Creed To Live By

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each os us is special.

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Don't take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future.
By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don't give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect.
It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks.
It is bytaking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it tightly;
And the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don't miss your dreams.
To be without dreams us to be without hope;
To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been but also where you are going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

A Child's Faith

One of my favorite poems of all time... by Helen Steiner Rice...

By the way, these are my niece and nephew, Nadine and Neigel... Don't be deceived by the sweet, angelic looks... Kekeke... Love them anyway...

"Jesus Loves Me, this I know,

For the Bible tells me so..."

Little children ask no more,

For love is all they're looking for.

And in a small child's shinning eyes

The Faith of all the ages lies.

And tiny hands and touseled heads

That kneel in prayer by little beds

Are closer to the dear Lord's heart

And of his kingdom more a part

Than we who search and never find,

The answer to our questioning minds.

For faith in things we cannot see

Requires a child's simplicity.

For lost in life's complexities,

We drift upon uncharted seas.

And slowly faith disintegrates

While wealth and power accumulates.

And the more man learns, the less He knows,

And the more involved his thinking grows.

And in his arrogance and pride,

No longer is man satisfied

To place his confidence and love,

With childlike Faith in God above.

Oh, Father, grant once more to men

A simple childlike faith again.

And with a small child's trusting eyes,

May all men come to realize

That faith alone can save man's soul

And lead him to a Higher Goal...

How To Stay Young

Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.

Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. (Keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches.)
Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!
Enjoy the simple things.
Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him or her.
The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with you your entirelife, is yourself. LIVE while you are alive.
Surround yourself with what you love. Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

I Hope You Dance...

My best friend, Roxe, gave me a journal on my last birthday. On the first page, she wrote this poem. We both don't know who the poet is, but we just love this poem. And this is my prayer and wish for everyone as well...

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 ever to 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'd 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...

Take the Risk...

From one of my favorite authors, Leo Buscaglia...

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool...
To weep is to risk being called sentimental...
To reach out to someone is to risk involvement...
To expose one's feelings is to risk showing your true self...
To place your ideas and your dreams before the crowd is to risk being called naive...
To love is to risk not being loved in return...
To live is to risk dying...
To hope is to risk despair...
To try is to risk failure...

But risks must be taken,
becaus the greatest risk in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing,
is nothing, and becomes nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrows,
but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.
Chained by his certitude, he's a slave.
He has forfeited his freedom.
Only the person who risks is truly free.
Try it and see what happens...

My Bangkok Experience 2: THE Day (June 2, 2007)

Even with just barely 3 hours of sleep, I woke up early the following morning. (Must be from too much excitement.) It's THE DAY... the day of the concert!

Since I slept in Serene's hotel room the night before, I had to rush back to my own hotel to get changed. Without even brushing my teeth, I took a cab to the Bangkok Palace, had a quick shower, went down for breakfast. And off I went again back to Serne's hotel.

We agreed the night before to meet at the Pathuman Princess with Karen and Grace and the 2 girls from Hong Kong so that we can go together to the Impact Arena for the concert. After making arrangements for our ride, we went to the Siam Paragon Center to see the Rain Exhibit there. Although, there was nothing really "extraordinary" in the exhibit, it became a "must see" for the true-blue Bi-ers in Bangkok, especially for us who went all the way from our own countries just to see the concert.

Before noon time, Serene and I decided to go ahead of the rest of the group to the Impact Arena since her ticket's in Standing B and she had to line up early to get a good spot for the concert. Even hours before showtime, there were already a lot of fans at the venue, either lining up or just going around through the different booths set up by the various sponsors, including the booth selling official RWT merchandises. (I spent like ThB3,500 for my Rain souvenirs. Aiishh!) The atmosphere outside the actual concert venue is already exciting and fun enough.

While waiting in line, I finally met a Filipina Rain fan. I got so excited when I spoted this lady in blue shirt holding a Philippine flaglette. Tita Vergie turned out to be a member of Cloud-Philippines, the official Rain fan club in the Philippines. She introduced me to the rest of the members (there were like 13 of them) who also travelled to Bangkok just for the concert. It was really very exciting to finally meet my "kababayans" at the Impact Arena, especially that I haven't met any Filipino fan in Bangkok until then.

At around 7 pm, they started letting people inside the venue. It was so exciting for me just being there. I've been watching the DVD of Rain's World Tour Premiere (in Seoul, October 2006) almost EVERYDAY since February (It's actually my "national athem" as I watch it every morning while getting ready for work)... And I was thinking, "Now I am about to see the show and Rain LIVE!"

Since I've always been a music lover, I've already seen a lot of concerts and live shows in my life. But I have to say, in all honesty and without bias, this concert has got to be THE BEST I've seen so far.

The whole production is so world-class - at par or even better than that of international stars. The stage set up is probably the best I've seen in a concert - with all the large LCD screens and all fireworks and special effects. The look, feel and concept of the stage changes from song to song. It's the kind of stage that you'll enjoy best watching from afar because you just have to see the whole stage with everything on it and not only the singer (Rain's always on the big screen on both sides of the stage anyway). There are even songs when the stage will be so busy - different images on each LCD screen, fireworks, lights and lasers, dancers everywhere, and Rain of course - that you really would be torn on where to focus your attention on. The visuals are so spectacular!

And Rain... Well, what can I say? He's just simply amazing! I guess, you'll never fully appreciate the talent of an artist unless you see him perform live. Rain doesn't disappoint. There are not too many artists around who can sing and dance. And Rain does both soooo well. Gosh, makes me proud to be a fan!

But I would say, much of the entertainment value of this concert comes from the fact that the singer dances so well. Just look at these moves...

My favorite parts of the show would be...

"Bad Guy"... Which was given a new take and sound by making it a tango version. I just love the way they danced here... such grace... especially for guys whose specialty is funk and street dance...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uSusvtKac0

The staples of every Rain fan... "In My Bed" and "Nan (I)"... because these two performances showcases Bi's sensuality the best... and not to mention those sexy, killer abs... keke...

Favorite moves of the night... (1) the pumping move in "In My Bed"... with matching close-up shot of his crotch... haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4K-CKm1h3g

And (2) the playful pulling down of his pants (way too low) while singing "Nan"... Whoooh... steaming hot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0bOsnB9U78

"Harudo (Not A Single Day)"... After all the dance showcases (this is the 3rd to the last song of the night), I love that he just stood in the middle of the stage, with just the microphone, no elaborate visuals (except the disco ball on the LCD screen), with hardly any movement at all, and just sang my favorite of all of Bi's songs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxMJnN1Bv7I

After two hours and 21 songs (which every song, I may add, was like watching an elaborate production number in an award show or something) , it's time to say goodnight with the encore, "Instead of Goodbye"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HxmYoLG9vc

As I've said earlier, this concert is THE BEST I've seen in my life. The two hours show was definitely worth the ThB2500 I paid for the ticket. Hell, it was well worth my whole trip to Bangkok!!! I am so glad that I came. It truly was a big blessing...