Life can seem unbearable at times, but don't let it keep you down. Meditate on God's goodness, talk to Him, and know that He hears you. When life knocks you to your knees, you're in a good position to pray.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
The Return of the Comeback
I just decided to keep this layout until I learn how to use an image editor. No matter how I look at the vast choices of layout I see in the internet, I can't seem to find something that will suit my taste. No matter how lovely the image was for me, or the whole layout itself, I always find myself not contented with even a very small detail. I'm so OC when it comes to my blog.
I'm currently into reading suspense novels, particularly those authored by Dan Brown. I just finished reading Da Vinci Code, and I'm now into Angels and Demons. Baliktad nga eh. Nauna pala yung Angels and Demons kesa Da Vinci. But I don't think it makes the slightest difference because the books are good by itself, even without reading it's prequel. It's not really the story that got me hooked into it, but the series of events that can't get the anticipation out of you for the next chapters. Walang dating sa kin masyado yung ending but the exposition of some long kept secrets are very surprising. The Da Vinci Code revolves around religion, pagan and Christian alike, and the hidden symbols in Da Vinci's work. I might as well not tell you much about it cause it might take the suspense and thrill out of you. I just kind of didn't like the ending, but the way it was written was brilliant. And I think I've already told you that much. Sorry... just meant to give you an idea. If you like suspense, Dan Brown's were one of the great reads.
I've just started with Angels and Demons, and found a very interesting object at the very first chapter of the book.
What you see is an Ambigram, and I believe there's still more of this to be seen in the book. Very interesting how it was written indeed and you'll be astouned at its history. An ambigram is a word written in such a way that it is legible both rightside-up and upside-down. Ambigrams are an ancient artform and play heavily into the mysteries of Angels & Demons.
Well, that was just one of the things you'll find in Angels and Demons, not to mention the suspense and thrill you're about see in this brilliantly written book.
I guess that's it for now. I'm off to Puerto Galera, but that' s still far. We'll go there on the last week of May, and we'll go hiking after going to the beach. Woohoo! Excited na ko, grabe! I'll be with my church barkadas, the worship team or the church band. I just recently joined them as part of my ministry. Meanwhile, company outing's getting near, and I haven't decided yet if I'll go or not. Still have to check out my close friends here in the office if they're going. It'll be held in Luau, in Clearwater Country Club. I haven't been there and I actually never heard of the place but the pictures were beautiful, kaso halatang sobrang inet!!! Ang liwanag ng araw. Sa picture pa lang, parang feeling ko, masusunog na ko :D. Looks fun, but it still wouldn't be happy without my closest office friends.
Will be on hiatus for I don't know how long... I just can't seem to find time to post and anything to post. I'm also planning to change my layout. Be back sooner or later.
Okay... So I've been gone for a long time. A lot of things have been happening, of which the highlight are the changes that happened to my job. I'm still not in the mood to tell about it, and had caused me to stop a lot of things that I've been doing before. I always find myself just staring blankly at space and is still overwhelmed with all the changes that happened.
Now I'm back, but I guess not for long because I'm planning to do a lot of things first, and I guess it wouldn't give me enough time to post at least a few lines in this blog so I am planning to be on hiatus again, but this time it's for real. I'm also planning to change my layout.
For the mean time, I'll just share the result I got when I tried this Face Analyzer which I originally found in Hanagirl's blog. I just tried it for fun and was amazed with the result. To go there, click here.
Race Analysis
Celebrity Match
I don't see any resemblance...
Archetype: I'm a BETA ACADEMIC
Personality Profile: You are a long-term planner, diligent worker and avoid risk as much as possible. You are of above average intelligence and have the ability to focus on tasks that seem unimportant at present, but can lead to greater things in the foreseeable future. You are not keen to interact with others or make social connections. You would rather gain material wealth before putting yourself in a position to be judged. You are not confrontational unless someone directly opposes your intellectual beliefs. You are highly concerned with your social status. You are keen to avoid risks that could jeopardize your long-term plans. You take a calculated approach to life, working hard to control all aspects of it in order to not leave anything important to chance.
You tend to be a perfectionist and quite self-conscious. You sometimes wish you were less reserved and more like some others you see who are more bold and outspoken in social situations. But as much as you try to be like them, you cannot, because you care too much about the future to ever be comfortable taking risks in social situations.
Beta academic: Not as intelligent or ambitious as Alpha Academics, but still focused on being materially successful.
Been through a lot of changes these past few days, specially at work. Actually, these all started during the Holy week, but I don't really want to blog anything bad since this blog has always been my refuge in times of trouble (well aside from talking to God about it and reading His word), this has been one of the things that always put a smile on my face whenever I see people greeting me, and I'm not really into blogging something bad. But it seems like everything had gone over the limit or my limitations, that I still get affected no matter how I ignore it or how optimistic I am.
I'm naturally an optimistic person. I prefer looking at the good side of things than the bad so as not ruin my day. But there are just things that can't be ignored or that no matter how optimistic you are, you still won't be able to remove the heaviness you'll feel after a bad situation. Sometimes I think I'm overdoing this optimistic thinking, that I am more becoming numb on problems rather than learning from them.
Well, I guess and I hope that only happens some times. Because ignoring the situation and going through it in a positive way is a totally different story. Ignoring something doesn't cure it. In fact it might get even worse. It's like drinking just to forget the pain and heaviness, but after the effect of the alcohol, the problem is still there. And worse, if you've soaked yourself too much in the spirit of alcohol, you'll even get more pain with it's after effect.
I remember reading something about accepting bad things and happenings in a positive way in the book Tuesdays with Morrie. In the story, Morrie was dying, but instead of dwelling upon the situation, he chose to make the most out if it. But of course, doing other things won't take the pain of dying caused by his illness. The pain that he won't be able to ignore, physically and emotionally. The grimacing pain that his illness gives and the pain of self pity because he has to be dependent to the people around him even on simple things. You know the kind of things that no matter how you look at the positive side will still remain and will have a negative effect on you because the positive side that we sometimes look at is a totally different side. It's not within the situation.
I guess responding to something bad positively will be more likely "to look at the positive part". Well, in some extremely bad situation where you don't have anything positive to look at or you can't see anything positive because the negative has already overshadowed everything and you can't see even a pinhole sized light of hope, being positive is letting the experience penetrate you. Because sometimes it doesn't leave us any choice but to accept whatever it is and wherever we are. What Morrie did in his miserable situation is he let the pain in, feel it while it's there, and then after that, he already forgets about it. He chose to go through the pain and cry in it. Then after that, he can already smile, because the pain has passed. You let the experience penetrate you fully, and that's how you are able to leave it.
What I've learned with Morrie is not to lose any hope, even if you don't see any. That's where faith comes to play. Faith that there will always be hope. That's more the essence of being optimistic. Never to lose hope. That in any situation, there's always a positive side. If you can't find the positive side, there might be a positive part. If there's no positive part, there'll always be positive in the next, like after the night, there'll always be dawn. As the saying goes, "habang may buhay, may pag-asa".
This was and is my favorite topic until now. It's a topic in one of our cell group discussions. It talks about the waywardness of the tongue. In the Bible, it is compared to a fire, which is a very small thing at the start but can burn the whole forest to ashes.
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing." - James 3:9,10
James pointed out the inconsistency of this action and what should be impossible for a God-fearing person to do. But in reality, we do it. We express our love for God and with the same mouth we tear another person down. As James said, "this should not be."
The tongue is such a small part of the body, but it's like having a stick of dynamite between our teeth. It has such an awesome and dangerous power. It has the capacity for great good or for great evil.
The book of Proverbs, also known as the book of wisdom, gives us specific insights and guidance concerning our speech patterns. Let me share you some of them.
Importance and Power of Words
"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." (12:18)
"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold settings of silver." (25:11)
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (15:1)
"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret." (11:13)
"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." (18:8)
Control Over Our Words
"A man of understanding hold his tongue." (11:12)
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint..." (17:27)
"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." (17:28)
"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (10:19)
The Bible doesn't really tell us to be timid and not to speak up if we have to or so we could be understood, but to have control with our words. We all know that people sometimes judge us by the words that come out of our mouths, and so does God too ("...men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." - Matthew 12:36,37). Words that we speak strongly reflects our character. The words that a person uses reveal who that person really is.
Do you believe that words can affect a person's physical health? I do. As what is said in Proverbs 12:18 (stated above), the words of the wise, our parents, older people, or an understanding friend can bring healing to the soul. We feel relieved when we hear comforting words from a friend when we are down, and calm if someone understands you in times of confusion.
As comforting words and wise advise can bring peace and healing, so can curses and bad words bring anxiety and be very toxic and harmful to others. Do you remember a time when someone told you you're ugly? Or that you look so fat, you're such a dork, you're so jologs, and the likes? Simple things aight, but greatly affected the way you project yourself. You feel down, you feel unworthy, you spend more so you can buy clothes that go with your friend's taste, and you don't eat because you think you're too fat. And what's the result? You become stressed of thinking that you're ugly you lose confidence, you earn debts because you want to be "in", you get ulcer because you don't eat. And so your health is affected.
Words can also bring great benefit and encouragement to others. Remember a time when someone said just the right words to give you encouragement and perhaps even changed the course of your life? It might be from your parents, or from your favorite teacher, or even from some celebrity or famous person you really admire.
I know we are aware of the effects of the words we speak, but sometimes we need to be reminded of something from time to time so as to keep watch of whatever we do or say, or even think. Maybe it's now time to think and do something. (Actually, the time to reflect is all the time). What do I need to remove from my speech habits to make my words more helpful to good relationships with others and God? What is my action plan to accomplish that removal? And maybe I can start out with saying pleasing words to my friends too. Of course it has to be true. :)
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. - James 1:26
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. - Ephesians 4:29
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. - Colossians 4:5-6
Not only does watched words benefit us and the people around us, but it's also what the Lord tells us to do. May God bless us all.
I've been a music lover since I was in my elementary days. My passion in music pushed me to learn to play any kind of musical instrument. I so much liked the sound of guitar when I was in high school (well actually until now) and also because it was the "in" thing, besides the fact that you look astig when you know how to play a guitar specially if you're a girl, that it was the first instrument I want to learn how to play.
Though I'd really like to be taught by a professional to play it, our lack of money held me back in doing so. But since I'm so desperate and determined to learn, I did a self study. It helped me to at least learn the basics, and some readings also helped. I also watched some friends and professional in TV play the guitar, and I always tell myself, "I want to learn how to do that." Most of the time I find myself disappointed because there are some moves (I don't really know how to call it) that I can't do. Time came that I got tired of it and so I stopped. Well actually, I still have the passion to play it until now, but I don't have the time. Besides, I'm not content with what I know. Feeling ko, napapag-iwanan na ko nang husto. Saka, andami dyan masmagaling pa sa kin, at masbata.
Then I tried drums, another astig looking talent that a girl can have. But like the guitar, hanggang basic lang ako. :D I was already working then, and studying at the same time. So I didn't had much time too. Saka, wala naman kaming drums sa bahay. Saka habang tumatagal, pahirap ng pahirap. It's the kind of instrument where every part of your body is moving in a different way, but should be in sync with all the others. Iba ang galaw ng mga kamay mo, iba ang palo ng kanan sa kaliwa. Pati mga paa mo, iba ang padyak ng kanang paa sa kaliwang paa. Pero cool sya tugtugin, grabe. Para kang sumasayaw. :)
Then came the time of flutes. Bamboo flutes. Syempre papahuli ba naman ako? I got myself one din, but not a bamboo. Everywhere I look in the campus kasi, I see one holding and blowing it. Uso pa nun ang mga love songs like It Might Be You. Yung mga panahong bumalik sa ere yung mga ganung love songs, o baka sa school lang namin yun. Anyway, I didn't want to look like I'm nakikiuso lang, though in some way I did kasi nga flute pa rin yun (I'd really want to learn how to play it saka that was the only time I noticed it kaya ko rin naisipan), so I did not get a bamboo flute. I want something that would last and different from everyone else so I got myself the plastic version. It's more known as a recorder in the musical world. Mine's a soprano. Matinis ang tunog. Actually, if you're going to compare its sound to the bamboo, the bamboo is more soothing to the ears. Pero yun pa rin ang kinuha ko saka, masmaganda itsura nya, at masmatibay.
Soprano Recorder. This is what I have.
Flute. This is what I want to have.
piccolo. Pwede rin ito.
Now, I'd like to give the metal flute a try. I still love the guitar, but considering the ease of carrying it around, flute is better. Besides, the flute has a more solemn sound and I love it. And not many people can play it. I think the price is one factor why not a lot of people choose the flute. The cheapest will cost you 7,000 pesos nowadays, pinakamababang klase na yun. I am also considering piccolo since they don't have much of a difference sound-wise. Saka, masmaiksi ang piccolo kesa flute kaya tingin ko masmadali tugtugin ang piccolo. I haven't checked the price though. But I really want it so, I'll be buying it one of these days whichever is cheaper, pag nagkapera :D.
Anyone who knows where I can get this at a lower price? I'd even dig a second hand, basta okay pa sya and maganda ang tunog and quality. :) If it's reasonably price, I might go for it, hangga't maa-afford ko.
I don't intend this to be my life's chronicles but I might write some of my experiences here.
Even so, everything that's written in here are either products of my excessive contemplation, or just plainly, pure boredom.
In any case, I still try to write as sensible as possible, for what I really intend to do and I hope is achieved in every writing,
is to impart or share some of the things I learn and sometimes, some struggles in life. Don't expect all seriousness in everything in here though.
In short, this blog is my outlet. My noted thoughts and reflections.
About Me
Name: Goldi
Home: Pasay City, Philippines
Birthday: June 2
Hobbies & Interests: Jesus, music, books, journals, internet, computers, tech stuff, gadgets * sound tripping, singing, playing musical instruments (I know guitar and flute recorder, I just wish I can play them well), watching movie with a tub of popcorn drizzled with melted butter (yum!), reading * observing, pondering, reflecting, learning * laughing or making people laugh (though I'm not good at it) and laugh with them, make people smile, or just listen to their stories. Minsan, trip ko lang din mang-asar =p
About Me: I'm a simple, idealistic but down-to-earth, & friendly person. Quiet most of the time, but friendly enough to have a nice talk (or even a hearty laugh) with anyone. "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 NLT
Principles I live by:
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." -Psalm 37:4
"If people talk negatively about you, live in such a way that no one will believe them."
"God is a God of happy endings. If you're not yet happy, it's not yet the end."
"It's not what we know but what we do that counts." -Our Daily Bread
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Dumbledore, Harry Potter 2
"Girls should assume that until a guy expresses interest, they're just friends." -J. Harris, Boy Meets Girl
"True love doesn't just wait; it plans." -Boy Meets Girl
"Eros will have naked bodies; friendship naked personalities." -C.S. Lewis
"Ideals are like stars; we will not succeed in touching them with our hands but by following them, as the sea faring man in the ocean, we will reach our destiny." -J. Harris, Boy Meets Girl
I just decided to keep this layout until I learn how to use an image editor. No matter how I look at the vast choices of layout I see in the internet, I can't seem to find something that will suit my taste. No matter how lovely the image was for me, or the whole layout itself, I always find myself not contented with even a very small detail. I'm so OC when it comes to my blog.
What you see is an Ambigram, and I believe there's still more of this to be seen in the book. Very interesting how it was written indeed and you'll be astouned at its history. An ambigram is a word written in such a way that it is legible both rightside-up and upside-down. Ambigrams are an ancient artform and play heavily into the mysteries of Angels & Demons.
Been through a lot of changes these past few days, specially at work. Actually, these all started during the Holy week, but I don't really want to blog anything bad since this blog has always been my refuge in times of trouble (well aside from talking to God about it and reading His word), this has been one of the things that always put a smile on my face whenever I see people greeting me, and I'm not really into blogging something bad. But it seems like everything had gone over the limit or my limitations, that I still get affected no matter how I ignore it or how optimistic I am.
Though I'd really like to be taught by a professional to play it, our lack of money held me back in doing so. But since I'm so desperate and determined to learn, I did a self study. It helped me to at least learn the basics, and some readings also helped. I also watched some friends and professional in TV play the guitar, and I always tell myself, "I want to learn how to do that." Most of the time I find myself disappointed because there are some moves (I don't really know how to call it) that I can't do. Time came that I got tired of it and so I stopped. Well actually, I still have the passion to play it until now, but I don't have the time. Besides, I'm not content with what I know. Feeling ko, napapag-iwanan na ko nang husto. Saka, andami dyan masmagaling pa sa kin, at masbata.
Then I tried drums, another astig looking talent that a girl can have. But like the guitar, hanggang basic lang ako. :D I was already working then, and studying at the same time. So I didn't had much time too. Saka, wala naman kaming drums sa bahay. Saka habang tumatagal, pahirap ng pahirap. It's the kind of instrument where every part of your body is moving in a different way, but should be in sync with all the others. Iba ang galaw ng mga kamay mo, iba ang palo ng kanan sa kaliwa. Pati mga paa mo, iba ang padyak ng kanang paa sa kaliwang paa. Pero cool sya tugtugin, grabe. Para kang sumasayaw. :)
