Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

ONE week to go and it's Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is a festival started by the early settlers in North America to celebrate a good harvest. But I wonder how it was like when there was famine or when the harvest wasn't good. Did they ever think about having a Moan-Day or Whine-Giving Day?  Truth to tell, I feel like grumbling instead of giving thanks. There are so many things that I am anxious about right now. One only has to read the news and the most optimistic spirit can become dampended.

But as a counterflow, I decided to do a stock take. This year actually consists of answered prayers, lessons and God-given favors that are nothing short of miraculous - something that can be easily forgotten unless I strive to remember. Maybe that's why traditions are important. They give us access to a flashback button which transports us to when the harvest was more than good.

That missions trip in General Santos City, Mindanao was truly memorable. Our team of volunteers was able to provide medical supplies, food and vitamins, and some clothes to four communities in the city. It was a manifestation of God's love and His just-in-time provision.

What about the house that I've been praying for for five long years? Last year, my mom became friends with our neighbor who is an engineer. He offered to complete our house at a very affordable price. We didn't even need to loan from a bank anymore. Awesome or what?

                         

And that pipe dream to go to the US, watch a Broadway play and celebrate with my close friend on her wedding day? Well, I asked and I received!

I wish I could show you pictures of the other things I am most grateful for, but they are either too abstract or complicated to photograph  - my family's good health and mine, new and old friendships, my job, our church, my skin (oh yes! it tightened when I went to NY haha), daily struggles that teach me a lot about humility and character-building, and everyday reminders of hope and God's mercies.

What about you? What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Press that flashback button now :-)



Peanuts Cartoon by Charles Schulz





Creativity Sparks Creativity

One of the things I learned in our creative writing class is that a creative mind can ignite another. Like an electric current, inspiration comes to those who are exposed to another person's imaginative work. It's actually quite obvious to miss - how many times have we been captivated by a landscape painting, which captures the perfect creative work of nature's Creator? How many classic love songs have been composed which talk about a woman's physical beauty? Therefore, if we want to have more creativity, let's soak ourselves in another's. 

Painted by Jen and Cliford @ EN Central
More prophetic paintings at  https://www.facebook.com/Kree8SG

Rainbow Love

As I abandon myself in worship

I sense the sweetness of heaven drips

As I yield in adoration and praise

I feel the fresh morning dew dampens my face

I close my eyes to listen to a melody

And suddenly I begin to notice Your beauty

A flood of colors come from nowhere

Showers my dim space which was once bare

Pastels of glory invade the air

The rain flows like a river from my eyes

But crystals of sunshine balm my heart.

Creativity = Ctrl + C?

Photo from www.creativehuddle.co.uk

Apologies in advance, my friends

If I'll be raising up a lot of questions and problems

I've been troubled by them last night while in bed

And I also want to know the thoughts in your head

How do we remain creative in times like these

When greater concepts and ideas 

Are only at arm's reach?

How do we develop an entirely new thing

When all's been recycled, rehashed and repeated

Can we just add to it a bling?

How can we draw the line 

Between your idea and mine?

How do we determine originality from mimicry?

When everything is as easy as Ctrl + C.

Is there anything else yet to be done

When the wisest King had said -

There is nothing new under the sun?

Can we really create something new?

When ours is a generation 

Of something borrowed,

Hand-me-downs,

Ripped off and glued?

I see parents encourage their kids

They give them crayons, canvass and paints

They tell them to create something nice

To let their imagination run wild

But when they grow up, a dilemma arises

"Mommy, Daddy, I want to be an artist!"

Oh sweetie, can you think first before you do this?

What about being a doctor, an architect or a lawyer?

A dentist, an engineer or a banker maybe?

I think an artist will only earn nuts from peas!"

From what I'm reading it's great to be creative 

But make sure what you do becomes lucrative. :-(

Hang on a minute, a bird just whispered in my ear

If there is nothing new under the sun

Then should we stop looking for ideas here?

If what we can think of under the sun has already been done

Then should we look above and beyond?

Human wisdom is limited and what we'll conceive - others have seen before

So shall we step out of ourselves and knock on Heaven's door?

The important thing is not to stop questioning.

- Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

WARNING: Queso-filled.

This is to the man who has mustered some courage to really pursue me and break through my diva walls. To my El Gwapo, thanks for being my new BFF, my prayer partner, my jogging coach, my shopping consultant and my ka-HHWW. 

Through you, I am becoming more and more convinced that God really really really loves me and favors me. =)

Happy birthday, Love!

Ang Syota Kong Puti

Naaalala niyo pa ba yung sinulat kong Walang Pamagat? Wala pang isang taon buhat nang sinulat ko iyon  pero napakarami nang nangyari sa akin. Nakapagdaos ako ng aking kaarawan sa bahay, ang theme ko non ay geek. Nakapunta rin ako sa lugar na isa sa aking pangarap dayuhin, ang bansang Israel. Nakapunta din ako sa unang pagkakataon sa Mindanao upang mag-abot ng tulong sa iilang mga barangay. At itong huli, natapos na rin ang bahay na pinapangarap ng aking mga magulang. Tunay ngang walang maikukumpara sa gawa ng Diyos. Lahat ng aking natamong biyaya ay dahil lamang sa Kanyang kabaitan at pagkakaluob.

Pero siyempre alam kong mas interesado kayo sa aking buhay pag-ibig. :-) Napakamakulay nito ngayon (naks) dahil sa syota kong puti. Hindi ko nga akalaing magugustuhan ko ang katulad niya. Ang tipo ko kasi dati ay Pilipinong lalaki na kulay kayumanggi. Pero siguro nagustuhan ko siya hindi dahil sa lahi o hitsura niya. Isa siyang mabuting tao at napakapasensiyoso.

Nung una ko palang siyang nakilala, hindi ko siya gusto. Hindi kasi siya gwapo sa paningin ko hehe. Pero walang biro, hindi ko siya gusto nuon dahil para bang may naplano na ako sa aking isipan na klase ng lalaki na aking magiging boypren. Pero dahil sa kanyang panununuyo (at siyempre panalangin) nagustuhan ko na rin siya. Ganon yata talaga kaming mga babae. Dapat hinihintay, dapat sinusuyo at matira ang matibay!

Hindi ko naman sa nilalahat, pero alam naman natin na ang mga tao sa ibang bansa lalo na ang nasa may bandang kanluran ay hindi masyadong mahilig maligo. Hahaha. Kaya naman nuong nagde-date pa lang kami, inaamoy ko talaga siya nang bongga (palihim nga lang), dahil kung hindi siya mabango, hay naku, ayawan na.

Ang syota kong puti ay nagtatrabaho sa kumpanyang gumagawa ng computer games. Kaya siguro halos lahat ng pag-uusap namin ay mayroong sound effects na kasama. Mas naipaliliwanag niya ang kanyang sarili kapag sinasabayan ng tunog ng inilalarawan niyang bagay. O-ha!

Ang syota kong puti ay mapagmahal, hindi lang sa akin pati na sa kanyang mga magulang at mga kaibigan. Siguro isa na rin sa nagustuhan ko sa kanya ay ang pagkakatulad ng kanyang ugali sa ugaling Pinoy. Siya ay magalang, konserbatibo, simple at masayang kasama. Isa rin siyang dakilang maginoo. Hanggang ngayon ay hinihila pa niya ang upuan para sa akin at iniuusod palapit sa mesa bago ako umupo. Kilig!

Ang syota kong puti ay takot sa akin. Haha biro lang! Ang totoo, ang syota kong puti ay may malaking puso na parang isang bata. Siya ay mapagkumbaba at madasalin. Natutuwa ako kapag kinukuwento niya sa akin kung paano pinagaling ng Diyos ang kanyang sakit sa ulo o dininig ang kanyang mga mumunting panalangin.

Ano pang masasabi ko? Ang syota kong puti ay da best! Salamat, Lord!

Turn It Off: Ways on How to Use Online Networks to Enrich My "Real" Life

Before I became a netizen, I was a library-goer. My huge shoulder bag used to contain a pencil case with different colored gel pens, a pocketbook to read in the subway, and a cute phonebook that was made in Taiwan. I also kept a diary with a planner at the back where the birthdays of my close friends and relatives were marked. Playing games for me then involved huddling up with my cousins in our living room to play Scrabble or Pictionary or a trip to the nearest arcade. To call for pizza deliveries or plumbing services, we would use the very handy Yellow Pages.

And then internet happened. Everything can now be done in the world of triple w. 

Image from dvdactive.com

I don’t know if you guys are familiar with the movie, Electric Dreams. I was one year old when it was released. I'm not really sure how I can connect it to this blog post but I think it's cute so I put it up anyway. The movie was about a love triangle between an architect (Lenny Von Dohlen), a home computer and a pretty cellist (Virgina Madsen). In contrast to the film’s poster, the home computer was actually the one responsible for sort of bringing Dohlen and Madsen together.

In a recent article I read from RelevantMagazine, the writer suggested ways on how we can use our Internet pursuits to add meaning and richness to our offline life. And this inspired me to come up with my own. We don't have to be tuned in to various social networks just to gain 'likes' and look cool, and get addicted to the point that what we consider our important relationships start becoming shallow online connections.

Facebook

Aside from checking in at every posh place every time I have the very rare opportunity to, and aside from posting several variations of my angled head shots, I think I can do more with it by engaging my spheres of influence to be involved in something radical and purposeful. Some call this "very brave and selfless" act of sharing information with a mere click of the computer mouse as slacktivism which may seem a semi-passive and lazy way of being involved with advocacy issues, but didn't the Kony Rally start this way? The viral video that the NGO, Invisible Children spread made all of us become aware (and uncomfortable) to the extent that it urged us to do something about it. And what about how Daphne Oseña used Twitter and Facebook to obtain support from Canadian volunteers of Global Medic to supply and restore clean water for the province of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines after the devastation brought by typhoon Sendong?

Photo taken from aljazeera.com

Let's use this social network to create groups and communities of people and spur them into positive action. Let's leverage on it to encourage, uplift, inform and innovate. I know Facebook is meant for us to have fun, but 'meaningful' can also ride along with it, right? 

Pinterest
I use Pinterest to compile images of places I'd like to visit someday and to share photos of other people's dream destinations, most of which I'd tag as eye candies cause these places are too sweet for me to afford. But perhaps, instead of just re-pinning the bytes, why don't we use Pinterest to connect to people who'd like to travel to the same places and organize an à la gapyear.com tour with travel buddies (potential friends) all over the world? Travel is more fun, not to mention cheaper and safer when done in groups, and like-minded 'pinners' can use this network to gain not only cheaper hotel rates but more culturally-enriching travel experience. 

Instagram
Girls like me love taking photos - not just of our own pretty faces but also of every single meal we're about to partake in a day. Sushi and wasabi? Click! Cheese sandwich and orange juice? Click! Green leaves? Click! Why don't we use Instagram then to gather friends and colleagues in a food-tasting (with photography, of course) party? Host a costume party at your place and make a DIY photo booth. While you're at it, why not youtube some songs you've been wanting to learn with your guitar or piano and host a jamming session with friends? 

Let us not only be digitally wired but let us also be plugged in to a community of sociable people thriving in healthy, solid and deep relationships.

Weary of Doing Good

I wonder how a farmer would feel, when after having planted on his field for several months, having toiled day and night, and having braved the harsh rays of the sun, he returns to an empty land. Having anticipated a year's harvest, on which he could feed his family, he comes home to the same irrigated soil that he had left to yield crops half a year ago and finds it fruitless.

Would he cry and curse himself? Would he scream at the heavens and ask God why? Would he throw his open baskets and wooden carts upside down with frustration? Would he still wake up early the next day and work just the same? Would he give up planting?

I'm now finding myself inside the shoes of that farmer - in terms of my work and in other areas of my life. I felt that I've worked hard enough to earn something significant but instead received something that I felt I did not at all deserve. A strong sense of entitlement has engulfed me.

So I began to tell myself - why do I need to do all those things when I know and I've proven that nothing valuable will come out of it? Why do I need to sacrifice and offer myself to people who won't do the same or at least show genuine appreciation to what has been given? Why do I need to continue sowing pleasant seeds when I've only been given thorns and ugly weeds?

Yesterday, as I was contemplating on these things, God reminded me to keep breathing and carry on. I must not allow disappointing situations to remove my joy and change my character. I must give thanks at all times because my security does not lie on people and outcomes but in Him.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  - Galatians 6:9

I know these are just words and where rubber meets the road is another thing, but since I consider these words true and powerful, I'm finding hope.