Slow Down

wanna buy an earpiece. life's simply getting more difficult just wanting to listen to music but not disturbing others around me. or maybe get an mp3 player or mp4.


I've been reading articles about Slowing Down. some of you may want to take a look at the articles there. they're written by David Bohl, a life coach who created the slow down movement to help others realize the need to enjoy the real value of life through personal coaching and self-improvement.


there's a whole spectrum of topic to read on there, from work productivity to self-improvement, to financial debts, to the best years of your life, etc...


i am now starting to take charge of my life and slow down enough to be able to stop and smell roses and pick sampaguitas along the way.

Remember

would you believe my fave song is title to a movie? remember, i just posted this on one of last month's blogs? pang-masa talaga mga trip ko.

here's another poem. this time by Christina Rosetti (circa 1830-1894).

Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you planned: Only remember me;

you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And afterwards remember, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and corruption leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far you should forget and

Than that you should remember and be sad.

Words on Friendship

to my friends, here's one of my favorite authors. let me quote the following from his book, The Prophet.




On Friendship
Kahlil Gibran

Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.


When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind,
nor do you withhold the "ay."
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires,
all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence,
as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth:
and only the unprofitable is caught.


And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

A Life Or A Living?

Several months ago, i came across a blog in one of my have-to-visit sites everyday. it was at a point when i was at a crossroads in my life. i was back then trying to decide whether to continue with my current work or move on and expand my career, or more importantly expand my life. i tried to google the site again but just couldn't find it now. luckily, i was able to jot down some few notes on that one.


this article was very, very insightful. and quite wise. it was titled: Are You Working In or On Your Career? sort of the question: 'Are You Making a Life Or Making a Living?'. it talked of expanding one's dreams, creating networks and educating one's self. let me just quote some of the lines there.

"Working on your career makes you more valuable in your company and in the marketplace. It provides you with the type of security that doesn't come with a job, but which comes from being a thought leader in your area.

Continually stretch the bounds of your work, through rich interaction with both people and ideas. You'll be rewarded with an aliveness that transcends any promotion you could receive, and a satisfaction steeped equally in what you contribute and who you've become.

At this point, you might have a mixture of feelings—fear, excitement, discouragement, wonder. That’s a good thing. It means you are waking up to reality and what’s possible. You’ve lifted your head up to see the landscape more clearly. Going back to the day-to-day trenches will never be the same. Celebrate this new awareness and begin the journey."

i do so want to journey on with firm knowledge of what i truly want- a full and happy life. i want a life well-lived.

Reason or Season

everything happens for a reason. we may not know the very reason right away but there is a reason. i just know that there is a season for everything. see my easter passage.



Reason, Season or Lifetime

People come into your life... for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.
..
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty,
or to provide you with guidance and support,
to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
...
Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
...
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away.
Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.
...
When people come into your life for a SEASON,
it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
And like Spring turns to Summer and Summer to Fall,
the season eventually ends.
...
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway);
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas in your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being part of my life.
...
Used with permission
~©Brian A. "Drew" Chalker~

Back to Square One

just like old times...

no work, no pay, no play.

i'm starting again from square one. trying to find work. trying to make it through the sem. trying to pay my debts. oh yes, trying to find my place in the sun. yet suddenly, i feel alive. it's like i've been awakened from a long sleep. indeed, there is a life out there.

talking about play... it was Langga's birthday yesterday. she had a simple celebration this year. soon, she'll be starting to be a lady already. she's so tall and her shoe size is already the same as mine. wow, i can barely imagine, my langga is already nine. can you believe it? wasn't it only yesterday when i received that call from my kuya while i was trying to keep myself from dozing off as i was on a night shift at work? he was so excited, you can almost hear it in his voice. "'Day, nanaganak na si Trish." (Trish has given birth. ) and guess what.. kamukha ko. (translated-- mana kay kuya dahil ako ang babaeng version ni kuya). friends would call me 'babaeng ivan" back in college.

i pray that my young niece will grow up to be a good-hearted, compassionate human being, full of passion for life and all that it has to offer. may you be strong and tough, gentle and kind, witty and wise, beautiful inside and out, and most of all, loving and loved.

we love you, langga! happy birthday!