And I quote....

There is No Excuse to be Bored

2010-05-03T02:16:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as being bored. Is there? I don’t believe that being bored is something that would be the cause of anything but yourself. It’s all the matter of choice really. I surely don’t think that it is an option to do drum-rolling with your finger while you are getting bored to death. It is in the dictionary true but getting around the word is such shallow move. The mind capable of imagining makes no room for dullness. There are moments that you are getting tired and you’re body ain’t capable of moving or your brain got totally drained and have nothing left to do but being immobile. Sometimes just staying still and be quiet and have your whole aura rest is the most productive thing to do. And I guess this is not boredom but chance for renewal. Ones outlook has something to say in this matter.

“Life is never boring, but some people choose to be bored.” – Wayne Dyer

You are stuck watching a movie when everybody else is enjoying it while you are not. You found it boring and leaving is not an option because you think it will offend everyone in there. So you are sunk in your chair making yourself suffer with the thought of what-in-the-world-am-I-doing-here notion.

You are commissioned to housesit and you are all alone. And then you feel sad with the thought that you are alone. You become depressed and your mind is clouded from answers to what-else-is-there-to-do. And then you succumbed to being bored.

You are stuck with a lousy date and conversations just don’t flow and all you think really is how to get out of there quickly.

“There's no excuse to be bored. Sad, yes. Angry, yes. Depressed, yes. Crazy, yes. But there's no excuse for boredom, ever.” –Viggo Mortensen

Mind is capable of lots of things that you can be amused about. It’s a matter of utilising imagination. It’s a matter of looking at the lighter side of the spectrum. It’s a matter of being positive. A lousy movie may not be lousy at all if you consider any chance that you may find something benefitting with it. Maybe by looking at a different angle, movie watching is not really what you are trying to achieve here but to spend quality time with friends. Watching Barney with my child is never boring. Although I don’t fancy much a purple dinosaur, I still have a blast with my kid. Being alone in the house may be an opportunity for you to do the things that you can only do when you are alone. Pull out all the boxes of acrylics and start painting again. Exercise. Finish the book you have been neglected for a long time. How about getting deeper to the guy you are dating and see if there are more layers beneath. He may have the software that will solve the problem to a particular programme you are working on. He maybe a good singer whom you long for as an addition to a chorale you are forming. It’s a matter of giving chances. Give it a chance. Give it a darn chance. A second look or third look is worth it to brighten the day.

I remember a story of two soldiers at war. One had a worldly lifestyle and the other lived a moral life. The worldly guy said,” Herb, you seem to be happy. But if I had to live the way you do, I’d just as soon be dead.” He was implying that a life that is so moral had to be boring. Being boring and being happy do not sound right at the same time. Do they? There must be something behind the glow on their faces. Why don’t you just give it a chance? Give it a darn chance.

Opportunty

2009-09-07T01:43:00.001-07:00

Opportunity knocks only once. Once you miss it, you disappointedly blew it. Is that absolutely true? I should say this isn’t. Opportunities can be everywhere. It may be acceptable to have a frame of mind that you only have one chance in order to be more watchful when it comes. The saying may have an underlying meaning that says grab the opportunity as it comes. Yeah alright. Opportunity is a precious occurrence. The problem is how to identify them as they come. Some of them are in disguise. Some of them are right under your nose but you are just blind to see them. Some of them are opportunities that will lead you to bigger opportunities. Why can’t most people see them? I am lousy when it comes to identifying opportunities. I wish I have the gift of smelling money when it is about to come. How would one know if a rotten egg is just rotten and not a blessing in disguise? Some of them are too scary. This fear dictates you to think that they are not opportunity although your subconscious mind is saying they are. People who are living in their comfort zone and who are afraid of changes would limit their access with opportunities. People who do not believe in their capabilities also limit their access with opportunities. Your capabilities are the opportunities themselves. How can you identify other opportunities when you do not identify the opportunity within you? The opportunity is what you possess at the moment. You miss the opportunity when you don’t make the most of what you have. You miss the opportunity when you do not live the moment. For one thing, the opportunity is YOU. Believing in yourself is opening doors to other opportunities. Most of the time opportunities knock when you make them knock. Orisen Swelt Marden said, “Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.” Minimize the “what-ifs”. You’ll be alright on the other side of the fence when you believe that there is a greener pasture there.

The Bucket List

2009-04-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

“The simplest thing is... I loved him. And I miss him. Carter and I saw the world together. Which is amazing... When you think that only three months ago, we were complete strangers! I hope that it doesn't sound selfish of me but... the last months of his life were the best months of mine. He saved my life... And he knew it before I did.”

This was what Edward Cole told about Carter Chambers before the audience in his Eulogy.

Edward and Carter became friends because of their common conviction in achieving their to-do list they called Bucket List before their terminal illness completely would fail them in few months. Edward was a billionaire who always found bitterness in the world. Carter was a mechanic with a remarkable talent in answering all the trivia questions, a man of faith, a good husband and a great father to his children. Both shared their influences with one another. I personally like the character played by Mr. Freeman as Carter Chamber, an ideal human being whom I want to be when I grow old. It was very rare to see a leading character in a film nowadays who can be emulated as a good natured and principle centered human being. Achieving to possess a character like that till the end is ideal. The movie is called The Bucket List and it became part of my greatest movie list.

Getting Rid of the Soul’s Alzheimer

2009-03-10T00:06:00.000-07:00

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” Buddha

What I constantly feed my mind, what I always entertain in my thoughts and what I habitually do will be the result of what I will be. I would say that I have been careless in the past with what I absorbed and have not anticipated the ill consequences. I haven’t touched to the wisdom that I have grown up with. What happened to the teachings? What happened to the elders’ advice? What happened to the Road Less Traveled? What happened to the teachings in the kindergarten? What happened to the Purpose Driven Life? What’s the chicken soup taste like? Have I lost the seven habits? Did I mess up the four quadrants? Where’s Jesus? Where’s Gandhi? Where’s Covey, Fulghum, Bo, Canfield, CS Lewis? I haven’t been doing activities which personally and usually nourish my soul. When was the last time I dance? Sang? Painted? Have I created a new song lately? When was the time I laughed out loud? How frequent do I write in my journal? Have I arranged a new voice harmony lately? Doing what I am good at nourish my soul because they are what I was created for. My existence is depending on what I was made for.

I have put myself in to risk when I deviated myself to what is acceptable to the new generation in order to fit in and not to be branded as old-fashioned thinking that this is the way to penetrate the trendy environment. I found out that most of the time the new trend is dragging the value of the new generation away from the real power.

Noise is accepted to be the journey to find strength. I was thought in “Old School” that there is power in silence. I have proven this to myself that this is true. In the midst of the hassle and bustle world, one has to pause and rearrange once bearing and recharge. There is such thing as quiet time. It is essential. New Zealand has all the opportunity to spend quiet time because it has the entire conduciveness to exercise it. The sound of the sea. The serenity in the rustling leaves and the chirping of birds in the woods. The supreme sight of the quiet mountain. Why am I wasting such opportunity?

Anger dominates the tone to claim something. Flower power may be cheesy nowadays. Peace-man may be so 70’s. But I still want to believe that a smoking red face is not always the answer to make a point.

Stabbing other’s back finds its place to the acceptable strategy to claim anything you want. One who pulls down others is a likely prone to be pulled down by others. Up and down and up and down and up and down. Life is not supposed to be a spring board or a cycle. Life should progress and find its way to its real meaning. Definitely practicing crab-like retains you with the rest of the crabs. I have done many times to get out of the colony of crabs and find my place in other environment. I found out that crabs are everywhere. At first, it looked like the solution is that “if you can’t beat them, join them”. But the solution really is to exercise the power of your own choice. I have chosen not to be a crab. I have chosen to go up and the crab’s clamps have no power to pull me down. It is a mindset.

Are the values that I grew up with old fashioned and not conforming to the new norms? Revisiting the wisdom I acquired from the great leaders I looked up to in the past is rewarding. Getting them back is like welcoming back myself. I am the product of the teachings I absorbed in the past. Buddha said that all that we are is the result of what we have thought. Abandoning the value of the past is like having a present soul with Alzheimer. I already found the paradigm that works. This paradigm has done a lot of what describe me. There is no reason for me to look for another one. It’s time to get rid of the Alzheimer.
What am I thinking right now? I am thankful. Thank God that there is a great pause to recharge!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2008-12-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

He Who Began a Good Work in You

2008-11-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

he who began a good work in you.mp3 - My Clones

The Voice of Obi in Stress Management Course

2008-10-30T14:45:00.001-07:00

The second session of Stress Management had something to do with the advice Obi gave to Luke in Star Wars during the space fight with the forces of Darth Vader. Luke was trying to go and place the bomb inside Death Star when all of sudden he ruminated on possible failure of the task. The voice of Obi suddenly uttered, “Wake up & Stay Awake, Control Attention, Become Detach and Let Go!” As I was listening to the speaker, I could not help to wonder a little. Did Obi attended the same seminar? I got that laugh in my head all of sudden. I have involved myself seriously in the seminar and have found it so rewarding and interesting until the speaker put the essence of the seminar based on the script of Star Wars. I almost vomited. George Lucas is not that fortunate in being praised in his story lines. My enthusiasm to the seminar rebounded quickly when a voice in my head (Probably Obi’s) was saying “This is not about the lousy script of George Lucas. This is not about being nostalgic about your childhood movie and get cheesy in the process. Forget about Star Wars and get on with the essence of the seminar. Don’t get snatched away and stay focus.”

Stress is the result of something you do with yourself: ruminating. When you found yourself dwelling so much on the what-have-been’s and what-if’s, you found yourself being stressed. One put more pressure when doing what has to be done at the very moment while carrying the load of the past and load of the future. Live the “Now” wisely and lessen the pressure. Most of the time you delayed what has to be done because you think too much on the overblown negative consequences. The tendency is procrastinating: avoiding the task because of too much thinking. Ruminating has been mentioned in the seminar frequently to give emphasis to the point of not being focused to what is important at the exact moment. You ruminate because you are the one generating stress on yourself. Stress is just a thought. Pressure and stress are different. No matter how pressured you are, you can be okay depending on how you handle it.

Have you ever heard of “Waking Sleep”? Waking Sleep is not another word for day dreaming but day dreaming can be the consequence of it. Waking Sleep is the avoidance of focus. Waking Sleep snatches away the attention. Waking Sleep is too much thinking. Have you ever had an instance when you completely have no idea if you already parked the car in the garage, if you already brought the rubbish out, or if you put you pants on going to work? Each of these instances would tell you that waking sleep has snatched away those moments. Waking sleep can be keeping focus on the safe side and not dwelling on the rapids that’s coming your way. A guy is having a discussion with his boss. The boss is talking about the importance of the coming conference while the guy was thinking about the Qantas Plane they’re gonna board going to the conference.

You put stress by ruminating. You put stress because you think too much. You put stress because you carry the loads that are not necessary at the moment. Live one moment at a time. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the errands. Enjoy the dinner. Enjoy the conversation. Enjoy the hug.

“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened” – Mark Twain

Dwarves and Giants

2008-09-19T23:51:00.001-07:00

~ Where talent is a dwarf, self-esteem is a giant. ~

Unknown

I wish I know who wrote this in order for me to acknowledge him/her. I came across this line and in that moment I knew that was the line that would apply for me. I kept on digging the source of this line. I failed who said it first. I can just claim it as mine the fact that the writer is unknown anyway. But it is not my style stealing credits from others for I know what my capabilities are and I believe I can just work my best on whatever are under my sleeves. Getting credits out of the work of others is just depriving me from what I am capable of doing. I know where I can position myself and intend to stick with it. The area where my talents lie is the area where I can draw strength, where I can shine out and where I grow more. There is such thing as using talents for wrong reasons or in the wrong environment. I have learned that involving my best assets in the wrong atmosphere would do no good in my self-esteem. The atmosphere of envy, greed, pessimism, ill competition and the likes would just kill my self-worth even in the realization of what I am capable of doing. When everything in your premises is just shouting that “You’ll never make It”, “You are a nobody”, “You do not excel”, you better put back your pieces together and go away. Nevertheless, your self worth lies in you no matter where you are and where you go. It’s a matter of choice. It’s up to you if you want to remain dwarf or be a giant. Being humble is a virtue but humility is different from belittling. In fact, you find greatness in humility. Self worth would show you how to be humble. If you are comfortable with your worth you don’t have to prove that you got what it takes. If some people do not believe or most of the time does not accept that you excel, they are entitled to it. Just don’t let them belittle you. When respect is at stake, you got to stand out. I have personal principle in this matter. Be humble when you are up there; be loud when you are pulled down. It’s ok to be dwarf, just don’t let others wake up the giant in you when self-esteem is at stake.

What Others Say

2008-06-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

In order not be upset or angry to a person because of what another person said about him is not to believe immediately. Allow yourself to have the benefit of finding out yourself. Most of the time the warning from political friends are myth. Most of the time the warning from true friends are true. However, their view is just incomplete until your view is at hand. Nevertheless, getting upset or being angry is a choice. It depends on the malignance of the sinister. How much damage can it cause when it persist? It’s worth counting 1 to 10 before blowing your horn. Although there are wicked people who do not get the picture even when slapping them on their faces. Either they are stubborn or just so proud. Learning from their mistakes is impossible because they just blame others for their shortfall.

“All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.”

- Wayne Dyer

Probably what Wayne had said won’t get in to your stubborn head when you just pass the message to others.

Writer’s Freedom to be Silent

2008-03-13T17:56:00.001-07:00

There are days when I want to greet the world that way. Nothing to declare. No attention desired. More out of being contented than frustrated. Much to say, but no urge to get it written. Not writer’s block, but writer’s freedom to be silent sometimes.

-Robert Fulghum

As I stared the screen without moving my fingers towards the keyboard. Still staring as I am typing this. And this. And this. And this. So what if this does not make sense at all? Am I obligated to make sense all the time? I write just for the heck of it. I have my choice. I write anything for all I care. This is my space. But anyone is welcome to read it. If I stop at this point, so be it. I can follow my urge. That’s what freedom is all about.

Ungrateful

2008-01-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

An ungrateful man is like a hog under a tree eating acorns, but never looking up to see where they come from.

Timothy Dexter

Sometimes it’s hard to take it when you have been giving much effort and time to help out someone and still he/she is being ungrateful for the trouble. Yes, there is a good virtue in having the attitude of never expecting something in return on the good deeds you’ve done. Yet, I felt sorry for someone who seldom looks back on the one who’s done him/her a favour because he/she is too preoccupied on how he/she indulges his/her selfish motives. This reminds me a scene in a Rocky V, when retired Rocky disappointedly stared at his protégé who has been caught by too much ego which made him wanting to beat Rocky in a match. You never know what comes up with the human minds and intentions. You were exactly sure in a moment that he deserves your attention. Yet the next moment the wind blows and his attitude is tarnished. Nothing is really certain except God’s love. And the logical thing to do is really to put all your effort to what is certain. You can do all things and deal with uncertainty and dedicate your deeds to the one that is certain. Now the verse in Colossians suddenly makes more sense. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men.

PRIDE

2008-01-22T13:07:00.001-08:00

……… the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.

C.S. Lewis

There were times that I could not figure out the streamline between bragging and being confident. There were moments that I wanna take charge and be zealous in order to get the right result but I was prevented by the thought that maybe people might think that I was just showing off which jeopardize my focus on doing it right. It’s a matter of examining myself consistently about the intent of my endeavours. .It’s a matter of making sure that pride does not tarnish my true intention in the process. C. S. Lewis (my all-time fave author) said that pride is a dangerous vice to obtain for it will lead you to all kinds of sins. Lucifer left the kingdom because he is too proud to accept that man was made in God’s image and likeness (Through Pride, the devil became the devil). Eve fell because of pride when she thought of exceeding the power of God by eating the forbidden fruit (Anti-God State of mind) . Religious movements were separated because they are too proud to accept who leads who. Pride makes the essence of charity twisted when one has to give surmountable money to chosen institution where you will be known rather than to the one who really needs help. Pride lead people to unnecessary competition because proud people do not accept other proud people and to outwit one another is to do all the measures even sinister ones. Because of pride one never seize to compare oneself to others and installs a high maintenance to oneself on staking out and outdoing others. Proud people always want looking down on others and does not want any one above them. C.S. Lewis asked: how can they know the real God if they don’t want to look up? Pride has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Pride always creates enemies. Do you have enemies? It takes humility to wear off pride in order to obtain the first step of making amends. It takes humility to know God.

My Personal Conviction

2008-01-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

I wish I have written the lyrics of this:

Happy Nest

2007-10-31T13:36:00.001-07:00

Birds of the same feather flock together? It is the same in this case. If your companions are in a constant state of griping, backbiting and complaining, wouldn’t you find yourself doing the same thing later? When you talk to someone who’s depressed, don’t you feel down yourself? You might find yourself adapting to their behavior over time. While you are still conscious of it, make an effort to go with the happy-feathered flock.

So who have you been hanging out with lately? Whoever they are, I hope they’re nurturing your soul just right, and vice versa. Feeling down and negative is unavoidable, what is important is that we are able to bounce back and keep our views on life positive. We can do this easily with the help of good friends, of happy people in our circle.

By Toni Platon-Tiu

I am glad that there is someone in the blog who has the same principle that I try to keep. I am sure that there are lots of people who have this awareness and are trying to do something to live it. I want to add further to what she wrote as a reflection but she already said everything in her blog what I have in mind. I wish that I wrote it first. Reading the matter is just reading and understanding until you try to integrate it in your action. If you believe on what she is saying it should not end in just raising you hand and say “I believe.” You got to start doing what you believe.

Okay here is the entire blog:

http://blogs.inquirer.net/happynest/

Emotional Bank Account

2007-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

I visited Special Word website. This is what God said to me.

Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.

-Ephesians 4:29

I am at present moulding a habit that would find something good to say on anyone I would meet aside from saying “Hello”, “Hi”, “Good Morning”, “Gidday”.

“Nice jacket you are wearing.”

“That is a neat outfit.”

“Congratulation with your presentation a while ago. You did a good job.”

Those little add-ons to your greetings are just small nice comments but they might be a big positive impact to the receivers. Putting a smile on someone’s face due to praises can be a permanent file stored on someone’s memory that can be most of the time recalled. Praises can never be forgotten. They are always on the top file of the most visited folder of someone’s memory. File of praises are meant to be pulled out and be recalled when someone is down. Files of praises are remembered along with certain labels. That certain labels are the names of the givers. “O yeah, Jon, gave that comment to me. He’s something.” If you keep on praising others as a practice, you keep on adding good files with your name attached to them. This gesture is what Stephen Covey (7 Habits) calls depositing to the EMOTIONAL BANK ACCOUNT. When you are kind, honest, caring and friendly to another person, you make deposits on an Emotional Bank Account as well. However, if you are unkind, disrespectful, uncaring and mean, you draw from this account.

There is no telling that you would be in a good mood always. No matter how you have all the intention of not hurting anyone, there are times you can not please everyone and there are times that you hurt someone regardless of your intention. Bad moods have their swings and sometimes gets you into saying or doing that you will regret. During those times that you have been bad to someone are withdrawals to the Emotional Bank Account. However if you keep on depositing, by being nice most of the time and establishing a good investment, sudden and unwanted withdrawals would do no harm. Have you noticed that it is easy to forgive a trustful friend who has done petty harm to you. You know that you trust him so much due to all the good deed he has done to you and he has been frequently depositing to your emotional bank account.

If you do frequent withdrawal, how much trust do you think you gain from others? If you are frequently unkind, disrespectful, uncaring, maligning, ridiculing, backbiting, lying, making trouble and mean, you definitely will end up with a negative account. Come to think of it: with this kind of attitude, do you think you still have true friends. I doubt it. You may say you have people around your circles but I bet they are just around and are just watchful to your snarl.

Gosh! I have read Covey’s book more than 10 years ago and I still remember this concept. This might have created an impact to me.

Slap on the Face

2007-10-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

We cannot control the evil tongues of others; but a good life enables us to disregard them.

Cato the Elder (234 BC - 149 BC)

Rising up to your greatness is like a SLAP ON THE FACE of those who maliciously make up false and degrading impressions of you. Let your clean life and your true worth bounce back the cast stones.

As long as you know your worth, as long as you know what you are good at, as long as you know where you belong and as long as you give your best for reason of your existence, you always have the last laugh. Give joy and peace in your true undertaking. A good guy is always a good guy.

SATISFACTION

2007-10-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world.

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis is one of my favourite authors of all time. The best selling book Mere Christianity has been an eye opener to me in terms of what Christians should be like. He wrote Chronicles of Narnia as a Children’s book but catered for adults considering the allegory behind the story: Aslan the Lion is a symbol of Jesus Christ being humiliated, died and rose in glory, the children (Human beings) who were being lured by the white witch (Satan). If you find the Disney Movie version boring or for kids’ stuff, try watching it again having in mind the allegory, you might appreciate it.

The quotation is one of favourite lines in the book. It made me realized something. “So that’s why I have no satisfaction in this world.?” Do you ever wonder no one is contented in this world.? We always long for something. We always feel that you are missing something. Because the supreme satisfaction that you are after in the long run is not in this world but in the place where you are created for,……… Heaven. Aiming for satisfaction in superficial things would always give you a run for your money all the time. It’s not in this world you are made to dwell forever merrily. The everlasting joy is there in heaven. In that case, I just have to aim for heaven knowing that satisfaction is bound to happen there. However aiming for heaven calls for sacrifice. It might mean depriving me from something that would contradict the direction towards my supreme aim. It might mean striving hard to give your best as offering to God’s Glory. It always means that you do whatever you are made of here on earth in preparation for heaven. Do you know what you are made of and what you’re supposed to do with them? Examine your talents. What are you doing with them? They are not just tricks under your sleeves but the reasons of your existence and the measurement of how you use them is the measurement of your worthiness in heaven.

COMMON QUESTIONS (Only Pinoy)

2007-09-23T12:04:00.001-07:00

When I was single:

Bakit di ka pa nag-aasawa? ( Why aren’t you married yet?)

When I was newly married:

Wala pa ba? (Not pregnant yet?)

When I got a kid:

Wala pa bang kasunod? (No baby brother yet?)

PERSONAL, EMBARASSING AND RUDE QUESTIONS

2007-09-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

I attended a course in proper English Conversation and one the subjects discussed are personal, embarrassing and rude questions. Here are some the examples of these questions:

How old are you?
Why aren’t you married?
Why haven’t you got any children?
How much do you earn?
How much was your (Jacket)?
How much do you weigh?

As I have read those questions I could not help but to sigh. In fact I want to make a Big Sigh at this moment. SIGH!

Do I ask those kind of questions?

If I ask those kind of questions, I can describe myself in two impressions. Either I am UNEDUCATED or EDUCATED but consciously/subconsciously wanting to malign others.

Do you have questions that you think personal, embarrassing and rude?

Do you know anyone who has a habit of asking these questions? If you do, it’s good knowing that you can describe them in two ways.

DIE HARD AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND TIME

2007-08-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

From DIE HARD 4

John McClane: You know what you get for being a hero? Nothing. You get shot at. A little pat on the back, blah blah blah, attaboy. You get divorced. Your wife can't remember your last name. Kids don't wanna talk to you. Get to eat a lot of meals by yourself. Trust me kid, nobody wants to be that guy.

Somebody got to do the dirty job. You just do it especially when you are in the right time and the right place. John McClane seemed to meet circumstances where in he had to play the hero.

Lucy McClane: Daddy, you're out of your mind.
John McClane: What're you talkin' about?
Lucy McClane: You shot yourself!
John McClane: [groaning] It seemed like a good idea at the time.

It is not a matter of attaining heroism. Aiming to be a hero somehow loses the reputation since it sounds subjective. Just like in a song, “And you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you.” Without being aware of it, there something definitely that we are good at and to put it in good or noble use leads us on the way to the hall of heroes.

You wanna be hero? John McClane wouldn’t care less. Finding himself in those dangerous circumstances have hero effects on it but he was just in the right place and in the right time, he has to do it or else the whole country will suffer in the hands of the villains.

You wanna shoot yourself? You may be out of your mind. But it makes sense if that’s the only way to end evil. Sacrifice. For what? A pat on the back? No not really. The reward is the mere fact that you did good. That’s enough reward.

The hero lies in you and you don’t have to prove anything. You just do what calls you to do at the right place and at the right time.

TRUE HAPPINESS

2007-08-15T01:17:00.001-07:00

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

Helen Keller

I remember reading a book about true happiness.

Find happiness in giving and STOP THERE!. Period! Don’t expect anything out of giving. Finding happiness on your expectations on consequences of your good deed won’t work. It might lead to disappointment.

True happiness is really in giving. And I am beginning to believe that again as I come across Miss Keller’s writing.

It is hard sometimes because somehow we are selfish beings. Selfish means trouble and does not connote with gaining true happiness.

It is more wonderful to say, “ I am happy because I did something good to a friend today” rather than “I am happy because my friend reciprocated what I did to him.” In the latter statement happiness depends on someone’s action. In the first statement, happiness depends on your action which you have all the choice in the world.

Do you wanna be happy? It’s your choice.

Keep Breathing

2007-07-13T14:11:00.000-07:00

This is one of the greatest monologues I have ever watched. Although Tom Hanks did not win an Oscar here he was still the winner to me in this movie. The monologue was not just what he had to say in conjunction with his situation when he was trapped in an Island. When you come to sink in to what the monologue was saying, it might speak to you personally especially when you are down and your logic says there is no room for you to go on. No matter what you think or what you feel, KEEP BREATHING. Most likely your logic is wrong.

GIFTS

2007-06-30T11:59:00.001-07:00

Every time we remember to say "thank you," we experience nothing less than heaven on earth.

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

A gift is a gift whether I do not have a keen on it or not. Most likely I intend to treasure gifts especially from those who had the good intention of giving them. I got to be careful with the line, “No thanks”, because I might hurt givers. Nevertheless I haven’t exercised that line much because somehow I am programmed to just happily accept. I know the feeling when what I offered is being turned down. It hurts really especially when you made all the trouble of coming up with the stuff.

A gift is gift regardless of its attractiveness, usefulness or interest. There is a treasure that is attached to any gift. If you haven’t found it, what a shame. Perhaps you don’t deserve the gift because you can’t find the treasure of friendship and because you are not really a true friend.

PS.

Thanks for friends who gave stuff to fill my house in Ferry Road.

Grass Over The Fence

2007-06-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be. – Robert Fulghum

If we wisely choose to make a big change, make the most of what we chose. Sometimes we may be pleased with superficial things but at the end of the day we will end up questioning yourself, “Is this truly what I want?” We seek greener pastures and move into other places. Some get lucky, some are not. But if we always depend on luck we’ll end up frustrated. No matter what, we got to be ready to carry a bucket and water our grass wherever we are.

WRITE TO UNDERSTAND

2007-06-23T03:32:00.000-07:00

We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand. – C. Day Lewis.

I discovered that there is power in writing. It’s just like emptying your brain and laying them on a paper through scribbling. It does not matter if what I write are just clutters of words and phrases as long as they came out of my head. As soon as I sort out this shuffled phrases, they start to make sense and the reasons of my past emotions and behaviors become so clear to me. Why am I anxious? Why am I angry? Why am I confused? Why? Why? Most of the time I already know the answers of my questions. It is just that they are trapped in the unsorted shelves of my mind. The power of writing comes in handy here. I don’t write for others. It’s just bonus point when people like what I wrote. Basically I write because I want to understand.