Love and Time – ( Writer : Unknown)

February it is!! It’s love month and to kick-start the Love month, I am sharing one of my favorite love stories. This was written by an unknown writer and I got it from http://www.christianstories.co/2011/11/love-and-time.html

Here you go….

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

 Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

 When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

 Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, “Richness, can you take me with you?” Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.”

 Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. “Vanity, please help me!” “I can’t help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,” Vanity answered.

 Sadness was close by so Love asked, “Sadness, let me go with you.”

“Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!”

 Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her. 

 Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come, Love, I will take you.” It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder, 

 Love asked Knowledge, another elder, “Who Helped me?” “It was Time,” Knowledge answered. “Time?” asked Love. “But why did Time help me?” Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, “Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is.”

 

My Kind of Weekend

Not every day do I get to spend time with ny siblings. Not even every weekend.

As we get older, we realize the value of togetherness and spending more time with people who really matter.  I’m starting that with spending weekend with my three sibs. Awesome Foursome, we are indeed!

One Artsy Sunday

As Thomas Merton said: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time“. 

On Sunday, end of May 2015, I let lose and I found myself amidst gigantic paintings all over me.

My ‘lil and I visited Art In Island. An interactive 3D art museum in Quezon City. We have experienced art at its finest.

For those who are wondering, here’s the museum’s complete address:

175 15th Ave., Brgy. Socorro, Cubao, Quezon City, 1109 Metro Manila
(02) 421 1356 ( Inside Cubao Expo) 

admission fee: 500 php 

operations time: 9:30 am – 9:30 pm

Let the photographs tell the rest of the story , Enjoy!

Life’s Best: Travel and Girlfriends

Traveling is one of my hobbies. It gives me a bizarre experience, a feeling of independence and a chance to appreciate world and its beauty.

When I’m not travelling, I love spending time with my friends. Being with them makes me feel happy, at peace and our time together could take us down memory lane. – remembering everything that we went through as kids, as teeners, asstudents, being adults, and for Joan, Motherhood.
I recently got the chance to hit two birds In one stone – an out of town vacation with two of my treasured girlfriends, Annalyn and Joan.

I practically grew up with these ladies, along with other childhood friends. 10 years of being classmates, a lifetime of being friends, and now, travel buddies. What else could I ask for ?
In an ordinary blog, I would probably be sharing with you my travel itinerary, budget breakdown and practical tips on exploring Bohol island, but now, I will give you a snap shot of my treasured moments with my girlfriends of 24 years at the beautiful island of Bohol.
This is just a start of our travels together.

The next time I reminish with them, this travel is surely a part of of wonderful memories that we will always go back to.

beautiful and fashionable hats in streets of tagbilaran

Lunch by the floating restaurant in Loboc River

what’s a trip to bohol without a visit to our little friends?

Butterfly sanctuary

Driving an ATV

chocolate hills which we jokinlgly call Pandan Hills because it was green when we were there

Joan and Me on snorkeling DAy

With Annalyn : this girl has been here a couple of times already but for us, she didnt mind going again.

Man-made forest at the background

Shell Museum

I love these girls

just like the old times

being in a beautiful place with eautiful people

Love and Time

Adopted from: http://www.andrews.edu/~mtse/love.htm
——————————————————————–

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived:

Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others including Love.

However, one day it was announced to the feelings that the island
would sink, so all prepared their boats and left. Love was the only one
who stayed.

Love wanted to stay until it started sinking. When Love was almost
sinking, he decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a beautiful boat. Love said,
“Richness, can you take me with you?”

Richness answered, “No, I can’t. There are a lot of gold and silver in
my boat. There is no place here for you.”

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by, “Vanity, please
help me!”

“I can’t help you Love. You are all wet and can probably damage my boat,”
Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked for help, “Sadness, let me go with
you.”

“Oh…Love, I am so sad that I prefer to go alone!”

Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not
listen when Love called her!

Suddenly, there was a voice, “Come Love, I will take you.” It was an
elderly. Love became very happy that he even forgot to ask the name
of the elderly.

When they arrived to the other side , Love asked Knowledge who the
elderly was. “It was Time.”

“Time? But why did Time help me?”

“Because only Time is capable of understanding you…… Love.”

A Short Trip To A Lifetime Journey

Traveling is one of my favorite things in life.
Not only do I get to see beautiful scenery and visit top tourists destinations in the country, I also get to learn every provinces or regions’ culture.

I enjoyed every steps of my travel, from booking a flight, to going through all travel blogs for suggestions , to learning about my destinations geography and culture. During my travels, I get to live life fully! ( At least, that’s what I thought)

Due to important things that I have to apportion my budget to, I mellowed down on my traveling in 2013.
Instead of booking flights to different places within the country, I settled for short trips with cheaper expense.

One short trip brought me to a very special place. A place beyond compare: A trip to ANAWIM, a home for the aged in Rodriguez Rizal.

Seeing Lolo’s and Lola’s (old man and old lady ) at ANAWIM and hearing their stories set my heart to bleed specially when I found out that some of them were abandoned by their own family, yet, I am happy to see the positivity in them.

At the mini program held at the ANAWIM compound, our dear oldies showed off their talents in dancing and singing.
I felt proud that I get to witness how Lolos and Lola’s wowed the visitors.
I also thought of what their families, the family that abandoned some of them was missing out.

They didn’t get to cheer Lolo Rod in his Boogie and Cha-cha moves. Lola Ana’s family didn’t see how graceful she was at the dance floor, or how Lolo Steve serenaded the crowd. Lolo’s grand children or Lolas’ kids didn’t get to push their wheel chairs while wandering around, talking about anything under the sun. I know these old buddies miss them so much.

Despite what these oldies have been going through, they still manage to be happy in a community that they belong. They maybe away from their own families but ANAWIM tries so hard to give them care and comfort that of a family.

The entire experience changed my perspective in life.
I valued my own folks more than ever. I value life in general.

What seem to be a short trip to ANAWIM paved the way to my lifetime journey. A Journey to a meaningful life!

Thank You Tracy Fordan for the invite!

(**** names are intentionally changed to protect the oldies’ identity)

Dad Wears Short Shorts to Teach Daughter a Lesson, Becomes Online Celeb

Note, This is a repost:
A Utah dad got so fed up with his teen daughter’s too-short shorts that he taught her a fashion lesson she’ll never forget. Scott Mackintosh publicly modeled his own version of his daughter’s Daisy Dukes and, in the process, became an Internet hero.

“I simply did this in hopes that my daughter would know of my great love for her and that she knows of her great worth,” Scott Mackintosh told the Deseret News about the photo of himself in cutoffs, which has since become a Tumblr sensation. “Now that it has gone viral, I hope that young women everywhere understand their great worth. I will look like an idiot any day if that point gets across.”

More on Shine: ‘Daddy-Approved’ Prom Dresses on Fox. Gross.

More on Yahoo: Miley Cyrus’ Twerk-Tastic VMA Performance: By the Numbers
The story behind the trail of Mackintosh’s short-shorts photo is as old as the Internet, beginning when his daughter posted it on Tumblr; and as of Thursday it has received over 130,000 notes from fans of the image.
“My mom told me to change my ‘slutty’ shorts before we went to dinner,” was how daughter Myley described the photo. “I said no. So my dad cut his jeans to fit in. We went to dinner and then mini golf like this.”

Then Mackintosh, a father of seven, published his side of the story on his wife’s blog, Becky Mack’s Blog of Mild Chaos. He wrote:
“I know the world has varying degrees of what is modest and what is not when it comes to clothing. In our family we have pretty definite modesty guidelines; No mid-drift or low-cut shirts, no short-shorts, short skirts and we even go as far as saying no sleeveless shirts unless playing sports or on the beach. Having raised four daughters and three sons, I’m a bit protective. Some may call me old fashion, but I call it “A Dad who loves his daughters” (and sons too) I know some of you may be rolling your eyes and that’s okay, my daughter does it all the time. I’m a firm believer that the way we dress sends messages about us, and it influences the way we and others act.”
That said, he went on to describe how the short-shorts incident began one evening as the family prepared to head out to dinner and to play some mini-golf. His wife, Becky, asked Myley to change out of her inappropriately short cutoffs, but she refused.

“Instead of turning her response and disrespectful attitude into a major battle, I decided to make a ‘small’ statement on how her short-shorts maybe aren’t as ‘cute’ as she thinks!” Mackintosh wrote. That’s when he cut almost the entire legs off of an old pair of jeans and pulled them on, certain that his point would be instantly made. But Myley didn’t even notice at first; she remained stoic all through dinner and mini golf, but finally broke when they made a stop for post-game milkshakes, refusing to get out of the car with him.

“There was no ‘Dad I get it’ or ‘Dad you’re the best…. thanks for that awesome lesson,” he admitted. “I don’t think my object lesson of ‘modest is hottest’ made the statement I had intended. But no matter if social media gets the story mixed up and twisted, my daughter will always know that her dad loves her and cares about her enough to make a fool out of himself.”

He later told local KSL News, “She’s dressed a little better since then, yes she has.”

And fellow parents have been impressed with Mackintosh’s attempt to get his message across, with Twitter fans writing, “Drastic, but brilliant measures” and “Good dad!” On Becky’s blog, one 19-year-old fan wrote, “I just wanted to thank you, your caring husband, your sweet sons, and the rest of your family so much for setting an example for the whole world.”

He now joins the annals of parents who have recently resorted to teaching unusual (if much more severely mortifying) lessons: California mom Frances Hena, who punished her tween this week by having her stand at a busy intersection wearing a sign that read “I was disrespecting my parents by twerking at a school dance”; the Utah girl punished for bullying another girl over her fashion sense by being forced to wear ugly clothing in public; the 12-year-old girl who, after posing with a bottle of vodka on Instagram, had to post herself holding a note that read “Since I want to post photos of me holding liquor, I am obviously not ready for social media and will be taking a hiatus until I learn what I should and should not post.”

Scott Mackintosh in his Daisy Dukes. Photo: Your Favorite Blog/Tumblr

source: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/dad-wears-short-shorts-to-teach-daughter-a-lesson–becomes-online-celeb-171218029.html

Proudly Pinoy

Wedge; glass shoes that of Princess Cinderella’s; flats; doll shoes; topsiders; slippers…..name them all, and find them all in one great place: Liliw, Laguna.

About 3 and a half hours bus travel to south of Manila, lays a place that showcases one of the real Pinoy Prides: Locally-made with world-class quality shoes!

Going to Liliw , Laguna is one thing that I really enjoy. Not only do I get to see two of my most favourite girls in the world, NC and little Robyn, but I also get to do every girl’s favourite past time: Shopping—Shoe shopping, to be exact!

I personally admire how Liliw shoemakers keep on innovating and improving their styles in order to keep up with the latest trend without compromising the quality and durability of every footwear they create.

Here are some of my Liliw-made shoes:

For more shoe samples from Liliw, and for any queries, you may go to this page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Robyns-Beautiful-Sole/157059231135807?fref=ts

Let’s support Filipino products and be proud to be Pinoy!

Call Center Bashers

DISCLAIMER: This piece was written almost two years ago when I was jobless and had the time of my life reading news and minding people’s comments. I am posting this again because we’ve been hearing nasty things about call center workers again from people who give speeches on graduation day, from people who pretend to be all good and better than a call center worker. 

I often remind myself to choose my battle and not to mind gratuitous issues. I always tell myself that saying NO to trouble is an act of maturity.  I could have let this one pass but through the days, the urge of writing about this sensitive topic was getting stronger. I have had sleepless nights, literally, sleepless thinking about it. I’m annoyed, I’ mad and I was hoping that through this piece, I could somehow appease my anger.

It’s been in papers; it’s not a surprise at all that HIV is one of the major problems DOH has to address today. It is rampant, let’s face it, it is rampant especially with the youth of this generation who need more awareness about safe sex. Saying that it has been widespread with today’s youth does not mean adults do not get it, yes they do, and irresponsible adults do.

My writing is not all about HIV, it has something to do with the comment I heard from people who pretend to be morally decent.

I was once in a public transportation when I heard two ladies discussing something they have heard from the news about HIV and how they associate it with call center people. I was at first impressed that they are aware of what‘s happening to the society but I became more engaged with my eavesdropping when one lady, (who by the way looked like working in a well-known grocery store based on her uniform) commented about call-center workers being immoral. Her exact word “kaya ayaw ko mag apply sa call center kasi ang daming ka imoralan”. (That’s why I don’t want to apply in call center because workers are immoral. )

 Believe me; I almost smacked that girl if only I was not worried about the scandal I may cause because of that. But as I was about to alight the jeep, I bluntly told the girl “ kung ayaw mo magtrabaho sa call center, mas madaming trabaho ang pwede maliban sa pagiging sales girl sa SM, para lang yan sa di marunong mag English, maliban nlng kung di ka talaga marunong”   ( if u don’t wanna work in a call center, being a sales lady is not the only option, leave that to those who can’t speak good English, unless you really can’t)  which left those ill-mannered ladies dumbfounded.

The days have passed; I was trying to justify what I have done to that poor girl. I felt the guilt,  I thought I went overboard and ridiculed her capacity or her educational attainment, however, I  realized that maybe I was just giving her the dose of her own medicine . After all, they are not being good at all; they generalized everybody who works in a Call – center Industry without even thinking that they are in a public place. So, I just simply shrugged it off and got it over with.

Every time I get to hear repulsive comments about call center workers, it makes me furious. I may not be in this industry now but this industry molded me and fed me for five years!  I feel for those people who work not for anything else but to earn big in order to send their children to school, to those people who work simply because they want to provide for their family.

I wanna say, not everybody who works in a call center industry is immoral just as not everybody who works in a religious institution is morally upright! My point is, do not judge people based on what you hear or read.

To the one I completely know who keeps on saying negatives, stop judging people! Stop saying nasty comments about the people who work in this industry. Look at yourself first, go get a mirror and polish your own flaws first! Didn’t you live with your boyfriend first before you got married? Was not that immoral too? ( I really don’t care about your personal life just as long as you stop pretending to be a saint).  You have once in your life worked in this industry, were you in an immoral activity for you to have said those things? ( oh well, mine is just a simple question 🙂 )

Yes, call center workers work at night, that’s why they get night differentials sweetie! But that does not mean they do bad things in the dark. Yes, call center worker loves to drink and party, that’s because this is the least that they could do after a long, tiring week .

Yes, call center workers love gadgets, love clothes, love to dress up, love starbucks coffee and anything else out of your usual scale…and do you know why? BECAUSE THEY CAN AFFORD, BECAUSE THEY EARN MORE!

 

–          Allow some translations for the benefit of my friends who can’t understand Tagalog!              -S

 

 

 

My Wish

♪♪I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you’re faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. ♪♪
♪♪♪And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window,
If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile, ♪♪♪

♪♪But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, ♪♪♪
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
♪♪♪And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish. ♪♪♪

 

This is just part of the song by Rascal Flatts, My Wish. My housemate and I are into Rascal Flatts’ music lately. So I guess by now you have an idea how our humble abode sounds all day long – Sounds Rascal 🙂 .

Yesterday was just an ordinary day for an extraordinary realization. When MY WISH was playing, I told Ann, my housemate, “these are the exact words that I wanna tell my future children”.

Ann, surprised, looked at me and exclaimed, “Wow, Children? You are so advanced, as for me, I just had a friend in mind while digesting the lyrics.”

Oh well, a child or a friend, this song is for people dear to us.

Why I instantly thought of my own future kids upon hearing MY WISH? It could be because having children of my own in the future is also My Wish.:-)