What is Success?

Success is speaking words of praise
In cheering other people's ways,
In doing just the best you can
In every task and every plan.

It's silence when your speech would hurt,
Politeness when your neighbor's curt.
It's deafness when the scandal flows
And sympathy with other's woes.

It's loyalty when duty calls;
It's courage when disaster falls;
It's patience when the hours are long;
It's found in laughter and in song.

It's in the silent time of prayer,
In happiness and in despair.
In all of life and nothing less,
We find the thing we call success.

-Doris M. Hugh

The Power Of A Word

A careless word may kindle strife;
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A bitter word may hate instill;
A brutal word may smite and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the ways;
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress;
A loving word may heal and bless.

The Characteristics of the Happiest People

The happiest people are rarely the richest, or the most beautiful,

or even the most talented.
Happy people do not depend on excitement and "fun" supplied
by externals.
They enjoy the fundamental, often very simple, things of life.
They waste no time thinking other pastures are greener; they do
not yearn for yesterday or tomorrow.
They savour the moment, glad to be alive, enjoying their work, their
families, the good things around them.
They are adaptable; they can bend with the wind, adjust to the changes
their times, enjoy the contests of life, and feel themselves in harmony
with the world.
Their eyes are turned outward; they are aware, compassionate.
They have the capacity to LOVE.

The Message That Has Made The People Involved Mad

I wrote this message in my cousin's Facebook wall because I badly need her that time. I didn't care when I wrote this message that there would be anyone who will read this that will make them provoke or anything. During that time, all I was thinking was that maybe this time, just this time, I have to let it all out from my chest. I also have to think for myself, not always for others. Thus, I wrote that message. Because this message is true and there's not even a bit of a lie in this message. Here it goes.

"Hey Cring, I deleted all of them already in my friendster account, but they keep on adding me, esp. Naknak and Mary Ann. And remember Mary Ann? Yung asawa ng brother niya? She also sent me a message yesterday through friendster, and it says: "belated.. yah she's here sa manila.. but i don't like her.. feeling kasi.. hehehe..u tc..always.." You know naman siguro who she's talking to, right? Eh, I didn't ask naman about her! Lol, hindi ko alam kung ano gusto nilang iparating, but they keep on making a way to contact me even through my yahoo messenger, especially Atet, ung cousin niya and si Melay! Tsk tsk..."

Atet, my ex's cousin, called me a few weeks after. He was very upset and defended himself that he didn't send a message like that to me. So, I told him to read the message again. Might be he misinterpreted the message. Additionally, he even asked me to delete it from my cousin's wall. Thus, I asked for an advice from my close friends if I should delete the message. 99% of my friends said that why should I? If that's a true and authentic message, why delete it? So, I did what they said. I didn't delete it.

The first two days after Atet called, I was able to have a good sleep, but the time when I wake up, the first thing that comes in my mind was the fact that Atet hated me. I felt guilty and I even had the thought of deleting the message so that there would be no problem at all. I've never been in any trouble in my whole life, and I don't even have plans to get into any.

And, because of what happened, this is what I learned from this experience:

"Don't talk too much when your mad. You might say things you don't mean to say. Making a decision takes time, don't rush.
Life is like a chess, one wrong move and your game is all messed up.
Never let your pride ruin everything. It's better to lose your pride than to lose someone because of your pride."

NO TIME

I found this message enclosed in a folder inside my cabinet and I thought of sharing this with you.

I knelt to pray but not for long.
I had too much to do.
Must hurry off and get to work.
For bills would soon be due,
And so I said a hurried prayer,
Jumped up from off my knees.
My Christian duty now was done,
My soul could be at ease.
All through the day I had no time
To speak a word of cheer
NO TIME to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I feared.
NO TIME, NO TIME, too much to do
That was my constant cry.
NO TIME to give those in need,
At last, t'was time to die...
And when before the Lord I came.
I stood with the downcast eyes.
With His hands He held a book,
It was the BOOK OF LIFE
He looked into the book and said
"Your name I cannot find,
I once was going to write it down
But never found the TIME".

Our Lord's Desire: Tell the World of My Mercy

The message of Divine Mercy (as what Our Lord revealed to St. Maria Faustina):

Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.

I desire that the whole world know My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy.

Do all you possibly can for this work of My mercy. I desire that My mercy be worshiped, and I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation; that is, recourse to My mercy.

Proclaim to the whole world My unfathomable mercy. Do not be discouraged by the difficulties you encounter in proclaiming My mercy. These difficulties that affect you so painfully are needed for your sanctification and as evidence that this work is Mine.

Tell the world about My mercy and My love... The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!... Do whatever is within your power to spread devotion in My mercy. I will make up for what you lack. Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My merciful Heart and I will fill it with peace.

Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire life as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior. At that last hour, a soul has nothing with which to defend itself except My mercy. Happy is the soul that during its lifetime immersed itself in the Fountain of Mercy, because justice will have no hold on it.

From all My wounds, as from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy.

Do not tire of proclaiming My mercy. In this way you will refresh this Heart of Mine, which burns with a flame of pity for sinners.

All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle...

In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy.

With souls that have recourse to My mercy and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will deal according to My infinite mercy at the hour of their death.

Breaking Story: Air France Plane Missing

I've read in the Yahoo News today that there's a missing jet over the Atlantic Ocean. The plane has 228 people on board and vanishes from the radar during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Brazil began a search mission off its coast.

According to the report, "About four hours later, the plane sent an automatic signal indicating electrical problems while going through strong turbulence, Air France said. The plane "crossed through a thunderous zone with strong turbulence" at 0200 GMT Monday (10 p.m. EDT Sunday). An automatic message was received fourteen minutes later "signaling electrical circuit malfunction." (source: the Denver News)

Up to this moment, they are still searching for the missing plane. I sympathize for the family of the missing passengers. This news is really sad and heart-breaking. People are still hoping against hope. My prayers are with you. For anyone reading this, let us pray for the passengers and for their families as well.

Nothing is impossible with God.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam!

A Friend Who Got Sick From Acute Cholecystitis

I have a very close friend who was admitted 2 weeks ago in due to acute cholecystitis. She is also a nurse working in a hospital. I was shocked when I learned the news about her admission. At that moment, I didn't have any clue what had caused her illness. But what is really an acute cholecystitis?

According to the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, acute cholecystitis is a sudden inflammation of the gallbladder that causes severe abdominal pain. In 90% of cases, it is caused by gallstones in the gallbladder. Some of the causes are severe illness, alcohol abuse, and, rarely, tumors of the gallbladder.

But her case was different. According to her physician, what causes her illness was the result of her taking of slimming tea everyday. The slimming tea she was taking was very popular here in the country and has been in the advert for weeks. Additionally, it has been advertised by a popular female host/actress. Because of my friend's belief that she gained some weight, she opted to drink slimming tea before going to bed at night. Her gallbladder was inflamed because of the fats that deposited in her gallbladder. Her physician advised her to, obviously, stop drinking slimming tea and refrain or minimize intake of fats.

I used to drink slimming tea. But, because of what happened, I'm afraid that what had happened to my friend might also happen to me. However, I also wonder why the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration (BFAD) still selling this product in the market.

The Dawn Earthquake

I was in deep sleep last night when I felt that my double-deck bed was shaking. I was on the top and my sister was asleep on the below part. I called my sister, thinking that she made the bed shaking (a view from the mind of a half-awake, half-asleep person). Anyway, I heard my parents voice. And my Mom told my Dad that there's an earthquake. So, I also called out my Mom to let her know that I was awake. I felt that it's getting stronger, so, I decided to get out of my bed and hurried off to ask for help to Jesus. Before I could get out from the bed, the earthquake stopped. And, before I knew it, I fell into deep sleep again.

This morning, I've learned that the earthquake has a 5.7 magnitude intensity. We are 130 km or 80 miles away from the epicenter, which is in General Santos City. The earthquake happened around 3:51 A.M.

We are living in life with inevitable occurrences from nature. The Philippines, being a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, has a common occurrences for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Occurrences that humans couldn't able to stop even with the existing of new, high-technology equipment. What scientists may only do is to alert the citizens in a certain area for the possible occurrence.

Thankfully, there has been no casualties or any major damage. I've also learned that there had been the same 5.7 magnitude intensity that hit Mexico last week.

This would be my conclusion: We may never stop this kind of phenomenon and we don't know what will happen next time. We would not be prepared at all. No one is guaranteed to be 100% prepared. But, if we prepared ourselves spiritually, have faith, and know our identity as children of God, we can put our complete trust in Him. Ad majorem Dei gloriam!

Lord I Lift Your Name On High (SONICFLOOd version)

This is one of the most beautiful praise songs that I've ever heard by the U.S. group from Tennessee, the SONICFLOOd. Praise and glory to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Beaches and Everything That's Just Water!

Since the Philippines is composed of over 7,107 islands, we are being surrounded by water. The famous Boracay is home of one of the best beaches in the world because of its powder white sand, warm and crystalline waters, and gorgeous sunsets. People from all over the world enjoy the atmosphere here. Here are some photo shoots of my family.

The rocks behind him are all natural.

They also offer parasailing for visitors here.

Boracay has many beach resorts owned by different businessmen. Here is one of the hotels here with its pool.

Next to Boracay, we will hop to my city, which is Davao City. Our famous beach spot here is the Samal Island, which is also the home of the famous Pearl Farm Beach Resort. But, like Boracay, Samal Island also houses different beach resorts. And one of them is Paradise Island.

They also offer jet ski ride, but, we just can't afford the price of P1,500. :(

Another beach resort is the Costa Marina. Here is the view during the low tide. And we waited by noon until the afternoon for the water to return.

Another tourist spot in the southern region of the Philippines is the Siargao Island, which is the home of the famous "Cloud Nine", the best known surfing break with a world reputation of being in the top Surfing Waves in the world. You can check this SITE to see how the waves really behave on their own. Here are some of the pics of Siargao Island.

My cousins trying to surf.

The view of the waves on the other part of the island. Unfortunately for us, we haven't captured the Cloud Nine waves.

Next stop is the waterfall which is located in Surigao del Sur. This is the first time I dip into a waterfall. But there are also numerous waterfalls in our country. Sorry I forgot the name of the waterfall. Since this waterfall is located inside the mountainous, jungle area of the province, this is not yet popular among other provinces. But the feeling when we got there was amazing and the ambiance is really breathtaking and it's a good place to unwind. Here it is. Enjoy.

Since the water is very cold, just like the water in California, my cousins and some of my friends opted to drink a beer while dipping into the water.

A man-made table and chair standing on the flow of the waterfall. People can actually eat in this area.

There's also a man-made fountain in the middle of the waterfall.

Last stop is the Hot Spring in Mainit National Park, Nabunturan, Davao del Norte. They have a place for steaming, which is like inside a tunnel, but I didn't take a shot there since I'm afraid my camera would get melted from the heat inside that place :). Outside the tunnel are these steam pool, which is a combination of cold water and hot water from the steam itself. These are the private pools.

As you can see, there's a legend that says "The Rock". Well, it's actually a rock for us to manipulate the warmt of our pool. We can block the flow of the hot steam by placing the rock on the flow of the hot steam and/or unblock its flow again to have our ideal temperature of the water. The hose, which the girl was holding, was actually the cold water.

An outside shot of the private pool. If you click on this photo, you would actually see a small-size waterfall which we used for bathing ourselves after the dip on the steam pool.

These are some just of the forms of water I've been able to visit. But, there are still other wonderful and superb beaches and waterfalls around the country that you can check out in the search engine. Have a wonderful day! =D

Thank You for the Roses!

When my Mom and I went to the wet market, we passed by in this flower shop, and I was shocked when Mom started to run toward this person in the shop whom I didn't know! It's happened that this person was my Mom's long distant relative, and also the owner of the shop! As I was looking around, I have found beautiful flowers -- from orchids to roses, and daisies to lilies -- they were all very wonderful and beautiful. I was surprised when the owner gave me a bundle of roses in different colors, for free! Awww, how sweet of her! The instant she handled it to me, I was smelling the roses non-stop. But, don't get me wrong. As a lady, I have been receiving roses too. But that day was memorable. I was like a child who was smelling roses for the first time! And, as a memorabilia, I took some shots of the roses.

And placed it next to Sto. Nino and Sacred Heart of Jesus...

Buko Salad and Buko Pandan

The other night, I was making the two of my most favorite desserts: Buko Salad and Buko Pandan. My Mama and Papa brought home a dozen of coconuts from our farm, so they asked me to make they favorite dessert, the Buko Salad. But, since I also love Buko Pandan, they didn't have the choice but to spare some of the coconuts to make it as Buko Pandan. (Hey, I'll be the one who will make the desserts, anyway!) Thankfully, they said both taste so good (in which, I am very flattered, of course). So, here it is. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. (lol)

From this...

To this...

And, the best part is...TASTING TIME, by the cook herself!

Until next time! :D

Friday Shoot-out: Love is in the Air (because the color is red) (",)

This was displayed inside the mall during the love month.
("All I see is love...")

Kids @ Play

Last Saturday, in the celebration of my Mom's birthday, we went to the beach. With us are my nephew and nieces, and I took pictures of them while they were playing on the volleyball ground. I just love looking at children who are playing and having fun like it seems there are no burdens in their hearts. I am jealous of them! Wish to be a kid again. =D

Stolen shot of the kids playing in the volleyball ground (and pretending to have a ball, lol.)
Here playing are Isa and Justin.

Isa, PJ, and Justin.