Go Beyond Borders.

This was Father Raymond Arre's message during his homily this afternoon (21st of January). He talked about boundaries - those invisible "lines" we're not supposed to cross.

The Gospel today is from Mark 3:1-6. It's about a man with a withered hand who was healed by Jesus on the day of the Sabbath (which the Pharisees regard as unlawful).

Jesus tells us that sometimes, we have to cross boundaries, get out of our comfort zones, stretch our arms and reach out to our brothers and sisters in need.

I remember the International Missions Ministry of our community - "Beyond Borders". And I admire every single missionary who devotes his/her time and talent and treasure in service to others for the greater glory of God. I look up to those who go to the ends of the earth, mindful of the risks they have to take and obstacles they have to overcome, hopeful that the Lord will bless and protect them, and determined to proclaim God's kingdom and to testify to His love and mercy and goodness. (I can't be among them yet, but I would love to be one of them. Soon - if God says so.)

As I reflect on Father Raymond's homily, I came to realize one thing: Life isn't just black or white. There exists gray.

There are rules. But there are exceptions. There are "in-betweens." It's not always a matter of "right" or "wrong."

It's not wrong to follow conventions, it's not wrong to stick to the rules, it's not wrong to continue with the traditions, with what we're used to (and taught to) do, BUT, we have to ask ourselves: "Have we grown? Have we developed a deeper sense of maturity?"

While there is danger in crossing the line (going beyond the boundaries), there is also a risk of having a stagnant (not growing, not developing) life in "not crossing the line."

Which do we prefer? To succeed in doing nothing? Or to fail in doing something?

May we not always choose to be "safe", rather, may we be risk-takers, eager to discover new shores, learn new crafts, and be brave enough to respond to God's call and go where He leads us.

Father Raymond ended his homily with these words:
God is telling us, "Know your boundaries, but also learn to stretch your hands, your hearts, and your minds so that you can come closer to Me."

Those words reminded me of one of my favorite songs in the community. I have always loved to sing this:

And I will climb this mountain
And I'll step off the shore
And I have chosen to follow
To be by Your side forevermore...

Set your boundaries. But be bold enough to extend your territories. Never stop growing. Never stop learning. Live, not just exist. :)

Again, God bless everyone! ^_^ Until next post. :)

Be Like A Child.

Last Sunday (January 18) was the Feast of the Sto. Niño. Father Hernan's homily centered on the Gospel's challenge for to us to be childlike, as it is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord.

He gave these three characteristics of a child:
1. Innocence - "tabula rasa" (blank sheet); just like a child, our minds should be pure and free of evil/negative thoughts
2. Humility - acceptance of what you have and who you are; just like a child, we should be content with what God has given us; to be humble is to accept that God is and will always be greater than us, and that there's really nothing we could ever be proud of, nothing we could ever claim our own (for everything comes from, and belongs to Him)
3. Dependence to Parents - just as a child is dependent to his/her parents, so must we be dependent to God

Just thought of sharing.

God bless everyone! ^_^

*A life without God is a life of trouble and confusion.* - Father Hernan Mendoza, Sto. Rosario De Pasig Parish Parochial Vicar

*****

Some more messages...

*Contrary to popular belief, a storm does not make a house stronger; it only reveals the strength already there.

*Use things, not people. Love people, not things.

*One day, a conversation between a teenager and his grandpa was heard. The young man said, "Gee! Grandpa your generation didn't have all these social diseases. You didn't have AIDS during your time. What did you wear to have safe sex?" The wise old man replied, "A wedding ring." ^_^

single ako kasi...

GO TO NUMBERS 10 & 9. :))

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BAKIT "SINGLE" ANG STATUS MO

ang ilang mga rason kung bakit...

11. Destiny Adik
Eto yung mga naghihintay kay "Destiny" na gumawa ng paraan para pagtagpuin sila ng kanilang mga "partner in life".. ayannn... kakapanood nyo ng "Serendipity" eh feeling nyo ang nangyari sa movie eh mangyayari rin sa inyo... such a cliche.. hindi ba nyo alam na kung walang effort destiny is useless.

10. Perfectionist/Mapili
Yes, isang taong perpeksiyonista. Yung tipong "dapat ganito ang magiging kapartner ko". Pag may nakilala, nakita lang na pangit ang kuko o may dumi lang, turn-off na agad. O kaya ang daming ayaw. Ayaw sa mabait, boring daw, gusto bad boy/pilya pero kapag pinaiyak ka tatanungin ka "bakit ang sama mo", "bakit mo nagawa yun!"... Adik ka ba?!... Ayaw sa cute, ayaw din naman sa panget. Meron dyan gusto ka ayaw mo naman.. yung gusto mo halos magtambling ka pero deadma pa rin yang stunts mO sa kanya! Pasaway ka rin e! Ano ba talaga kuya?

9. Busy Busyhan
Opo, eto yung ang mundo e gumagalaw lang sa libro at ballpen kung estudyante ka o kaya naman sa computer at files kung office staff ka. Yung tipong aalis ng bahay ng alas 6 o alas 7 ng umaga at uuwi ng bahay ng 6 hanggang alas 8 ng gabi [baligtad naman para sa mga nag tratrabaho sa call center]. Sabay tulog na. Kapag sabado masaya na sila sa tv, sa pagkain na niluluto ni mama at sa linggo naman sisimba at maghahanda na ng kelangan para sa lunes hanggang byernes. Pssssst.. pause for a while naman!

8. Friendship Theory
Ano naman ito?... Eto yung ang buhay ay kay bestfriend o kaya kay special friend, na hindi masabi-sabi sa friendship nya sa loob ng kanilang mahabang panahon na pagsasama, dahil baka daw maapektuhan ang pakikipagkaibigan at iwasan sya. Yung tipong pag may kasama si friendship na iba, nagseselos na wala naman sa lugar, pero syempre wag pahalata, kunyari happy sya for friendship. ABA ! Oi! Lakasan mo ang loob mo at baka mamaya forever mong pagsisihan yan, kaw rin!... Minsan pa naman pareho pala kayong naghihintayan. . hmmp!

7. Born-to-be-one (Autistic)
Eto yung nasa palad na ang pagiging single daw. Walang reasons. Basta lang nabuhay sya sa mundo na mag-isa at feeling nya mamamatay sya sa mundong mag-isa. Kesyo magmamadre o magpapari na lang... Asa kang tatanggapin ka pa noh!

6. Happy-go-lucky
Eto yung taong walang alam kundi kasiyahan at trippings. Kahit sino na lang basta no strings attached. For fun lang daw... Walang halong seryosohan. ABA hoy! Yang init ng katawan mo e ikiskis mo na lang sa pader. Makakahanap ka rin ng katapat mo!!!

5. Wrong Place
May nakaranas na ba nito? Yung pakiramdam mo nasa ibang mundo ka. Yung ang nakakaharap mo e yung mga hindi mo gusto, yung mga hindi mo hinahanap.
Alam mo yun? Halimbawa nasa ibang bansa ka, pero ang hinahanap mo e yung amoy ng nasa sariling bayan mo. O kaya naman e nasa sarili mong bayan ka, nasa normal na lipunan, pero ikaw ang abnormal at hindi mo kayang sabihin na abnormal din ang hanap mo kung ayaw mong ibitin ka nila ng patiwarik.

4. Wrong Time
Eto yung mga tao na sinasabi na "hindi pa ako ready e, bata pa kasi ako" o kaya naman "hindi pa ako handa sa panahong ito", "wala pa ako kayang ipagmalaki". Yes meron pong ganyan. Yung feeling nila may tamang panahon para sa love. Awwwwwww!... Aba kelan yun?!... Pag uugod-ugod ka na at yung time mo e bitin na? O baka naman pag pang-out of time ka na? Oist, sugod lang ng sugod!

3. Si Parents kasi...
Yes, factor din ang komyunidad na ginagalawan mo. Una, ayaw pa ni mader o pader na magkaron ka kahit 22 anyos ka na at kelangan umabot ka muna raw ng 40 bago magkaroon ng gf/bf. O kaya naman ikaw mismo! Takot sa sasabihin ni parents at ni kapitbahay na tsismosa sa magiging kasama mo. Aba ikaw na nga ba ang sabihan na "Alam mo hindi kayo bagay. Langit at lupa kayo."
Awwwww!... Payo ko sayo, "Pakialam nila diba?... Palibhasa inggit!"

2. Traumatic Experience
Eto kalimitan ang reason ng marami. "Ayaw ko na!!! Takot na ako mangyari pa ang nangyari dati!"... O diba, ang drama ng layp?... Yes, tama ka. Eto yung dahil sa past relationship mo, e until now aayaw mo nang magkaroon at sinumpa mo na ata ang magmahal. Dahil sa pinagpalit ka sa mas pangit, o kaya naman iniwan ka ng walang word na bye-bye, o dahil binugbog ka!, ano pa ba?... Madami yan wag na nating isa-isahin at baka tumulo si tears, heheh... Gayunpaman, eto lang masasabi ko mga hija at hijo... Ibat-iba ang lasa ng pag-ibig. May mapait, may mapakla, may matamis at may maasim. Aba , mapalad ka at natikman mo ang ibat-ibang lasa nito! Kaya ikaw, "Do not be afraid to fall in love again... malay mo, sweetiness na ang malasahan mo next time.! E di panalo ka sa lotto! Yan ang nagpapalakas sayo... Yan ang bumubuhay sayo... ang pag-ibig. Tsk! Drama!

1. EX to the Nth power
Oi, aminin!!! LOVE pa rin si Ex kahit 1 or 2 yrs na ang nakakalipas. May ganito naman. Yung tipong ilang taon na ang nakakalipas, hindi pa rin makalimutan si ex. Yung pinagsamahan, yung tawanan, yung iyakan, at lahat ng nangyari sa inyo nung kayo pa. Malungkot man at sa kung anumang kadahilanan, maganda man o masama ito, kelangan nyo ng magpaalam sa isa't-isa... YES, after a year sasabihin natin, "I'm over him/her na.", pero pag-usapan natin ang love at ang nangyari sa ating relastionship from the past, TADANNNNNNNNNNNNN, eto na, sya agad ang naalala mo. At habang nagkukwento ka, OUCH! may kirot, o kaya may ngiti at may bumabagabag sa iyong kalooban. Ano kaya yun?!... AMININ mo na kasi, MAHAL mo pa si EX...

Isa lang ang masasabi ko, well, mahirap sya kalimutan alam ko yan, pero open your heart and makipagdate ka, lumabas ka, at try to entertain someone. Wag mo ikumpara si ex sa iba. At give urself a KITKAT, take a break.

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ang saya ng post na 'to. haha. thanks shy and ate chris. :)

opo, number 10 at number 9 ang mga dahilan ko. hehe. gusto niyo ng proof? haha.

meron akong list ng "ideal man" ko. yessssssss people! may ganun! haha. kaya lang hindi ko nagamit masyado dati kaya naman failed tuloy. haha. joke lang. pero seryoso, may list talaga ako. at ngayon, mas strict na talaga ako. :D pero clarify ko lang, hindi ako ito: "Ayaw sa mabait, boring daw, gusto bad boy/pilya pero kapag pinaiyak ka tatanungin ka "bakit ang sama mo", "bakit mo nagawa yun!"... Adik ka ba?!... Ayaw sa cute, ayaw din naman sa panget. Meron dyan gusto ka ayaw mo naman.. yung gusto mo halos magtambling ka pero deadma pa rin yang stunts mO sa kanya!" basta mapili ako. period. :D

obvious naman sigurong busy-busyhan ako diba? (hindi masyado, ang daldal ko pa rin sa blog e. hehe. naiipon kasi kaya ganun. tsaka hindi na kasi ako laging nakakapag-online kaya naman kapag nag-online ako, sinusulit ko na. hehe. nagpaliwanag pa talaga.)

pero seryosong, busy talaga ako.

Mondays: ES 204;

Tuesdays/Thursdays: SFC Chorale Rehearsal (ang saya nito! hindi namin alam na may audition pala. haha. konting time lang tuloy yung practice, as in minutes lang talaga. "In Him Alone" yung prinactice ko pero "Anima Christi" yung nakanta ko. haha. by the way, kelangan pa po namin ng tenors at bass. at open pa rin ang audition for sopranos and altos, until next week siguro. kaya sa mga SFC na sasama sa ICON, join na! :) contact kuya josef poe for more info.)

Wednesdays/Fridays: thesis

Fridays: teachings/assemblies

Saturdays: SAGIP sessions

Sundays: service sa 11am mass sa Lifehomes

EVERYDAY: tutorial/thesis/aral/at kung anong iutos ni mama, papa, tita

sa tingin niyo may time pa ako para sa lovelife? wala na diba? haha. kaya single ako. :) at masaya maging single! marami akong nagagawa, sulit ang buhay. :) ayaw ko bang magka-lovelife? hindi naman. gusto ko rin syempre. ayaw pa nga lang ng lovelife sken ngayon. i-enjoy ko raw muna ang buhay. hehe. pero alam kong parating na siya, malapit na. o baka nga dumating na siya, hinihintay na lang niyang magka-time ako. haha. *hopeful*

ang saya! stressful, pero masaya! actually, sa lahat ng ginagawa ko, thesis yung pinaka-stressful, pero enjoy pa rin lalo na pag nakakakita ako ng "light". hehe. akala ko nga nung saturday, tapos na ako e. gumana kasi yung algorithm ko sa mga data set na tinest ko. pero sabi nga ni sir henry, sa mga simpleng bagay, dun pa tayo sumasablay minsan. at ganun na nga ang nangyari. "01" lang ang nakasira sa algo ko. tsk. pero ok lang. sabi rin ni bo sanchez, "fail quickly, so that you can try again." :) ayan, napahaba na naman ang kwento. hehe. enough na. serious mode na uli. :)

hanggang sa susunod na kwento. :D

kamusta pala kayo? i hope everyone's good. :)

ikaw, bakit ka single? :D

GOD knows.

Wednesday, January 14.

I accomplished a lot today, just as I do on most days. :) But the best thing about today is Father Raymond's Homily.

Most, if not all, of us have already heard and/or used the expression "God knows." And according to Father Raymond, that expression could mean three things:

1. We use it when we want to talk about some indescribable or unexplainable event or feeling. (God knows how happy I am to be here with all of you. OR God knows how blessed I am to have you.)

2. We use it to keep secrets or when we don't want to speak any further. (God knows. Period.)

3. We use it when want to comfort someone and we don't know what to tell him/her. (God knows how you feel and what you're going through.)

Indeed, God knows!

And it's not simply KNOWLEDGE. It's knowledge with a sense of intimacy. God doesn't just know our names, but He knows every little thing about us. God knows what we feel. God knows what joy is in our hearts. God knows our success. God knows our failures. God knows how broken we are. God knows who we really are.

We ought to know too. We ought to know the sufferings of others. We ought to know the needs of our brothers and sisters. We ought to be aware of and be sensitive to the feelings of the people around us. We ought to know God.

The question for us is this: How do we know God?

Do we just know Him by name? Or we know Him so well that we can introduce Him to people through the way we live our lives?

God knows us, do we really know Him?

God knows us. Let's do our best to know Him. :)

To end this post, I would like to share one of my most-loved songs for Daddy God.

This is from Rebecca St. James. (You can listen to my playlist here. It's also posted on my Multiply homepage. ^_^)

PSALM 139

You search me
You know me
You see my every move
There's nothing I could ever do
To hide myself from You
You know my thoughts
My fears and hurts
My weaknesses and my pride
You know what I am going through
And how I feel inside
But even though You know
You will always love me
Even though You know
You'll never let me go
I don't deserve Your love
But You give it freely,
You will always love me
Even though You know
You will always love me
Even though you know

Happy, blessed, and fruitful day everyone! ^_^

simple lang.*

"Minsan, sa mga simpleng bagay, dun ka pa sumasablay." - sinabi ito ni Sir Henry during one of our meetings. i wrote it down because i believed there's truth in it (kelan ba nagsabi ng nonsense si Sir Henry? yun pa, e bilib nga ako dun e. ^_^). at kanina nga, nakita ko uli yung paper na pinagsulatan ko nun at alam kong hindi lang yun nagkataon. i saw those words because God wanted to remind me of the wisdom that they contain. true enough, there are times when we fail to do what seemed to be so simple and easy. why? because we take them for granted. we depend too much on our assumption that they are simple, therefore, we no longer pay attention to them. nabubulag na agad tayo ng akalang "kayang-kaya" nating gawin ang mga simpleng bagay (o di kaya unawain ang mga simpleng kaisipan). at hindi ako exempted. yes, guilty rin ako minsan. tama si Sir Henry, minsan, sa mga simpleng bagay pa tayo sumasablay kasi nagiging over-confident na tayo sa sarili natin at sa kakayahan natin.

lesson? "Hindi lahat ng simple ay madali, at hindi lahat ng madali ay simple." sabi nga ni Sir Jim, one of the important leadership skills is the ability to pay attention to details. i say, "pay attention even to the smallest, simplest details."

ito ang naisip kong analogy to make my point clear: a semicolon (;) is a simple punctuation mark, but in the world of programming, it's a very important and powerful tool. forget the semicolon and your program won't run (compile time pa lang may error na). ganun din yung curly braces, parentheses, etc. kung iisipin natin, simpleng symbols lang naman sila pero sa mga gaya naming kelangang gumawa ng program/mag-submit ng MPs, very crucial ang paggamit sa kanila. sumablay ka sa paglagay ng semicolon, sablay din ang program mo.

let's not underestimate the simple things, because sometimes, the simple things are the best ones, and yes, they could be the most important also.

(minsan, kahit sa tao, ganun din... yung mga simple, yun ang mga "big time" )

ever heard of this: "SIMPLE PERO ROCK!"? that says it all. simple things are NOT JUST SIMPLE things! let's not neglect them!

*ang lahat ng naka-post dito ay pananaw lamang ng author. hindi ko po sinasabing tama ako. i'm just sharing my thoughts. ^_^

they need us..

at least our prayers..

please click the following links: (warning: sites contain heartbreaking photos.)

Gaza Strip, The Untold Story.

Do we remember them?

Now in Gaza.

"No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list."

start small..

the holiday season is over. back to acad mode. back to busy mode. "hectic" would never be enough to describe the kind of schedule that i have (ok, exaggerated. hehe.).. this year would definitely be a more exciting (and therefore, busier) year for me! seven words: I AM GOING TO CONQUER THE PHILIPPINES! haha. joke. but seriously, i'll be traveling a lot, from Bohol to Cebu to Sulu. oh yeah! :D

but before all those trips, i have to finish my responsibilities first.. waaaahh! there's so much to do.. and i have so little time.. speaking of "little", let me share Bo's great insight about starting small (and achieving big!). (it was actually the reason why i blogged.. pero syempre, bilang makwento talaga akong tao, at na-miss ko na ring mag-blog, dumaldal na naman ako. hehe.)

Bo shared the story about the Multiplication of Loaves. you can view the full video here.

some inspiring words (which touched me, really):

"It takes very little to feed many. You don't have to have much to save the world.. you just have to have little.."

"If you wanna bless the world, start small, start with the little that you have.. and with the little that you have, the Lord will multiply."

Do not ever say "I have nothing to give." YOU HAVE MUCH TO GIVE.

let us not underestimate ourselves. we are God's creation, we were created for a purpose, and that purpose is to bless the world. let's not waste our blessings, no matter how small they may seem. i have always believed that God will indeed multiply the little that we have if only we use it for His greater glory. ^_^

*****

"It's your attitude, not your aptitude, which determines your altitude in life." -Anonymous

-found this great message 2 nights ago on one of the sites i visited. i was googling some place in southern leyte when i came across the above quote. can't help but share, makes sense, right? i found wisdom in it. ^_^

happy new year everyone! let's welcome 2009 with hopeful hearts. all good things will come to us, let's claim it! ^_^

God is good. God is great. God knows best! ^_^