Before I Start Each Day...

It’s quiet. It’s early. The day is coming. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary , I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose Love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love. Today, I will love God and what God loves.
I choose Joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose Peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose Patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so.
Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of clinching my fist at a new assignment, I will face them with joy and courage.
I choose Kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose Goodness…
I will go without a cent before I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked before I will boast.
I will confess before I will accuse.
I choose goodness.
I choose Faithfulnes…
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My associates will not question my word.
My spouse will not question my love.
And my children will never fear that I will not come home.
I choose Gentleness…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose Self-Control…
I am a spiritual being…
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.
I choose self-control.
I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…
To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I will seek his grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

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by MAX LUCADO
When God Whispers Your Name

Inside Society's Canvas

I don’t know if you’ve seen this before but I came across this documentary clip on You Tube and I thought of sharing this with you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzYgSJCPEtY

A poignant reminder of a lot of life’s lessons we have learned over the years and may have forgotten along the way… About appreciating and sharing our blessings, about reaching out and helping others, about making a difference in this world no matter how small or simple…
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than to see a child with no hope in his eyes. You’ll know what I mean after watching this…

A part of this video imagines Christ as saying… “I did my part… It’s your turn now…” May we all do our share…

The Greatest Advice

Thanks to one of my best friends, Leo, for sharing this... And thanks, Leo, for being there for me when I just needed someone to cry on to. I'll never forget that time you just listened on the other line (all the way in Jasaan) while I cried for almost an hour (in a badminton court in Ortigas)... We're not "soulmates" for nothing, neh?

"Advice is like kissing: it costs nothing

and it's a pleasant thing to do."

- George Bernard Shaw

THE GREATEST ADVICE
by Rick Warren, author of the Purpose Driven Life

Don't date because you are desperate.
Don't marry because you are miserable.
Don't have kids because you think your genes are superior.
Don't philander because you think you are irresistible.
Don't associate with people you can't trust.
Don't cheat.
Don't lie.
Don't pretend.
Don't dictate because you are smarter.
Don't demand because you are stronger.
Don't sleep around because you think you are old enough & know better.
Don't hurt your kids because loving them is harder.
Don't sell yourself, your family, or your ideals.
Don't stagnate!
Don't regress.
Don't live in the past.
Time can't bring anything or anyone back.
Don't put your life on hold for possibly Mr. Right.
Don't throw your life away on absolutely Mr. Wrong
because your biological clock is ticking.
Learn a new skill.
Find a new friend.
Start a new career.
Sometimes, there is no race to be won,
only a price to be paid for some of life's more hasty decisions.
To terminate your loneliness, reach out to the homeless.
To feed your nurturing instincts, care for the needy.
To fulfill your parenting fantasies, get a puppy.
Don't bring another life into this world for all the wrong reasons.
To make yourself happy, pursue your passions and
be the best of what you can be.
Simplify your life.
Take away the clutter.
Get rid of destructive elements: abusive friends, nasty habits, and dangerous liaisons.
Don't abandon your responsibilities but don't overdose on duty.
Don't live life recklessly without thought and feeling for your family.
Be true to yourself.
Don't commit when you are not ready.
Don't keep others waiting needlessly.
Go on that trip. Don't postpone it.
Say those words. Don't let the moment pass.
Do what you have to, even at society's scorn.
Write poetry.
Love Deeply.
Walk barefoot.
Dance with wild abandon.
Cry at the movies.
Take care of yourself.
Don't wait for someone to take care of you.
You light up your life.
You drive yourself to your destination.
No one completes you - except YOU.
It isn't true that life does not get easier with age.
It only gets more challenging.
Don't be afraid.
Don't lose your capacity to love.
Pursue your passions.
Live your dreams.
Don't lose faith in God.
Don't grow old. Just grow YOU!
When you give someone your time,
you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back.
Your time is your life.
That is why the greatest gift you can give to someone is your time.
Relationships take time and effort,
and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E
because the essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others,
but how much we give of ourselves.
God is good all the time!

What Are You Passionate About?

May we all find our passion(s) in life... whether it be our job, or our family, or that special someone... or simply spending endless hours in front of the PC, editing a blog to share with friends, or getting all tongue-twisted learning Japanese and Korean - one word at a time, or flying all the way to Bangkok just to stalk a singer/dancer/actor/model and watch his concert...

Thanks to Amis and his Playground for sharing this piece... So worth the read...


WHAT DO YOU EVANGELIZE?
The Greatness Guide – by Robin Sharma

Being an “evangelist” has negative connotations in the world we reside in. But an evangelist, by definition, is simply someone who spreads good news. It’s someone who gets stuck on a big idea or a passionate cause and then walks out into his day and spreads the message like a virus. It’s someone who gets so engaged in doing something important that it’s all he thinks about, dreams about, talks about. It’s a human being who understands – at a cellular level – what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said: “If you have not discovered something you are willing to die for, then you are not fit to love.” This troubled and uncertain world of ours needs more evangelists: human beings doing great things, blessing lives by their actions, making a difference.

Where did most people’s passion for greatness go? Each of us had it as kids. We wanted to be superheroes, astronauts, poets and painters. We wanted to change the world, stand on mountaintops and eat lots of ice cream. Then, as we aged, life began to do its work on us. Fearful people snickered at our dreams. Disappointments began to show up. Life begun to hurt us and we began to buy into the propaganda that says we should not think too big, reach too high and love too much. Breaks my heart to think about it. But that’s exactly what happens.

You are meant to shine. I believe that fiercely. You are here to find that cause, that main aim, that vital destiny that will move you at the most vital visceral level and get you up at the crack of dawn with fire in your belly. You are meant to find something your life will stand for that will consume you, something so beautiful and meaningful you’d be willing to take a bullet for it. It might mean developing people at work and helping them live their highest potential. It might mean being an innovator who adds outrageous value to your clients and brings cool products to the world. Your cause might involve elevating communities or helping people in need. I recently read about a lawyer who said he was so passionate about being of service to a group of victims he was representing that he wouldn’t give up until there was blood coming out of his eyes. Extreme? Maybe. An evangelist? Definitely.

I’m an evangelist. Talk to anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that my oxygen is helping human beings lead without title and getting organization to world-class. Sure I have my down times and hard days – find me someone who doesn’t. But mostly you’ll find me full of enthusiasm, high energy and delight at spreading my message. Am I more special than you? Absolutely not. I’ve just found my Cause.

I don’t know what your life’s Most Important To Do is. That’s for you to figure out (through some deep reflection, introspection and soul-searching; doing within a journal is a wise idea). But I do know this: When you find the mission that your life will be dedicated to, you’ll wake up each day with that fire in your belly I mentioned. You won’t want to sleep. You’ll be willing to move mountains to make it happen. You’ll find that sense of internal fulfillment that may be missing from your life. And you’ll preach that message to anyone who’ll listen. You’ll become an evangelist.

Happiness Is...

I am happy that I am happy... I'll be happier if you'll be as happy...

Just sharing with you a gem I found in a most unlikely publication (The Trade Express Asia)... A piece by Denn A. Meneses

"Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold; happiness dwells in the soul..."

- Democritus

HAPPINESS IS...

... A glass of milk and a jar of cookies. And a good book to nuzzle in a comfy chair on a rainy day. What better way to appreciate bed weather than to be safely ensconed in one's own comfort zone with no worries in the world other than what is at arm's length... the last cookie in the cookie jar.

... A rendezvous at the spa. Getting a foot scrub, a therapeutic massage, an earth facial. Hanging back at the sauna room, lingering at the tub, thoroughly pampering the body and relaxing the mind. Indulging in a litlle extravagance, giving in to a few spontaneous cravings, freeing the wits from the excrutiating grind of day after day.

... A celebration. Cold cuts and warm hugs. Wolf Blass and Misty crooning. Sweet thoughts and animated chats. Laughter, bubbly and sparkling. Blowing candles and sounding trumpets amid people who mean the world. Raising toasts and drinking to fond wishes. Feeling brand new all over again.

... A warm and fuzzy feeling. A hug, a snuggle, a caress. The giddy flush of a budding romance creeping into our being. Sweet nothings that bring a tingle in the spine, tender mercies that make the senses run wild.

... A joy ride. A spin around on a carousel or the Ferris wheel. A cruise on a river boat or a lake canoe. A run accross town on a bicycle pedaling your heart away or piggy backing on a motorbike. A drive along the countryside, taking in all the specks of green and just letting your hair fly with the wind. The joy is indeed in the ride.

... A makeover. A new hairdo, a new wardwrobe, a new shirt, a new attitude. Or a nose job, perhaps; an implant where it matters, a slight stretching of some facial muscles (botox, anyone?), a nip here, a tuck there - to boost one's self confidence and stroke the ego a little. Move over, old warts, here comes the new and improved neighborhood hottie!... A bowl of hot chicken broth. To drive away the bug of affliction. A dose of gentle loving care from people near and dear. Bundling up in their safe, affectionate embrace. Holding on to the promise of better things to come.

... A surprise. A pat in the back for a job well done. A favor from a friend. A smile from a stranger. A compliment from a someone we've only just met. A card from out of the blue. A poem written specially for you.
HAPPINESS IS...
... Looking at old photographs. Reliving the little moments of times gone by captured in living color or in foggy black and white. Scanning albums filled with cheerful faces and familiar places in all their glossy splendor. Summoning wistful thoughts and dormant memories, evoking fragments of time and space that will never come again.

... Holding the hand of a child. To make them feel safe when they're learning to make the first stride. To make them feel protected when they start to venture into the world outside - kindergarten school, Sunday church, the park, the mall, the circus, the house next door. When they decide to walk the walk, talk the talk, make the break, go for broke.

... Wiggling into an old pair of jeans. And finding out that it still fits. Ha! Doesn't it pay to eat a little and exercise a lot? ... Breaking a sweat. Taking the time to stretch the limbs and flex the muscles, to limber up and pump adrenaline. Burning the dance floor to the beat of rhytmic music till the knees give in. Walking a mile in rubber-soled shoes, briskly or leisurely, till the heart beats a little faster and the temple throbs a little friskier.

... Walking barefoot. On the seashore, on the grass, on the pavement, around the house. Touching the ground, rubbing calloused feet on solid earth, feeling cold stone or warm sand, treading on damp lawn or soft rug, just gliding along with a song and a smile in the heart.

...Catching up on house chores. Fixing the closet, rearranging the furniture, changing the sheets, wiping soil off the table tops, sweeping aways the cobwebs that have been lingering in the fringes of our nearly moldy existence. Spring cleaning doesn't have to wait for the next winter.

... Catching up on your reading. Devouring tomes that have been lying unopened for years gathering dusts in the bookshelves. Paperbacks yellowed with time, pages brittled by indifference. Atlas Shrugged, East of Eden, The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, Love In The Time of Cholera, The Book of Job...

... Learning a new skill. In the kitchen concocting something other than fried stuff - baking a cake, whipping up the ideal pasta, inventing dishes yummy enough to show off. Or a hobby both relaxing and productive - doing the cross-stitch, surfing the Internet, taking up photography, playing a musical instrument, writing the movie in our mind.

... Finding a friend. Meeting new acquaintances and reconnecting with old ones. Basking in the excitement of getting to know someone, roosting in the affection of old but not wasted pals, rekindling flames of long ago. The gift of friendship is precious and few like seconds shared to last through intertwined lifetimes. Sure beats staring at the clouds in your coffee all day... ...Finding what you've been looking for. A lost piece from glory days, priceless no doubt because of the sentiment attached to it. A thing of value that we've always wanted to have but couldn't for some reason or another. A part of our lives that's been missing, perhaps made nonexistent by choice, but more probably by circumstance, traveling the distance but not really knowing which way to go and what we are actually in search of. A material possession, an object of desire, a purpose in life. One best friend, one perfect moment, one true love to last a lifetime?

I Hope You Dance... (Second Take)

I just found out this morning from my sister, Rowee, in Chicago, that this poem, which I love so much, is actually a song. She was ecstatic to find the lyrics in my blog because it is one of her favorites and is her and bestfriend, Elena's theme song for each other.

I checked it out in the net and yes, it is a country song actually, originally sang in 2000 by Lee Ann Womack (and revived by Ronan Keating in 2006). Here's the song and video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTQfERb9HVk

This one is for my own best friend, Roxe... You encouraged me to dance when I wanted to sit it out... Thanks... You know that I'm dancing now... and singing, and laughing, and living, and loving, and...

I HOPE YOU DANCE

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder

You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger

May you never take one single breath for granted

God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance....I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance

Never settle for the path of least resistance

Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin'

Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter

When you come close to sellin' out reconsider

Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance....I hope you dance

Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along

Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder

Where those years have gone

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean

Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens

Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance.... I hope you dance...
I hope you dance.... I hope you dance...