the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They were originally made from US military jeeps left over from World War II and are known for their flamboyant decoration and crowded seating. Wikipedia

Para -  the word we say that signals the driver to stop the vehicle so that we can get off. I don't know where it really came from and I am not in my utmost inspired mood to do the research but according to about.com it is a Spanish preposition to indicate a destination. That made sense, after all we were once a Spanish Colony.

photo credit

Life is just a cup of cake

I saw this photo while browsing Pinterest. Of course there is where people go when they would like to see mouth watering diy's, outfit style, home decor and furnishing and anything in between. 

photo source

How true that life is just a cup of cake I asked myself and suddenly I had a trip down memory lane. Maybe it was triggered by the fact that I saw someone last week ( a close family friend) whom we've lost in touch with since I moved to my new place. Like the old story, I was so eager to get out of the place then, hence, I never had the chance to drop by and bid my proper bye for now see you soon thing.

Okay, so I saw the couple when I was running errands. We did a little hi and hello and what's your number cause I am running late for a meeting. I sent them a message as soon as I boarded the public vehicle (I doesn't do it usually - the texting on PUV). I thought what made them lose weight was the old age factor, but I learned that their only child was battling cancer for three years now. That is exactly the number of years (almost) since I moved.

I really don't know what to feel, but if there's one thing I am thankful is that they are keeping their high hopes and strong faith. Really, that couple  earned my respect then and I awe them more now. 

Honestly, I felt shame. Comparing what they're going through, mine was just a piece of cake, but I almost let my world go tumbling down. 

Please include them in your prayers, that God's plan for their lives would be administered perfectly no matter how hard it maybe.

I don't give a D*** F

Last time a good friend of mine told me she likes my picture on twitter. She said it implies the attitude of "I don't give a d*** f****** care". Thanks to her I came up with a post, hahaha.

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission"

Above is a famous line from the famous Mahatma Gandhi. I have it on file since the day I don't remember when. I love collecting quotations and inspirational messages either from famous or unknown scholars.  

Why am I writing about this? Maybe you're thinking I am in pain right now or is suffering from depression. Don't panic, cause I don't.  Coincidence also works in mysterious ways because when I go over the quote above, someone also educated me with a psychological fact (according to her) that "emotional pain only last for 12 minutes and anything after that is self inflicted". Ouch!

Ouch!!! Because I suddenly realized what I did to myself when I let people hurt me. I gave them the permission to take away years of my life.  I was a bad caretaker of myself.

But that was the case before when I have no control over my emotions. Now I choose to be proactive. I want to make the best out of those emotions, let them bring out the best in me by focusing on the lessons rather than the pains.  That doesn't mean I'm invulnerable.


Letting yourself feel the pain in a matter of time will help in easing the pain itself. Time will come you'll realized you're just punishing yourself by letting yourself sulk and you'll be encouraged somehow to get going and let bygones be bygones. It's just letting yourself cry when you have to and after letting the tears fall down, all that was left were clean eyes and a light heart.

for your viewing pleasure this is the picture

please bear with it.

An Adventure I won't Forget (Our Camping/Island Hopping) Part 1

This is a post long overdue. The story about our island hopping in the province of Quezon.

Day 1 at Dampalitan Island: 

May 28, 2011, we packed our things and pushed through with our camping trip despite the pitiful weather condition.  It's not like were not minding it but the forecast seem unstable and that made our minds. This was an island hopping adventure with lots of fun as we anticipated it, but what we had was an adventure and not much of a fun. 

look at the sky that day

When we reached the seashore, the boat which will take us to the first island was not there. According to our contacts, it transported some tourist to another island but couldn't go back quickly because of the big waves. Needless to say, we have to wait for the boat to arrive and for the waves to settle.

After almost 2 hours in waiting, the boat finally did arrived. Sigh of relief for us and we immediately loaded our stuffs and off  we go to the first Island called Dampalitan at around 4:00 in the afternoon. We pinched the tent and cooked our food. Cause we came from a night shift before that, all of us were sleepless and tired so after eating my dinner I decided to take a rest before hanging out with the gang. But my anticipated few minutes of sleep lasted till midnight and I did awake with the sound of raindrops falling on my tent. The rain gets harder and harder and the water started to kill my tent, so I decided to move out and leave my camping bag in the middle to save it from getting wet. I sacrificed for the sake of my camping bag and the result for me was an aching body due to cold raindrops.

We thought it wouldn't last long but it did. Thank God one of the local folks there offered us  one of their nipa huts where we can stay for the night and wait till morning so we can fix our things and our camp. Well, that's how it goes for the first day. We're tired, wet and sleepless.

to be continued........

sorry for the picture quality, I was sooooo tired

The Seven Wonders of the World

I received this video from a friend way back 2008. Actually I haven't met him personally. He just happened to be a client of our company and his account has been assigned to me. I am not quite sure if he is a pastor but I know they're sending missionaries all over the world to spread the word of God.  I dug this from an email he sent me over more than 3000 unread messages on my inbox and thought of sharing it to you. 

7 wonders of the World from Sey on Vimeo.

I don't know who did this video so I cannot give proper credits, however I know that this is meant to be shared to all the people out there. 

1. To See - Our eyes were given to us to see the beauty of the world and to see the beauty in others. Because not all that can be seen by our naked eyes are true. Let us use them to construct and not to criticize or destroy other people. 

2. To Hear - Our ears are there so that we can be open to people who needs someone to listen to them and not to use them for gossips and rumors.

3. To Touch - To touch is something prerogative when you love cause this adds to the magical feeling.

4. To Taste - We should use our tongue to enjoy the  wonderful taste of foods in the world. Remember to guard our tongue because our words can make or break a person for thoughtless words can cause wounds deeply as any sword


Words said no matter how sorry you are in the end cannot reciprocate the hurt we may cause to others. (I just added this one, as you can notice on the video, #4 was missing)

5.  To Feel - Lucky are we to feel the different kinds of emotions. Be it fear, pain, anger or worries, feel them and let them make you a better person.

6.  To Laugh - Laughter is the best medicine as they say. Enjoy it while we can still enjoy the sense of being happy.

7. To Love - Did you ever tried locking your  heart because of the fear of being hurt again?  Believe me when I say pushing love away is so hard to endure. That isn't healthy because it will eventually draw you away from people.

Let the question be "How much love do you give?" rather than "Are you in love?"

The Two Sides of Our Stories

Two of your friends had a great deal of misunderstanding. Friend number 1 is known to be clever and naughty while friend number 2 is conservative and silent. Whom will you take side with? Who will you believe, when each of them had their own version of the story? Would you believe the witness who sworn they saw what had happened? Or to make the situation lighter, let's say your friend had a fight with a stranger. I know most of us including me will eagerly defend our comrade without any questions. Would you believe your friend? I bet that's a YES!

source

What do you see?
an old woman?
or
an elegant lady?

Like this optical illusion, every event/situation were foretold with different version. We as human beings were bound to take sides as to what we knew was right and who we taught is holy or good. But did it ever came to you that somehow when we make judgement we sometimes mistakenly go on the wrong position because we only believe on what our bare eyes could see plus our hearts dictates that we should side here or there out of love.

I just realized no matter how long you knew someone, everyone is capable of telling fallacies. Do you know when court verdicts were served properly or justice was denied to the innocent? Would friends defy friends? NO. Will family sacrifice their clans' moral? of Course Not! That is what I'm taking about. 

Like everyone else, I am also prone to making false judgment. What I am trying to point is let us not indulge with our self-belief and drown ourselves to impurities when there is way to make things right. 

What is wrong is wrong and what is right is right. No excuses! Evaluate the 2 sides of the story and never judge outright. Cause people we are, were bound to mistakes and only HIM up there knows what truly happened. 

Beauty or Character?

I wanted to write. There are so many ideas floating around my head but I cannot organize them to a decent post. My brain cannot process the thoughts though pretty good ideas are flowing. My brain is so dis-organized so to say.

Beauty or Character? Since I was a child, I was taught not to measure a person's worth and importance by mere physical appearance. No matter how a person looks, he/she is created uniquely and it is not their fault to have bear an appearance like that.  It is made with purpose and for a rare mission like anyone else. 

That's why I am not a fan of those who are blessed with beautiful face but do not embody a beautiful character. If they will use that great beauty they are gifted with to ridicule others then by no means I can say they are the ugliest person on the earth's atmosphere.  Nonetheless, criticizing people leads to destroying their inner self and  self-confidence. 

One man said, if you're looking for a one night stand go for beauty but if you're looking for a wife, choose character for beauty fades  through time and true beauty lies on good character. For when time comes, each an everyone will be judged not based on physical appearance but rather on a fruitful life imbued with beautiful character. 

Wouldn't it be nice to have both? If you have beauty, use it wisely. 

The question is now yours to answer, Beauty or Character?

For "YOU" who is Badly Broken

For someone who is experiencing heartache,

someone who's inlove but badly broken,

It's February and it's heart month. Happy Valentines everyone, however this post is not for me but for a  person who, I know is badly broken at this time. I will not mention the name for privacy purposes but I would like to express this feelings I have inside. If I could only talk to you right now. You need a crying shoulder but you're hiding the pain and that is what I'm afraid of. That kind of feeling is no stranger to me and you know that. Tell me to cross the China sea, I will. Tell me to climb Mount Everest, I will, without hesitation so you won't experience the same situation I had before. Really life is like a wheel, but with that being said, I never wished a lonely heart on you. 

But in serious thoughts, I know you can pass the challenge. With what I know, you've been through a lot and this one will be just like threading a needle, right? Difficult but possible. I barely see you but whenever I do, you seem to be in a normal state. Life is normal, life is continuous, life is easy and life is simple that's what I see in you. You never change and you never did in some ways that I knew you. You're still the same more or less.

If only my words could reach you, I will say.... please let it out asshole. Cry when it's needed, share it when it seems to be insurmountable. A problem shared will be divided so it would be easy to carry upon your shoulder. You have us so don't take it hard on you. When you thought I may not understand, that is the time I do.

Remember this:

photo source

Life at Best is Bittersweet

Life at Best is Bittersweet

Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby made sense. Sometimes for our lives to be fruitful and worth remembering, there should be rough roads,  endless choices, ups and downs and constant changes. No matter how we set and planned things so they would turn out right there are always flaws in the process, which is just a reminder that life isn't perfect and will never be, in this imperfect world.  That is also the reason why we need each other.

P.S. I would also like to thank Christopher Columbus for discovering the American continent. Now I have ample time to relax and be bored at home which I wish wouldn't force me to jump from the third floor of the apartment. Nope! I was kidding!!! Haha!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Be Careful With What You Wish For

A charming Woman is a Busy Woman

Loretta Young


If Loretta Young is right then I'm damn Gorgeous plus charming....! Haha!

4 Weeks ago, it seems like I have all the time in the world to waste. Too much time to procrastinate and my weirdo mind was kinda thinking of extreme activities so to use my time wisely (or better yet, I have so many things to do, but not in the mood to do it).

Source

With all might, I wished that I would be given enough work so that I won't have spare time to think of nasty things and poooop......there you go. Thank goodness we're on the 21st century my table wans't bombarded with tons of paper works but looking into my computer would somehow make my mind crash.  

Every time i'm at work, I have more than 10 excel spreadsheets opened and what a real fun to have the tally. Thank goodness to formula again. With that I would like to write a letter of gratitude to Microsoft for inventing this awesome application (if I got it right). It's really useful and will be useful for me especially this month's load of work.

To give you a quick view of what is rambling inside my brain even when I go to sleep, here it is on the left side. To take note that I already closed the other reports as a treat to my erratic mind which is about to explode anytime. 

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.....helppppppppppppppppppp!

$1,000,000

Even if you have faith as small as a mustard seed....

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

Matthew 17:20

Not known to everydoby, I have this money magnet. It is said that this will attract money whereever you placed it and that when money begins to pour, it comes so quickly and in such great abundance that you will wonder where it has been all those lean years.

Who doesn't want and need money? Not me, of course we all need this to survive but don't get me wrong. What attracted me to get this stuff is the "Mustard Seed" stuck inside that circle on the picture.

I always hear people say when we believe, even if our faith is small as a mustard seed, nothing is impossible. But what the heck does a mustard seed looks like? So now I know -- and everytime I feel like the world is falling down on my shoulder, I will embody the Abundant State of Mind and always believe that tomorrow will be a better day.

I want shampoo

Image Source

I woke up too early the other day feeling exhausted and too tired but can't sleep. After several minutes of battle with the bed and pillow, I decided to stand-up, accepting my defeat that dream aren't for me that day and prepare myself for work. It's just then that I notice I ran out of conditioner, so what are ya gonna do??? run to the nearest Sari-sari store and get one. This what I like here, we have plenty of those stores who sell foods/snacks, toiletries, candies and other necessities for retail. Isn't that amazing? But the story is not about the store but about what happened to me in the store. The story goes like this:

Me: One shampoo please, ( i said to the store owner)

Store Owner: What shampoo? (asking for the specific brand)

Me: Creamsilk, the blue one please (for damage control)

Store Owner: What is that again?

Me: Creamsilk blue (full of confidence with what I'm asking for)

Store Owner: You made me laugh (she's actually LOL)

Me: Why is she laughing? What's funny

Image Source

I paused and it's just then that I realized I was  saying I want to buy shampoo but the brand I repeatedly told her is  a CONDITIONER AND NOT A SHAMPOO. Actually I'm really after the conditioner and not the shampoo.

Store Owner: Sleep at night are better, right?

Me: Yes definitely, absolutely 100% true (me laughing)

Agree with me that the quality of sleep is better when you are sleeping at night rather than day time. Imagine, I was awake at night for more than 2 years now and I wouldn't wonder why I acted like that on the sari-sari store. I was awake physically but sleeping mentally. My suggestion for y'all....don't go out when you aren't sure you're really awake.

It's Women of Achievement Month

February 2008, when I started this blog. Rambling from scratches and the only reader I have is no other than "ME" wondering where I was going. Without any single idea, I made blogger like Twitter, posting what comes to my mind whether it be a heartache, laughter or misery. The hell I care, no one is reading anyway. 

This month The Lady Bloggers Society is on it's way to helping women realize the achievements they've accomplished be it big or small. What I have on hand so far in nothing compared to what other members have. This post is written after rigorous self analysis, thorough examination of achievements and handful of courage but still my achievements are scratches so please bear with me and let me just share what I have and let me know if I could be counted as "A Woman of Achievement". 

1. After almost a year and a half of blogging, I gained many (100 are many to me, I am not famous) followers and few readers. The achievement is mostly on the fact that even though I have few readers, yet they are what you can say the best online friends I have. And believe me, if you'll be missing in action the first few people to notice  what's happening are your blog friends and wait till your email and twitter accounts will be bombarded with messages. It's so nice to know people care a lot for you. It makes my heart swells.

2. Racism is one reason that knocks me down when I started this blog. Our country is not rich and I was devoured by my fear that people will defy my grammar and laugh on my mistakes. After a year, the 100% fear of racism dropped down to 50%, not yet done but still there is improvement. Now I can say "Hello World, I am a Filipino". Being proud of my heritage is one thing I should consider as a lifetime achievement.

3. I had separated with my boyfriend for almost 6 years. When we parted ways, it feels like the world will hunt me down with no hopes and escape. But then again, I manage to live without him and the separation draw me closer to God, to my old friends I lost contact with and to my Family whom I fairly visit. Wasn't that an achievement? Yes it is. It's so nice to live the life I borrowed, appreciating the blessings. Not all people were given the privilege to be on this situation, this made and will make me tougher. It's difficult but I will get through it. And the spirit to fight and find inner peace is an achievement.

Words of Wisdom

I am really exhausted today. My work drained all the energy left in me but I am still thankful I have a nice job (thank God), with nice fellas around. Yesterday in my post I officially declare that I will always find reasons to be happy. Before I take the time to rest, I would like to share with you some nice words of wisdom from Jonathan Figaro. Check out his blog and I'm sure you'll find good stuffs to read. Thanks:)


If we wanted to be happy, this is what we can do:
1. Focus on the good in your life.
2. Be appreciate for what you have now.
3. Never let them rain in your parade.
4. Put yourself first after God.


Happy blogging everyone and hope you had a great day! Yay!!!

Live up to it

IS: MS Powerpoint Clip-art

I had a conversation with my nephew this morning. He is asking for a picture of my mother. He is the United States since he was young and he is a grown up now wanting to see a picture of her beloved grandmother. I promised to upload some pictures. Speaking of my mother,  she's in the province right now and it's so sad that we're not together. So I send her money yesterday for her medicines. Whether I like it or not, she's 72 years old and I am wishing God will give her a long life. What a great mother she is, not only for providing me with what I need but also with the lesson she imparted to me. I won't never forget she once said, "When you got your work, you can have all you want as long a it's good, however while you're still young, be contented on what we have and never ever try to get what you want in expense of other people".  


Money is never an issue when you're trying to help especially when the situation is between life and death.  But don't you ever dare to loan money just to be used for stuffs you don't really need and you have debts to settle. Pay all the money you borrowed first before spending lavishly  for your luxuries. 

When the Going gets Tough.....

When the going gets tough, quitting isn't the only answer............yay!

This is what I learned from this 2 days of incognito from the world wide web. I lured myself with this book I was able to buy from a book sale. With the lesson I learned, I could say that it's worth the money I spent. I was off to buy a novel at first, but due to the ups and downs that I've been lately, look what I've got from the bookstore. I'm not yet finished with it but let me share the thoughts that I've learned so far and  I hope you could use them too. The pictures below were just product of my wild imagination. I promise to do better next time but at least I hope they could convey the lesson I want to impart to all of you guys.

When you have problems, be careful not to lump them all together into one big cloud  over your head and just say "Poor Me"

Separate your problems and deal with them one by one. Take one step at a time

Don't leave any problem undealt with. Don't look the other way and pretend the problem isn't there

Eyes ahead! Forward march! Gert tough! Endure! Eyes forward! Hang on and don't let go! Always remember, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going because quitting isn't the only answer.

Edge of Darkness

No one expects you to be perfect - but there are few things you gotta get right,

• One is to protect and love your family
• Always speak your mind
• you never take anything from the bad guys
• NEVER HURT ANYONE WHO DOESN'T DESERVE IT

These were the lessons I learned from the movie

This is what I am doing when I can't sleep. Watching movies then taking down notes of the important lessons. That's what makes movie marathon worth doing.