lessons on love, life, and other things.. [huling hirit sa 2007]

here are some 'pahabol' lessons before the start of another year..

~There is no such thing as 'compatibility'. You have to work things out. It takes two to tango. Communicate. Listen. [Father Babes Amper's Homily]

~The darkest time of the day is the minute before sunrise. So when you feel that you're at the darkest moment of your life, remember that sunrise is just a minute away. ^_^

~Doubting is correct, but doubting everything is not. [Mao Tse Tung - courtesy of binoy]

~The most humbling statement we can say is, "I AM NOTHING WITHOUT GOD", and our most powerful statement is, "WITH GOD, I CAN DO ANYTHING."

~The winner says, "it may be difficult, but it is possible." The loser says, "it may be possible, but it is difficult."

again, happy 2008 everyone! be blessed and be a blessing! ^_^

lessons from the year that was..

before 2007 ends, i would like to remember the lessons that i learned.. i'll be throwing everything away.. diaries, planners, notes, everything.. but before i do that, let me share what i have written in my planner.. dun kasi sa planner ko, may space where i can write the best advice that i got for that month.. tapos meron ding simple words of wisdom printed on the cover of the planner.. at yun po ang gusto kong i-share.. ^_^

this month's best advice:

JANUARY -> Love the heart that hurts you but never hurt the heart that loves you.

FEBRUARY -> Love like you've never been hurt. [I've done this. I DID!]

MARCH -> Keep your optimism. After all, no one has ever damaged his eyesight by looking at the brighter side of life.

APRIL -> There are only four words that sound so much better than "i love you" and those are "i'm here to stay." [This is one of my favorites.]

MAY -> Don't hold on for too long to what is never meant to be. Sometimes we need to set things free before it hurts us badly. [enough said.]
-> I've heard it's possible to grow up, I've just never met anyone who's done it. We're all like children - we throw tantrums when things don't go our way, we cry in our rooms when the pain gets too tough, we yearn for innocence when life throws us reality, and like children, we hope and just never stop hoping.

JUNE -> An arrow can be shot only by dragging it back. So when life is dragging us back with difficulties, it means it's going to launch us into victory.

JULY -> We are not supposed to always understand why certain things happen. We don't have to always know the reasons why God allows some things to take place. All that is asked from us is to trust Him completely and let Him be in control. God will never fail us. Not now. Not ever!

AUGUST -> Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.
-> The Bible says, "God will never give you a burden you can't bear." So when you have a problem and you think its impossible to fix, take it as a compliment, God knows you can!

SEPTEMBER -> God will never leave you empty. He will replace everything you lost. If He asks you to put something down, its because He wants you to pick up something big.

OCTOBER -> Failure is always a part of success. Never give up! Everything will turn out right in God's time.

NOVEMBER -> The Lord is merciful and will not reject us forever. He may bring us sorrow but His love for us is sure and strong. [Lamentations 3:31-32]

DECEMBER -> You have to leave certain things behind in order for you to grow. [DJ Marco, Mellow 94.7 sobrang sakto!]

here's more.. =)

*Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. -Brooks Atkinson

*The best way to succeed in life is to act on the advice we give to others. -Anonymous

*First, keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others. -Thomas a Kempis

*Be ready when opportunity comes. Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet. -R.D. Chapin Jr.

*The greatness of a man can be measured in his willingness to be kind.

*You are bigger than the things that annoy you.

*Commit to love because it is RIGHT not because it FEELS good.

*Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear. -Mark Twain

*Growth is the only evidence of life. -J.H. Newman

*No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.

*Every man dies. Not every man truly lives. -Braveheart

*Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. -Erica Jong [kaya nga hindi na ako humihingi ng advice e.. hehe..]

*Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. -Churchill

*There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle. -Albert Einstein

*Without the rain, there can be no rainbow.

*The only limits to the possibilities in your life tomorrow are the buts you use today. -Les Brown

*If you wish success in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother and hope your guardian genius. -Joseph Addison

*I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about? -Henry Ford

*Give God what is right not what is left.

*The first duty of love is to listen. -Paul Tillich

*You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it. -Charles Buxton

*Be the best of whoever you are.

*No one is in control of your happiness but you.

*No one's head aches when he is comforting another. -Indian Proverb

*Plan ahead: it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

*Promise only what you can deliver. Deliver more than you promise.

*A certain amount of opposition is of great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with the wind. -John Neal

*The surest way to happiness is to lose yourself in a cause greater than yourself.

*Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do. -Helen Keller

*Change your thoughts and you change your world. -Norman Vincent Peale

*Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before. -James Buckham

*The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. -John Locke

*What we see depends mainly on what we look for. -John Lubbock

*Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting. -Elizabeth Bibesco

*Well done is better than well said.

*The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything. -Theodore Roosevelt

*Stay committed to your decisions but stay flexible to your approach. -Tony Robbins

*One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer. -G. E. Lessing

*Things are beautiful if you love them. -Jean Anouilh

*Joy is not in things, it is in us. -Richard Wagner

*I have found that if you love life, life will love you back. -Arthur Rubinstein

*Let go and let God.

the year that was..

2007 is almost ever.. and yes, i'm thankful that it will be over.. finally.. sobrang daming nangyari.. may maganda, pero mas maraming hindi.. at ayoko ng alalahanin pa.. hehe.. ang importante, sa lahat ng yun, may mga natutunan ako.. i'll forget the bad memories but not the lessons.. ^_^

at sa pagtatapos ng taon, marami akong dapat pasalamatan.. and i'll use this opportunity to thank the people who stayed with me through the good and the bad times.. kayo ang dahilan kung bakit naging makabuluhan ang 2007 sken.. marami talagang hindi magandang nangyari, but without you guys, hindi ako sigurado kung makaka-survive ako.. salamat dahil nandiyan kayo..

sa family ko.. mama, papa, arnold.. maraming salamat sa suporta.. truly you are the wind beneath my wings.. i love you next to God! we are not a perfect family, but we are the best!

tweet2.. mars, alpha, leyn, chai, dan, binoy.. i can't thank you enough.. hindi ko ma-imagine college life ko without you guys.. you're the best things in up.. sobrang mahal ko kayo.. alam ko walang iwanan.. and i commit to you guys, i'll be with you for life..

westlife sisters.. grabe, ang saya ng pasko dahil kasama ko kayo.. sobrang nakakamiss yung high school days natin.. pero i'm thankful na hindi nasira ng panahon at distansya ang pagkakaibigan natin.. solid sisters for life! i love you girls!

bez, nap, jeff, john, analyn, rey, osang, crix, ferdinand, paul, jobert, irene, sis rona, at sa lahat ng classmates ko mula elem hanggang high school.. pati batchmates na nakakausap ko pa hanggang ngayon.. salamat sa hindi paglimot.. keep in touch.. mahal ko kayo..

dj, jenny, jen, jay-em, ken, joebet, salamat sa walang sawang pagtulong, pagreply sa mga txt ko, pagsagot sa mga tanong, at pagsama sken sa CS.. if not for you guys, malamang nag-shift na talaga ako.. thanks for pushing me to go on..

friends, acquaintances, at sa lahat ng nakilala/nakasama ko.. thank you! =)

at higit sa lahat, sa buong SFC community lalo na sa Rosario at Kabisig Chapters.. maraming maraming salamat..

ate leah, salamat po sa lahat ng talks.. sobrang na-bless mo po ako..

kuya pip, ate jing, kuya don, salamat sa tiwala.. sa suporta.. at sa lahat..

daddy at mommy, thank you sobra for treating me as your bebe.. i wish you all the best.. flower girl ako ha? hehe..

sa mga anak ko, melai at velle.. ano pa bang sasabihin ko? you're my angels.. i love you girls.. dito lang si mommy ha? i'm just a text away..

cris & alvin of Taytay Chapter, thanks guys! thanks for being nice to me..

sidh, my everdearest batchmate, salamat salamat salamat.. alam mo na yun.. don't worry dear, mas mag-iisip na ako.. ^_^

kuya rhed, thank you sa suporta.. tayo daw uli partner next CLP ah.. hindi nga lang sa music min, reg naman daw.. galingan natin ha? dapat best committee uli tayo.. hehe..

jat, salamat sa lahat.. lalo na sa *wawit*.. ^_^

sa mga bago, lalo na kina patrick, bj, jean, jb, agnes, sheryl, karen, at carl, salamat din.. welcome to the family. =)

sa mga nakalimutan kong banggitin, basta salamat..

ang post na ito ay para sa inyo lang talaga.. salamat sa pagiging bahagi ng 2007 ko.. 'til 2008! ^_^

-aiza/unai-

some thoughts..

"why do most people seem to fall for their friend at one point or another?
its because we see a great person.. someone who knows us inside and out, someone who's been there when we were down, someone who knows what makes us laugh and what makes us cry, someone who cares. we see the perfect someone in our friend, but what we don't see is that as soon as we take that next step, they will turn into someone we never knew at all.. pathetic truth.."

is it? i don't think so.. i believe this is what happens: we create an image of our ideal man/woman and we expect our special someone to be exactly what we want. tapos pag hindi nya na-meet yung expectations natin, we get disappointed.. tapos iiwan natin siya without realizing na hindi naman niya kasalanan na hindi siya gaya ng iniisip natin.. diba?

hay.. enough na.. tapos na ako sa mga ganyang usapan.. hehe..

nanood nga pala kame nina mama ng 'The Punisher' and here are some of the best lines from the movie..

"Ignorance is no excuse." - Mr. Saint

"Vaya con Dios. [Go with God]" - Candelaria

"Upset? Is that the word? I used to get upset when I had a flat tire. I used to get upset when a plane was delayed. I used to get upset when the Yankees won the series. So if that's what 'upset' means, then how do I feel now? If you know the word, tell me.. because I don't." - Frank Castle/The Punisher

"Don't let your memories kill you." - Joanne

"I know what it's like to try and make your memories go away. You can make new memories, good ones. Good memories can save your life." - Joanne

"I leave this as a declaration of intent so no one will be confused. Number One: Sic vis pacem para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war. Number Two: Frank Castle is dead. He died with his family. Number Three: In certain extreme situations, the law is inadequate. In order to shame its inadequacy, it is necessary to act outside the law, to pursue natural justice. This is not vengeance. Revenge is not a valid motive, it's an emotional response. No, not vengeance.. punishment!" - Frank Castle/The Punisher

"Those who do evil to others - the killers, the rapists, psychos, sadists, you will come to know me well. Frank Castle is dead. Call me.. The Punisher!" - The Punisher

no time? well, i have.. =)

i attended a recollection this evening and i was enlightened, comforted, and liberated.. the speaker was father mario, one of my favorite priests..

when i saw him stepped in, i wasn't able to contain my excitement that i had to text peter about it.. and his reply was 'ok. happy for you.'

oh yes, i AM happy, although i was alone there [walang pumunta sa mga niyaya ko, therefore wala akong ibang kausap dun.. mga tanders pa karamihan ng attendees.. oh well, i've done my part already.. it's not my loss, anyway..]

and because i've been SO BLESSED, i can't help but share it with you guys.. hindi kaya sa txt lang eh.. kaya i decided to post it here.. please bear with me, medyo mahaba na naman ito.. as usual.. pero sana kahit pa'no may mapulot naman kayo..

i'll try to give justice to father mario's talk.. i hope that at the end of this post, may makuha naman kayo, kahit konti.. may you be blessed in the same way that i've been blessed..

of course iba pa rin yung first-hand experience, but i'll try my best na maiparamdam sa inyo yung naramdaman ko. ^^

ok, enough of the long intro.. let's get started..

let me begin with this poem.. [as father mario did]

***NO TIME***

I knelt to pray but not too long
I had too much to do
Must hurry off and get to work
For the bills would soon be due

And so I said a hurried prayer
Jumped up from off my knees
My Christian duty now is done
My soul could be at ease

And through the day
I had no time to speak a word of cheer
No time to speak of Chist 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 to those in need
Till at last it was time to die

And when before the Lord I came
I stood with downcast eyes
Within His hand he held a book
It was the Book of Life
He looked into the Book of Life and said,
"Your name, I cannot find
I once was going to wtite it down
But never found the time."

***END***

i believe there's no need for me to explain what the poem was all about. it's simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. just a quick note from father mario: we, people, often consider prayer as a spare tire which we use in replace of a flat tire or in other words, "in case of emergency." what we do not realize is that prayer should be the steering wheel that will guide and direct us in our journey.

Christianity is a relationship.. and therefore, it must be nourished.. how? through a regular prayer time and service.. let's think of God as our partner.. how do we show Him our love? one way is to spend time with Him.. and that is through prayer and meditation/reflection.. prayer is our time to speak to God, meditation/reflection is God's time to speak to us..

two-way dapat ang communication, just like in any other relationship.. you have the right to speak, but you also have the responsibility to listen.. yan ang karaniwang nagiging problema sa isang relasyon.. gusto ng isa siya lang ang magsasalita.. unfair naman yun.. dapat matuto ka ring makinig.. hindi lang ikaw ang may bibig.. at isa pa, di ba nga we have one mouth and two ears? do the logic. =)

after we realize that Christianity is a relationship, the next thing to prepare for is death.. the life eternal.. parang ang bilis ba? hindi naman.. read on para maintindihan nyo.. ^_^

think of this: "unless you have accepted the fact that one day you will die, you will not truly live"

i'm sure most of you are familiar with this: "our citizenship is in heaven" - its written in the Bible and in Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life..

so what about it? ano naman kung mamamatay tayo? umm.. wala naman.. it's this simple.. "the essence of living is in dying.."

all throughout our lives, we are continuously blessed.. the very fact that we exist is already a blessing.. and this is reality: "after you have been blessed, God expects you to be a blessing to others." i remembered a text message i once received.. it was about a man complaining to God of the miseries of the world.. and he even questioned God's power ("if you are indeed God, how come you are not doing anything?").. this was God's reply: "I did something. I sent you. Be a blessing."

as what father mario has said: "what others have become because of you is more important than what you have become."

God knows when to send people where the need is urgent.. kaya when you find yourself in a situation you don't expect or you're not ready to face, be steadfast.. God placed you there for a reason.. you must therefore use that as an opportunity to be a blessing.. Act. Do something.

hindi mahalaga kung gaano katagal ka nabuhay sa mundo, ang mas mahalaga, kung paano ka nabuhay..

tanong ni father: "nasaan ang kaligayahan mo?"

sabi ni Richard Wagner, "Joy is not in things, it is in us."

and yes, i agree to that.. happiness comes from within.. and for me, it comes from loving..

hay.. love na naman.. don't worry people, i'm not talking about romantic love here.. what i mean is Christian love.. ^_^

another thought: "you can be a giver without being a lover, but you cannot be a lover without being a giver." and based on that, i can proudly say that i am a lover, not just a giver.. [may kokontra ba? sapak gusto niyo? hehe.. nanakot talaga ako di ba? hindi naman.. nagbabanta lang.. LOL..]

the following statements are self-explanatory.. hindi na rin pinaliwanag sa amin ni father mario.. pero i swear, may malalim na wisdom yung bawat statement.. kayo na bahala magdiscover.. =)

here they go..

*we can get so involved with WHAT we are doing that we forget WHY we are doing it.
we can get so involved with plain existing that we forget the purpose of living.
we can get so involved with the things that money can buy that we forget the things that money cannot buy.. [and what are the things that money cannot buy? house but not a home, books but not knowledge, medicine but not health, pleasure but not happiness..think about that..]

*one of the greatest tragedies that can befall a man is to feel so at home in this world that he forgets that his real and permanent home is in the next.

*strange how we can be preoccupied with a life we can't hold on to and neglect an eternity we can't run away from.

*contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want but the realization of what you already have. count your blessings..count them slow.

*if there is anything better than sharing with others the best of what you have, it is sharing with them the best of who you are.
>>just be yourself. you don't have to be a superhero to make a difference. just do something.

*when you share your life with others, life begins to find its meaning. the time you share your life with others is the moment you truly live.

[this following truth is almost always taken for granted. but this is important.. something to really think about..]
*GOD WILL CONDEMN US NOT ONLY FOR THE EVIL WE HAVE DONE, BUT MORE SO FOR THE GOOD WE DID NOT DO.*

Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: "we ourselves sometimes feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. but if we do not do what we are doing, the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." [simple but sensible]

as a conclusion, eto lang yung major point ng buong recollection.. live life to the fullest.. live for God's glory.. bless and touch the lives of others.. be a living testimony of God's love and goodness.. leave a legacy.. live life in such a way that when you die, people will be able to say this: "God permitted us to meet. I don't know why. But this I will tell you, you are one of the reasons why i continue to believe God is a good God."

my sharing ends here folks.. i hope you all gained something from this post.. just as i did..

i was blessed.. and i'm sharing that blessing to you.. if you too were blessed, go and bless others as well.. ^_^