If you will be asked these simple questions, what would you answer?
I'm sharing my own responses in pink:
What are the 3 things that scare me? Earthquakes / Accidents / Cockroaches and other yucky pests
Who are the 3 people who can make me laugh? Bitoy aka Micheal V. (yari ka!!!) / Gollum aka Smeagol (my preciousssssss….) / Shrek (he's really a cool and funny ogre)
Actually ANYBODY can make me laugh… I get a good laugh from a funny show, a witty conversation, or some silly talk with kids. period. 
)
What are the 3 things I love? Travel / Kids / Music …can I add more to this list? 
What are the 3 things I hate? Wars / Discrimination of all sorts - racial, gender, social status, age, looks, whatever! / Pride (chicken, hehe…)
What are 3 things I don't understand? Politics / The missed call dilemma: why I get calls when my cellphone is not with me and I don’t get calls when it’s with me / The big gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’
What are the 3 things on my desk? A pink Mickey Mouse pen stand / A desk tray / A lamp (*looks at desk* yikes…my desk is a mess!)
What are 3 things I'm doing right now? Doing some plans in AutoCAD / Chatting on Yahoo Messenger / Listening to mp3s full blast (aside from doing this meme… multi-tasking huh!)
What are 3 things I want to do before I die? Travel around the world (I want to slide down the pyramids of Egypt, swim in the Niagara Falls, straighten the leaning tower of Pisa, hehehe / Build a school for the less-privileged but talented kids / Experience financial and time freedom (yeahhh, who wouldn’t?…:))
What are 3 things I can do? Bake yummy pandesal (wanna taste?) and other goodies - cakes and breads / Play the guitar / Make beaded accessories
What are 3 ways to describe my personality? Simple / Friendly / Serene
What are 3 things people might not know about me? When I was in HS I wanted to be a boy, I sported a short boyish hair and was so delighted when somebody called me “’to!” (shortcut for Toto which means little boy), hehehe… those were the times of identity crisis I guess, now I’m pretty much sure of my gender / I am nearsighted so I wear contact lenses / I sleep with my two teddies beside me
What are 3 things I can't do? Drive (poor Dad, he's the family driver) / Swim / Use chopsticks like a pro
What are 3 things I think you should listen to? Nature - leaves rustling, rain falling, pounding waves / That endearing voice of a toddler singing a nursery song (so cuteee!) / Positive encouraging words (they’re food for the soul)
What are 3 things I don't think you should listen to ever? Gossip / Negative suggestions (this is bad for you) / Anything from a fortuneteller or card reader
What are 3 of my absolute favorite foods? Seafood / Pasta / Veggies
What are 3 things I'd like to learn? How to play the guitar like Joe Satriani (ambisyosa gyud!) / Speak Thai language fluently (sawasdee ka!) / How to do photorealistic 3D graphics (self study on-going)
What are 3 beverages I drink regularly? H2O (tubig!!!) / Hot Milo w/ milk: 3 tbsps Milo + 2 tbsps powdered milk + hot water = yummy! / Hot chocolate
What are 3 shows I watched when I was a child? I seldom watch TV as a child, so I don’t remember any show, I was always out of the house playing hide and seek with my playmates, or play with dolls, and other girly stuff
This is actually a meme and thanks to Jairam aka Jane, the pretty insomniac, for tagging me.
When I first scanned the questions, they seemed so pretty easy. I was so confident I could answer them within few minutes. But as I went through each of them one by one, I realized the simplest questions are the ones that are actually the most difficult to answer. These are actually powerful questions. What things do I love? How would I describe myself? What are the things that get on my nerves? Wow. These questions are so hard to answer…maybe I don’t know myself that much? This brings to mind a talk by a very successful businessman. He was stressing about the ‘Power of Questions’. Asking a question to another person puts you in the offensive. You can distinguish a person by the questions he asks. I don’t know from which book he got this insight but I liked it when he said that “We grow by our questions” which means we have to challenge and ask ourselves questions that enrich us and awaken us. For example, “When are you going to resume your exercise routine?” or “What’s holding you back from talking to that sales prospect?” Oh well, questions like that are complicated, but the questions in this particular meme are oh-so-simple… and yet, I’ve been scratching my head for some honest-to-goodness answers.
I won’t be tagging anybody in particular, (you can breathe easily now, hehe…) BUT if you want to do this meme… why not? Do let me know, OK? I’m curious to read your ‘three things’ too.
There were lots of ideas I learned from the book but the concept of Dharma is new to me, it caught my fancy. What does it really mean? The word Dharma comes from the ancient language Sanskrit which means “to act in accordance with one’s duty.”
Here are some notable excerpts (in blue) from the book’s two chapters which enlightened more this concept, and my own thoughts (indented) about them.
“Each person, depending on his station in life, will have a different Dharma.”
Our duty as engineers, architects, soldiers, doctors, public servants, lawyers, nurses, salesmen, drivers, fishermen, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, parents, teachers, students and any other role that makes us contribute to society is our Dharma.
“People who practice Dharma accept life as it comes and perform their duty accordingly.”
We are called to excel and give our best to whatever is our work at hand.
“Dharma is a natural law that guides us to recognize at any given moment the role each one of us is playing in life. Being true to the duty of that particular role at any given time and the very act of accepting and performing that action to the highest of our ability – that is following Dharma. That act will become our protector and liberator.”
When we give our best in whatever we do, we will be rewarded for our efforts, in ways we cannot really predict. We could reap our rewards in our present job by getting a raise, or we could be given a better deal by our next employer. For students, giving their best shot in their studies would not only result to higher grades but to bigger investments in self-development.
“The grace of Dharma works in subtle and mysterious ways throughout our lives.”
The author gave an example of a diligent real estate agent who despite all his hard work got numerous rejections. He got so depressed he decided to go on a trip to Hawaii, and guess what… while he was enjoying his vacation, he met a big time investor and struck a good deal with him. He got puzzled why all his hard work produced no results, but he got a good client when he was thinking the least about his work. He thought maybe working so hard is not good for business. He didn’t know that because of his hard work, “the power of Dharma shone its grace upon him as reward for his commitment to duty.”
“The Dharma of an employee is to support the employer wholeheartedly. If you cannot support the company you work for, quit your job. You don’t have the freedom to sabotage the company’s morale and reputation through your constant expression of dissatisfaction.”
Ouch. I once was employed, and I had some officemates complaining against our company. Sometimes I joined them in their ‘ranting sessions’ when they expressed their dissatisfaction. I thought it was OK to do so. Bad me, huh?
“Sometimes people feel that whatever work they are doing, it could not be what God intended for them. They blame the work. The missing piece here is not what is wrong with the work they are doing, but rather understanding the work they are performing right now in the context of the bigger picture of their destiny.”
So true. We may not be presently having the dream job we’ve always wanted. We might feel trapped in the humdrum state of our present career, but unknowingly, it is actually a preparation for something bigger and better in the future. We just have to keep on being true to our duty. Our time will come. As the Law of the Seed states, “You reap what you sow.” Whatever effort and dedication we put into our work today, we will be rewarded accordingly at the right time.
This also got me thinking a lot about my own Dharma in the many roles that I have in my life. It's not just about work, but also about being a true creature of God, of being a good daughter and family member, of being true to my calling in my present career, or of being true to the business I'm presently in. There were really those days when I put so much of myself in what I'm called to do. But, there were also those lazy days when I was just not attentive with my work or being full of complaints and bad attitude. I just realized I may be a little too relaxed with my present career. Sigh. I miss those times when I was just so passionate about what I did and I wasn't even thinking about what I could get from it, but I was simply enjoying what I was doing that time. I learned that I have to give my best in whatever I am and whatever I do. I realized that as a child of God, I have to be true to the unique gifts and talents He has given me. And even if I don't seem to reap the fruits of my labor as soon as I expect it to be, I know it will just be a matter of time.
Well, it's another Sunday spent at home for me today. I'm just sharing with you some of my thoughts on this. Oh well, we do need some inspiring insights to prepare us for another busy week ahead, right?
Be true to your own Dharma, whatever it is.
I still consider myself a newbie to the blogosphere. The first time I encountered this word, I was confused about its meaning. I thought it was a typo error of the word ‘memo’ but it’s more than that. Pronounced as ‘meem’, it is defined by dictionary.com as “a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.” In the blogging world, it starts as a post by an inspired blogger to challenge the readers to a task, like pinching a stranger beside you or reading a book in German. Nah, seriously now, it’s a fun way of getting to know your blogmates since most memes involve information (by answering questions specified by the meme) and distribution (by tagging other bloggers to do the same)!
Last night, I stumbled upon this cool meme on Snglguy’s blog, but I guess I came in late. So, I tagged myself in Ric’s blog, since he was the first to respond to Snglguy’s meme. Okay, this meme is kinda different though, I won’t be answering questions about myself, instead it goes like this. When you comment on this post, I will have to: 1. Respond with something random about you.
2. Challenge you to try something.
3. Pick a color that I associate with you.
4. Tell you something I like about you.
5. Tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. Tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. Ask you something I’ve always wanted to ask you.
8. Pick a song that reminds me of you.
After I’ve done the 8 tasks above, you will then have to post this same meme and my response on your blog. It’s fun, right?
Here’s what Ric did for me when I commented on his blog. I copy-pasted it here with my response in italics:
Here it is. I will try my best.
1. Random: You’re probably a girl who has a knack for details in everything. I can assume that looking at your blog header.
Really, I didn’t know my blog header would speak about that for me… but yeah, that’s a good observation, I really am concerned with details sometimes, especially with my work.
2. Challenge: Sing Aegis’ “Basang-basa sa Ulan” when you go to a videoke. This came to mind because of your post regarding the leaky ceiling.
Waaaah…! I really don’t sing songs I don’t like. That’s a big challenge indeed.
3. Color: Pretty easy! Fuschia? Err…pink na lang. Hehehe.
Yep, it’s obvious!
4. Like: The design of your header.
Thanks!
5. Memory: I was amazed to find another bisaya blog prior to stumbling on bisaya bloggers.
Really? Well, my posts are mostly in English (para global, hehehe…) so this is not really a bisaya blog, but am a true-blue err true-pink bisdak.
6. Animal: Rabbit? Err…because of the color pink. They have pink noses, right?
OK lang, rabbits are cute. Hehehe…
7. Question: Taga asa kang dapit? Hehehe.
Batang Negros (Occidental).
8. Song: Aerosmith’s “Pink”. Don’t ask why anymore.
Yeah, good choice!
Well, how’s that? Hehehe.
That’s about it folks! C’mon, start commenting now!
p.s. If you have already done this meme, you can still comment here, and I will gladly do the 8 tasks for you.
Yesterday I posted an entry about leaky ceilings, and… guess what? I got this cute illustration on my e-mail inbox today:
LOL, another leaky ceiling reminder!
It’s not a very reasonable piece of art though if you look at it more than once.
Notice the kids all look like they’re of the same age, except that small baby beside the mother. Or maybe they’re quintuplets? And that dog looked so heavy sleeping on top of the kids… they will surely get muscle cramps in the morning with that sleeping arrangement! The kid sleeping beside the father looks like he’s gonna roll down on the floor anytime. And all of them are smiling like they’re posing for a photography session with eyes closed. Well, it’s just an artist’s way of painting his idea of a real happy family, though for me, being happy means being smart too – using our available resources the best way we can. The parents should have improvised a big rug on the floor where some of them can sleep with more space. And why hold an umbrella while sleeping when you can just move the bed a bit, leave a pail to catch the falling raindrops while getting some sleep. That’s speaking from experience! (just read my previous post) he he…
Sorry dear artist, even if your illustration looks cute, I’m just tempted to redraw it a little bit in my imagination:
- the bed moved a few feet away from the leak,
- a pail catching the rain drops under the leaky ceiling,
- mom and dad with two kids sleeping on the bed,
- the four kids sleeping on a rug on the floor with the doggie beside them, not on top of them…
- and I think the cat can sleep with the group in the bed
- and most of all, they’re not smiling but just looked like they’re having a really great time in dreamland.
So, to escape it, I went back to bed
But then the rain started leaking through the ceiling
And pretty soon it was pouring on my head.”
Whoa… the lyrics got me! It made me smile. It’s the first time I heard this song ‘The End’ by Matthew West playing on my Yahoo! Launchcast Radio this morning. What a way to validate my happy thoughts. It’s just that I woke up feeling so glad and thankful about our house, it’s a feeling of gratefulness for this warm and cozy shelter we call home. Maybe it’s because it was raining so hard last night, courtesy of Typhoon Florita, and I felt so safe and warm as I slept soundly through the night.
The lyrics caught my interest ‘cause it brought back some rainy memories of an old apartment where we used to live, situated at the corner of a busy street intersecting an even busier highway. Aside from the noisy traffic we got everyday, which later on became like background music to our ears, how could I ever forget those rainy days spent inside that apartment? Yepp… it had leaky ceilings! And when it rained hard, drops of rain falling from the ceiling wakes you up from your deep slumber, ughhh…you feel it on your face! You have no other choice but to run for cover! Nah, you’d rather run to get a pail to catch the raindrops or else it would be flooding inside the house. He he… Since it was an old house, it needed a lot of maintenance which the owner never bothered about, and my Dad doesn’t want us to spend for it ‘cause he reasoned out it’s not our house anyway, why pay for some labor and materials for a house which isn’t yours? Oh well…
Anyway, the song’s chorus went on in the background…
“It’s not the end,
the end of the world
It’s just another day
depending on grace…”
Right on! I do believe it was only through His grace that we were able to live through the inconveniences and the not-so-comfy circumstances in that apartment for many years. And even if that old house gave us uncomfortable experiences during rainy days, we’re still thankful for the shelter it provided us.
Now, it’s a different scenario since we’re back here in our own house. No more raindrops inside! And guess what, a family friend came later this morning and told us that her house (actually it’s a shanty) fell down because of the said typhoon, and the family members have no other choice but to sleep in their small kitchen. It’s such a sad situation for them. Some friends came to help them rebuild what’s left of their little house. And as Mom and Dad were discussing with her how we could help, I felt more blessed and grateful for our very own house.
Tsk tsk… I was thinking about leaky ceilings, while hers was a badly damaged house!
As the song concludes…
“Sometimes life takes so much more than it gives,
But the One who makes the air I breathe,
Is the One who’ll fix the ceiling when it starts to leak,
It may look like the end but it’s only the beginning.”
Let’s say one creature started blogging on January 2006. How will his blog look like 10 years after?
If he is a blog enthusiast and posts regularly, what will happen to his archives? Can they still be contained in the limited blog space provided by his blog account? I can also imagine all those entries – from January 2006 to January 2016. Hmmm… not that much? And what about the links exchanged with fellow bloggers? Within ten years, it could be multiplied at a faster rate, considering the fact that many blogs are born daily, and blog-hopping has become second-nature to bloggers.
I really don’t know the statistics, but I bet there will be more bloggers from among your real-life friends in the next 10 years… so, that means, the probability of you ending up in another person’s blog would also increase, either as the main character /hero… or the bad guy/culprit (just like in the movies, right?). The possibility of being in a stranger’s blog would increase too! You could be in a mall, or in the streets, in the airport, wherever… or you could be in the office, at a party, or any event… and chances are, somebody will blog about whatever they observed in you.
That just goes to show how powerful a blog can be, and you can’t deny its influence to all ‘netizens’ – the eager chatters, the web savvy techies, the computer geeks, the email freaks, the social networkers, and just about every creature who’s very much captivated by the web.
What makes blogs so appealing? Self-expression and creativity without limits. No grammar restrictions. No rules!
With much freedom of expression though comes the downside in the quality of blogs and some critics are complaining that more and more nonsense blogs are filling up the blogosphere. Uh-oh. But bloggers would return that with a sarcastic reply, “This is my own blog, I can write whatever I want, just click x if you don’t like reading anything here, and get outta here fast!”
Now you have blogs incorporated in social networking sites like Friendster, Multiply, Yahoo 360, etc. Even web-based businesses are keeping up with the trend and incorporating weblogs to keep their clients updated.
According to Stephen Baker of BusinessWeek Online, “The great thing about the blog world is that unlike libraries or book stores, it never fills up. There's room for everyone. And if even 1% of the blogs is worth reading, it's still a gold mine.” He refutes a comment by somebody who says that the blogosphere is losing credibility. Read more …
Blog for life? What do you think?
It’s past twelve noon. It’s almost time to go. I thought impatiently as I looked at the wall clock. Oh well, actually, it is time to go. We’re on our way to attend a burial and the funeral Mass will be starting at one o’clock. How long does it take to go to our destination? You have to consider the travel time which would take more than thirty minutes plus the time needed to pick up some relatives along the way. But why are we not going yet? I was already getting restless while waiting for the others. Finally, after keeping the house in order, securing the locks, and all that stuff we used to do before leaving, we’re set to go. While on our way, I was already complaining that we’re so delayed.
As we drove through the streets, I saw somebody familiar flagging our vehicle, waving at us to stop.
“It’s Auntie!” I told Dad who pulled over to the side of the road. She was with her daughter Bea. It turned out they were also on their way to the burial.
“We were riding in a jeepney from the city,” she told us, “and just as we passed by your subdivision’s gate, Bea saw your vehicle coming out, so we got down immediately.”
(more…)
Ideas are powerful. A train of thought can make or break, build or destroy. The choice is ours. Our ideas become our future. I believe that life’s meaningful lessons are best learned when shared with others.
