time well spent

we always - always make time for those who are important to us.

family

in one respect all people are equal. the day has 24 hours for everyone, that is 1,440 minutes or 86, 400 seconds. whether we are the president of our republic, a royal or a commoner, the CEO of a company or an intern, whether we are influential or not, whether we are pretty or homely - we all have the same amount of time and have to do the best with it.

ian, margie and i

we are quick to say, "i haven't got the time." but this is not always correct. we all have the same amount of time. if we want to be honest, we ought to say, "at the moment i haven't got the time for you or for this specific matter." it is a question of priorities and of the emphasis we put on certain things in our lives. whether we have enough time for things depends on how highly we regard our priorities and organise our lives.

cousins (some of them)

when we talk about a certain day, we call it a "date". each day has each specific "date": a certain year, a certain month and within the month a certain day. we agree upon a specific date when we make an appointment with someone. however, the word "date" actually refers to rather more than only a specification of time. "date" derives from the latin and means "given" (datum). time is given to us; it is a gift; it is something entrusted to us, a certain day, a specific time. God gives it to everybody. so it is up to us to sort our priorities and make the right use of time because the things which are important to  us will be the ones that takes it all up.

ems and i @ boracay

however, it is not necessarily what we declare to be the most important to us, but it is in fact what is most important to us. for when you love someone or something you have got the time to spare. we always make time for what we really love. someone once said: "show me your calendar and your bank account and i'll tell you what matters most to you."

with sis les...

if you love you have time to spare, no matter the schedules, you take the time. we can easily recognize how important relationships are to us by the amount of time we invest in them.

bingot !

it is vitally important to start planning ahead and taking our relationships seriously because there will come a time in all our lives when they will be more important than anything else.

church family

after all, when we are at the end of our lives we do not ask for our land titles, stock certificates, precious jewels, or how much money do we have in our bank accounts but for the people that matters the most to us, for our loved ones - so let us play it safe - let us spend our time and resources and emotions to what really has lasting value - your marriage, my love, your children, her husband, our parents, the best friends that we have and other worthy relationships... i tell you, these people always - and i mean always long for us and our time.

Appreciate Me Today - Love Me Day after Day

sis. maria and i

We think heroic examples of extraordinary commitment like that of famous missionaries like Mother Theresa, Hudson Taylor or David Livingstone are the only ones that make a difference.  We remember lines from classic movies  about love from Hollywood dream factory, when Julia Roberts is whispering, “I’m just a simple girl,” to Hugh Grant or when Mark stand back and let his best friend marry the love of his life, Juliet or when Anna Valerious risked her life to save Van Helsing from eternal damnation.

When we think of true love, we think of Elizabeth and Mr.Darcy, of Romeo and Juliet or Emma and Mr. Knightley. However, true love has got much more to do with the mundane rather than with the spectacular and exceptional. Daily routine determines our lives. That is where our love and our appreciation of our neighbor are called for.

It need not be an expensive clothes from People are People or Kamiseta; a small gift is more than enough! A good word, an encouraging text or a short message in Facebook, a quick hug gives some color to a dull, ordinary day for a moment. And according to my married friends, a ‘thank you’ after the meal or the question, “what would you like to watch on TV tonight?” instead of channel surfing through the fashion/sports channel can signal loving sentiments.

How about dropping a line to a friend? Imagine how please they would be. Equally, a short call to a neighbor/friend indicates our appreciation of them. Obviously, we do not have the time for all these little gestures every day, but try one a day!

‘For the whole world you are just somebody – but for somebody you are the whole world.” This is certainly a rather idealistic way of putting it, but it reflects the longing that lives in all of us. We all wish to experience what it is like to be important to others, to be appreciated by others. It is exactly at this point where Jesus’ challenge comes in, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you”.

I am a bit insensitive about a lot of things and people. I’ve an excused for that, I am primarily a Phlegmatic! I know it’s not much but…. Anyway, I do hope that from now on I will do better. I’m sorry for my lack of concern and insensitivity. In my heart I do know that you are all beautiful people with big hearts for God and others.

What small token of love can I give to someone today?

amlan trip

... from amlan trip :D ... 

traveling has always been interesting and sort of a mystery to me. i've read of great and amazing places, fearsome and heart wrenching stories from those who have been everywhere and anywhere. regrettably i haven't had the opportunity to do so until five years ago and also i just cannot go every time i have the desire to sail or fly or drive to somewhere.                    

the reason for that is not that i lack the drive but the resources and the also the time to follow my heart and longings. a person grows in knowledge and experience when he gets out of his known world and explore the unknown. the fear of it, the intolerance of other culture, the prejudice of the ways other people conducts and go about their lives slowly dissolves when we are expose to them, when we see how they live and the reason behind them. when we are expose to other's lifestyle we become liberal and broad-minded and this results to mercy and compassion.

2 hours ferry ride 

a kilometer outside the town of oslob

company from the other car

pavement and gravel

that's the island of negros oriental!

unknown plant from my wall - why waiting for my pick-up 

lunch stop - this is dessert!

have had this in our yard when i was young - reminds me of childhood

going down to the beach - this bamboo ladder is slippery when wet.

blue waters - going back to cebu @ 12 noon

all i ask of u

No more talk of darkness,

Forget these wide-eyed fears.
I'm here, nothing can harm you -
my words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears.
I'm here, with you, beside you,
to guard you and to guide you . . .

Say you love me
every waking moment,
turn my head
with talk of summertime . . .

Say you need me with you,
now and always . . .
promise me that all
you say is true -
that's all I ask of you . . .

Let me be your shelter,
let me be your light.
You're safe:
No-one will find you
your fears are far behind you . . .

All I want is freedom,
a world with no more night . . .
and you always beside me
to hold me and to hide me . . .

Say you'll share with me
one love, one lifetime . . .
let me lead you from your solitude . . .

Say you need me with you
here, beside you . . .
anywhere you go,
let me go too -
That's all I ask of you . . .

Say you'll share with me
One love, one lifetime . . .
Say the word
and I will follow you . . .

Share each day with me,
each night, each morning . . .
Say you love me . . . you know i do

Love me -
that's all I ask of you . . .

Nail Art

i would like to share the first try that i did with nail art. i'm no really a interested in doing this before... i don't have the patience for it... maybe it was boredom or the need to do something different than the usual that led me to do this. it wasn't fun at first, for me at least, i couldn't make the the freakin' news paper prints stick on the nails... but i got it after awhile and many impatient moments after :D

Jen's simple flower nail art

mine :d

the busy moms

i know that this post is soooo late already but still i wanted to share it ... so here goes

like many other churches in our country, we are blessed to have Compassion's Child Survival Program in our church.It is an amazing sight to see the lives of this mothers and children touched by the lives and generosity of these unknown people who are helping change their lives through Compassion International.


It is also equally nice that some foreign friends that has a heart and passion for our people as we do come and share their help and expertise with our mothers. recently we were visited again by our austrialian friend linda and her friend khardene whom she hasn't seen for 21 years in australia... by a stroke of fate or design by GOD (which is what we firmly believe it is) they met again in the "pearl of the Orient seas" and what a meeting it was!!! anyway, i will not go on into all the details of their sweet reunion but these two ladies has helped our indigent mothers learn the sewing so they'll have an income-generating skill (that's just one of the things that they did here).


earlier i have posted here pictures of the babies while their moms were busy with the cutting and the sewing ... this here will be for the moms section... some of the shots that i took was taken while they are pre-occupied with their stuff...

Linda with some of the mothers instructing how to do the flower thingy

the super lady :D

i've discovered that this thing can be use for another purpose other than just firmly holding ur  chosen hairstyle. lol

khardene - the veil lady :D --- thank u din-din... 

pretty cool, huh? - just think that this ladies jumped at the initial sound of the electric sewing machine when linda first showed them how to used it.... now they work it like nothing - like pro's actually ... 


linda is the owner/creative (genius) mind and hands behind Gracelyn Bridal in  NSW, Australia. this lady is AMAZING. deep passion for God and love for people. i'm so blessed with her life.

the happy, the crappy, the awkward

I have read some other somewhere that there was one family who eat together every dinner time no matter what and shared 3 things about their day

1. the highlight

2. the lowlight

3. how they shared the Gospel that day

Then i think that maybe i wont be able to share all this every day and i got this version instead which is more of what i can relate to after the day is over

1. the happy

2. the crappy

3. the awkward

In our family when i was in early college days we usually have the "open forum" where everyone can say anything that is in their hearts.

I kinda miss those times.

So for now my three things

1. The Highlight: Waking up this morning and thinking that i am gonna be happy - really really happy today. The sun was out but it wasn't too hot. as I've shared before that i'd much prefer it if i wake up and it's raining but since it is not i am thankful to God for dry humid weather where every kids can be present at the center today. it also means that my caseworkers will be able to do their home/school visitation without any fear of getting wet. we had our staff devotional which was very revealing to me as i am not aware that some of my friends have deep struggles and i am either too insensitive to notice or i just lack the quality time that would have been needed to "care". I am happy to be able to pray for them.

2. The Lowlight: as i've mentioned above i am really happy - but this source of happiness also seem to cause me a great deal of anxiety and embarrassment. i am the kind of person that gives a lot of thought about what other people says about me. this is not a very healthy habit but also not something that i would completely set aside... as i am working with people and minister to them i have to be careful that my actions and my speech will not cause them to question God's position in my life and the value i place on my privacy.


3. The Awkward. i've no awkward moment today... just a few unintentional slips and clumsiness. like forgot that the coffee cup i am holding was just boiling hot a minute ago when i poured it into my mug but as i was reading an MMS from him then i gulp it down and burned my tongue in the process. then when my office mates asked me why i did it when i "knew" it was hot - i flippantly said i forgot. there now a new label for me... forgetful and out-of-mind. 

...til next time when my mood swing to writing lousies again :D