A Temporary Goodbye

Happy Monday, everyone!

How are you coping after yesterday's fight? Job got over it more quickly than I did when he was the sports fan while I'm just the occasional viewer. I didn't even watch Pacman's old fights. Oh well, you know that I'm never the kind of woman who gets over stuff quickly haha.

I learned a lot about it though. Sometimes, God's victory is different from what most people perceive as victory. The latter might bring worldly honor to us, but God's victory glorifies Him over everything. I believe Manny is victorious because even though he didn't win the title, he got what is more important: respect and love. And this will forever be a greater testimony than a shiny belt.

I believe this is the victory that God promised to Manny.

But how are you really? I would like to know because it would be a while since I will be able to talk to you again.

I already hinted at a hiatus last week, which began last Friday, May 1. Technically, I shouldn't be writing now since I'm on hiatus, but I realized I never said my appropriate albeit temporary goodbyes.

By now, you might have known that I'm also a girl who loves drama. Hahaha.

So yeah, since I really really need to focus on studying, I decided to give up blogging in the meanwhile. I shall be back before the end of the month, and hopefully, by then, I will have passed the board exam. Woot!

Pray for me! I need all the prayers. I haven't even touched some topics, and there's just so much coverage - from laws to mathematics to ecology and geography and sociology and current events. I'm acknowledging that I could never in a million years do this by myself and I only have a chance at acing the exam with God's guidance.

Oh, and about blogging, expect changes. Major changes. Changes as in I finally took the big leap and bought a new domain name yesterday. So if you're still around when I come back (hopefully you are!), let's meet at a spanking brand new blog. :)

I hope you'll miss me half as much as I would miss you and blogging. I mean, I would surely feel different over the next several weeks because I've been blogging for years, but we all know that this is for the best. And it's not forever! #walangforever haha

So for now, I'm saying goodbye. I'll see you before June begins, hopefully with a lot of good news and colorful new stories!

Until then, may God always bless you all. :)

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Annoying Gatecrashers and Other Stories

Every muscle in my body is aching! It's 6:20 am here, I only have 40 minutes until work starts (my work starts at 7am and ends at 3pm), and I'm still here in bed with Yuri. At least I can still work with me in bed. #perksofaWAHM

The reason why I'm so tired (as well as everybody in the household - actually, almost everybody active in this village) is that we came from the beach yesterday. We had fun, yes, but sadly, because of some reason, our day also quickly turned sour. Let me rant a little and share with you what happened.

Annoying Gatecrashers

The activity at the beach yesterday was planned as an R&R slash team building activity for everyone who worked hard to make last week's fiesta (our village's first fiesta slash foundation day ever). It was planned among the village officers as a treat to themselves and the youth who laboured really hard for days and even went home at dawn just to finish everything that needed to be finished. 

Obviously, the event should be just for the officers and the youth who call themselves "Cecilia Boys." We cooked our own food and paid for our own entrance fees etcetera. The boys used their prize money from the basketball game they played in during the fiesta. And we had fun.

Including this kiddo

Until the gatecrashers came in.

Ultimate Summer Trip (Day 5): Highway Robbery in Vigan

Read about the entire 6-day trip here.

Nothing much happened during Day 5. We checked out of our hotel in Vigan early in the morning, at around 4:30 am, and we found ourselves traveling back to Manila.

But here are the more interesting stories of how we got ripped off in Vigan.

VIa entertainment.desktopnexus.com/

Carinderia Scuffle

I believe I already told you about the first time we got ripped off  (yes, there's a second time!) - in less than an hour after arriving in Vigan. Because our rooms in the hotel were still being fixed and we wanted to try "authentic" Ilocano dishes, we decided to give the nearby carinderia a try. The place was really sparse - there were only monobloc chairs and even these were lacking - but I guess the adventuring spirit really kicked up in us because we eagerly took our seats and ordered the Ilocano fare we were hoping for.

Lo and behold, we were given below average-tasting dishes with a few pieces of meat tossed in. When I worked in the office 4 years ago, we sometimes ate from a very little carinderia where the taxi drivers eat, and the food we bought there was delicious. What I mean is that eating in a carinderia doesn't mean eating a poor excuse for a dish. Even their pinakbet has cabbage - who puts cabbage in their pinakbet?

Worse, the servings were very little. And worst? The owner of the carinderia increased the prices of the dishes and drinks every time. For example, when we first asked one of the "servers" the price of family-sized soft drinks, she said P25. Then the owner would insist that it is 35 or 40. Everything kept getting more expensive!

We paid more than P500 for 5 cups of rice and 4 measly platitos of ulam.

(Actually, the worst thing about that carinderia is how their food sent me to the emergency room! That was one of the few times I thank God Yuri is picky!)

Tricycle Kafuffle

Speaking of the emergency room, before we were actually able to check out, my mom had to take me to the hospital because my stomach pains (and nausea and diarrhea again) came back and were even more terrible than the first time. We asked the front desk for the nearest hospital, and the ladies pointed us to "Lahoz Clinic and Hospital."

A photo posted by Marie Angeli Laxa (@maanlaxa) on Mar 25, 2015 at 2:16am PDT

Yes, it was very near (just 5 minutes away from Green R). Yes, we immediately discovered that it was also a rundown hospital. The funniest thing about that hospital is that everyone is asleep - even the guard. If I didn't have a bowling ball for a stomach then, I would've laughed loudly. But it's fine; I was given acceptable service. And it was not in the hospital where we got ripped off.

No, it was the tricycle driver who did the honours. When we came out of the hotel, he and his tricycle were just by the front door so naturally, we approached him. We requested to go to Lahoz Hospital. It was already 2am, so we asked him if he could wait so that we wouldn't have any problem going back to the hotel.

When we emerged from the hospital, instead of going back to the hotel, we asked to be taken first to another hospital nearby, which is Metro Vigan Hospital (which is the better hospital) since the medicines we needed to buy were not available in Lahoz. Off we went.

Finally, after buying the medicines, we asked to drop by a 7-11 on the way back to the hotel to buy Gatorade and some food. Then we finally went back to the hotel.

On the way, my mom and I decided to give the driver P200 since they charge P15/person - we had a total of 4 stops (including the hotel) but thought to pay the driver extra for his time. When we handed him the payment, he looked at us incredulously and said, no, he's charging us P330.

P330 for a tricycle ride. In a small town. At 2-3 am when there weren't even any other passengers who could have ridden his tricycle.

I mean, he even knew I was very sick, but he still demanded his fee. We didn't want to start a fight with this potentially dangerous stranger in the middle of a strange town so, while mumbling to ourselves, I handed my precious P300 to him. Huhu.

Then I thought of the tricycle driver who kindly gave me a tour of Vigan museums, did not charge an exorbitant fee, and even volunteered to take our orders for longanisa (which he promptly delivered to our hotel while we were still in the hospital - I hadn't even given him payment yet!). What a difference! I just feel like I need to say this to clarify that I am not generalizing Ilocanos from Vigan.

Please tell me honestly as we are not from Luzon (in Davao City, tricycle fares start from as low as P5 and rude drivers - jeepney, tricycle, taxi - are actually a rarity): did the second tricycle driver charge us fairly?

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What You Can Sacrifice This Holy Week

Source: oakwoodfwb.com

I belatedly realized that this week pala is Holy Week. I blame that on not being fully employed (until today -  I will share with you the details soon!) and the jetlag from our trip.

Kung makajetlag, akala mo kung saan nanggaling. Luzon lang pala!

Anyway, I've been hearing and reading again promises to give up meat on Holy Friday. If you love eating meat and want to sacrifice something you love in order to deny yourself and focus on Jesus, by all means, go ahead. You have my full support (if it matters).

BUT

But if you're only giving up meat because many other people are doing it, you may be doing it just to fit in. In other words, the sacrifice is not for the Lord but for other people.

Also, if you're not into eating meat in the first place, what's the point of giving it up? And if you're going to replace pork with baked salmon or roast turkey, is it still sacrifice?

Here Comes March!

Can we just take a moment and revel in the fact that it's already March (yesterday)? I mean, didn't we just celebrate Christmas and New Year? Time flies!

Source: http://quotesblog.net/

February was truly a roller-coaster ride for me. First, my Comprehensive Real Estate (Brokerage) classes began last February 7, and even though I never imagined myself being in this field, I found myself enjoying every day of "school." Sometimes, I dread them especially when Atty. Raymond Batu (our lecturer for the legal aspects of real estate) threatens to hold an oral recitation, but I still enjoy our classes generally. I also realized they were nothing but empty threats haha, or maybe we just always run out of time. (I wrote a post about my life as a student here.)

I'm feeling floral today! 

A photo posted by Marie Angeli Laxa (@maanlaxa) on Feb 27, 2015 at 7:27pm PST

I love dressing up for school.

On the other hand, I have also done major career decisions last month. I had an almost month-long hiatus from work because I needed to decide whether I want to stay with my current job or explore new opportunities.

In the end, after the hiatus and many prayers and much self-reflection, I decided to stay with my current job but drastically reduce my hours. I explored new opportunities, and now, I'm a writer for a Christian company (I'll write about it in the next days) and a freelance writer for Writer Bay. I'm enjoying my new setup so far!

However, the downside of my career move last month is the loss of income.
 

Respect

During the last couple of nights (it could have been more), I fell asleep before Yuri did. I was always exhausted for some reason. If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was pregnant. Haha!

Last night was an exemption. You see, I found myself a little involved in an "indirect altercation" between two former schoolmates from UP. One, also a mother, is an acquaintance, while the other I am not very familiar with. I wasn't able to sleep right away because the scuffle got me thinking.

It started when the latter posted an angsty status regarding parents, which may or may not have been offensive, depending on whom you talk to. The other party, my acquaintance, wrote a reaction to that status. Several comments were made, and a sorority sister of mine commented that the original post would offend any mom. I guess the specific details are not necessary here. The point is that they disagreed and I took a side because I was disappointed with the show of behavior.

Source: http://www.inedc.com/

This made me think of some things such as how common it is now to disrespect other people. To be fair, I'm referring not only to the one who wrote the offensive status but also to the ones who wrote personal attacks as comments (I tried my best not to do it, but if someone says my comments were also personal attacks, I apologize). I think this is because everything's being done online.

It's so easy to hurt people because you don't see them as people but just names with thumbnail photos attached. It's also easier to attack people because you only have to write behind each other's backs; no confrontation needed.

I guess I also learned from that experience. I commend my mommy acquaintance for taking down her reaction because it shows humility. I need to learn that, too, because when I get reactive, it often becomes a matter of pride and being right just for the sake of being right. And yes, sometimes, being quiet - and staying quiet - is the best thing to do.

This scuffle also reminds me of all the times something I wrote caused virtual strangers to personally attack me and my beliefs. Again, it's an online thing. It's easy to make an attack behind a glowing screen rather than in person.

I know that freedom of speech shouldn't favor anyone, so if I can write about anything, they should be able to say anything they want, right? Wrong, because your right ends the moment it steps on the rights of others.

Blogging about something in a personal venue using gentle words and logical reasons doesn't, in my opinion, step on anyone's rights. But a hurtful comment does.

Suffice to say, I think my acquaintance might have been a bit reactive and emotional in her reaction (redundant), but I'm sure she already realized that.

Conversely, I still stand by my belief that the original post, though it might have conveyed the poster's feelings, stepped on the feelings and beliefs of other people. Come to think of it, he actually had a point. A relevant point. But he didn't have to curse and insult to deliver the message. Simple.

At the very least, this is only my opinion, and, at the end of the day, it doesn't always matter. If you feel I was offensive, just call me out.

Have you personally been disrespected online? On social media or in your very blogs?

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Life as a Student

Okay, a review student for only 8 weeks, not a full-fledged student. I actually still have a scholarship for Masteral and Doctorate degrees in UP (#humblebrag #sorry), but because of my strong aversion to oral recitations and quizzes, I don't think that scholarship shall ever be used.

I digress.

So I've been a "student" for a couple of weeks now, swallowing my aversion to all things academic to perform my daughter-ly duty. Ang drama ba? No, actually, my mother influenced me to take up a real estate brokerage board exam not so I can follow in her footsteps in the field but because she knows employment is not in my blood. Well, yeah, she got that right.

I digress again! Ano ba!

Okay, if anyone thought real estate brokerage was easy, he's so wrong. I mean, I also thought the same before the first class started. I'm reality, we have to know so many laws and so many concepts and do so many computations. Eek!

But there are things I love about being a "student" again. The first thing I love the most about being a student is, I'm not gonna lie, time alone. I only go to classes every Saturdays and Sundays, but believe me, those weekends are the biggest amount time I have ever spent alone as a mother. Because I know Yuri is well taken care of at home, I don't have to worry about him at class and can fully focus on learning and on myself.

The second thing I love about going to school is picking out outfits. Well, it would have been fun if only I didn't gain weight. But I did so my wardrobe choices are limited at the moment.

However, now, I have a legitimate reason to buy new clothes!

Exhausted!

Source: internetcafedevotions.com

It's a few minutes before 6 am, I just woke up, and my body feels tired and achy-breaky all over.

I wasn't even able to work out so there is only one reason for this tiredness: work!

I have been feeling exhausted since last week. I know this is because I have begun working looonger hours because we've been required to be a lot more meticulous at work. So now, a single job takes a lot more time. For example, if I used 30 minutes for an essay before, now, I'm using around 50 minutes.

Unfortunately, this means reduced output throughout the day, and I'm being paid per essay. Before, I worked from 8 to 4:30, but now, I'm working from 8 to 6, with reduced pay. Ugh.

Well, I'm not here to complain about work again. I'm here to say I'm so tired of being exhausted. You know that feeling? Because of my longer hours, I'm no longer able to get more things done. Because I slump before my laptop for 9-10 hours, my body feels the effects, too. I get muscle aches all over.

And I'm not even losing weight! I no longer have the time or energy to clean up Yuri's mess, much less actually work out. And because of stress, I find myself eating more. Huhu.

Then I also couldn't churn out substantial blogs anymore. After working, we eat dinner, wash up, and before Yuri gets to sleep, I already fall asleep. Yesterday, I fell asleep on Yuri's playmat while watching the news -  as in TV Patrol at 7 o'clock.

What's worse is that I don't remember the last time I had a decent devotional. I haven't touched my planner-slash-devo notebook (see review of Certified Positive planner here) and haven't had a long prayer with God for the longest time. Because, you're right, I keep falling asleep.

This morning, I was berating myself for falling asleep again last night. I had planned to finally do a decent devo but, you know, I fell asleep again. I even left my cellphone plugged into the power bank. But while I asked God for help (and deliverance?), He reminded me of this simple poem I had read so many months ago:

And We Can Uplift Each Other

I don't remember the last time I blogged lightheartedly. Oh I remember pala. It was during Job's birthday the other week. Was it only 10 days ago? It seems like a lifetime.

Last week, I felt down for reasons I will describe below. However, there was also one thing that occurred last week that forced made me to remember the happy things. Look at this photo:

You see toys; I see hope.

This photo was sent to me in an envelope containing more photos and a letter. A thank you letter. See, the envelope came from World Vision. Aside from the photo above, there were other photos depicting a handsome smiling boy in a shopping cart with her mother, shopping for toys and clothes.

The boy is a 3-year old, almost the same age as Yuri, and one of my World Vision sponsors. The letter came from him and his mom, thanking me for my meager contribution to their joy. Joy not because of the toys and clothes but joy because of the hope that we can help each other and uplift each other. It's not impossible pala.

And it made me rethink some things in light of a different context:

Searching for the Bright Side

Hello! Are you having better, brighter days?

As for me, I'm trying to "move on" and return to regular programming, but several occasions throughout the day, I still find myself vividly imagining what the 44 must have felt during those grueling hours of combat. Actions, gestures, words and all.

And, no, I don't know anybody from the troops, but that's just me. I find it scarily easy to empathize and get involved because it's my second nature to put myself in another person's shoes. Most of the time, it's a blessing, but at times like this, it can be a curse. For example, I'm so immersed into this tragedy that it almost engulfs me. Even Job is a little scared for me; he has to consciously steer the conversation into a "safe" topic.

But the truth is, aside from the infamous incident we all know now too well, I'm personally sort of going through a crisis myself.

Source: www.levo.com

I hate to talk about my petty worries at a time like this, but I also know that I have to release my feelings in my blog.

As The Bloody River Clears Up

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Where's My Mojo?

Source: amazon.com

I'm a retrospective person.

I do not usually get into trouble for being that, but what happens is that I tend to compare what is happening now to what had happened in the past. This little fixation of mine is what got me hooked on apps like Timehop where I can conveniently compare what is happening now to what had happened a year ago, 2 years ago, and so on.

So one day, near the beginning of January, I stumbled upon a Timehop of a Twitter post I had made exactly a year ago, announcing that I had made blog drafts that would feed my blog for the next couple of weeks or so. Christmas kasi is usually a low-season for us essay teachers, so I could use my free time to churn draft after draft.

Fast forward to present day. I now have a million (actually just around 15) photo folders that had been sitting in my computer since last year. I had planned to write blog posts for every folder before the year ended; obviously, that didn't happen.

Aside from that, I'm struggling to write. I am not in a mental block because I actually have a list of topics I need to write about. I had the free time until last week but didn't bother writing. What's happening to me? Where's my blogging mojo?

I've been trying to read other blogs for inspiration but that hasn't made an impact yet.

For now, I'm convinced that I lost the verbal diarrhea because of busyness as a yayaless mother and full-time WAHM. I do not have the same free time as I used to have before.

But aside from this, I think I'm also losing the inspiration to write! It's like I need to exert a lot of effort to start writing, unlike before when writing just comes naturally and I had to physically stop myself from finishing one draft after the other.

Does this mean I no longer love writing? Oh noes! As a writer, that does not sit well with me at all. Which pretty much means I still love writing after all. So why am I finding it so difficult to do? Why do I feel like I'm perpetually stuck in a rut?

Have you ever been in this situation? What did you do to get out of it?

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How I Came to Like Pope Francis

Although my mother wrote "Catholic" in one of my recent real estate forms with conviction, I simply am not. Although I conform to their way of prayer and going to church, I am doing so out of a desire to obey. I am a Born Again Christian, and though I believe Catholics are Christians, too, there are many aspects of the system that I can't adhere to.

One of them is the concept of a "Vicar of Christ" or a person who represents Jesus on earth. Jesus is not absent in the first place and doesn't need a proxy. If there's a "Vicar of Christ," it should be the Holy Spirit.

Source: http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Since the concept is not in the Bible, I cannot subscribe to the idea in peace. The same goes for apostolic succession.

That doesn't mean I don't view Pope Francis as a godly Christian leader. In fact, in my eyes, he is that. I expect him to be that.

I was initially touched when I found out he wanted to visit the typhoon victims in Tacloban. Pope or not, I believe this is a good example to follow when it comes to loving the poor. But to be completely honest, I considered that it could be just another publicity stunt for popularity.

I guess I've been a doubting Thomas.

So yesterday, when he arrived in the country, despite my sister's excitement, I feigned nonchalance and continued doing my basic Pilates. Which is very hard, by the way. Oh the things you do for love.

And I digress. Anyway, so the Pope arrived and the crowds on TV were cheering. Almost every post on my social media feeds was about him. Then he finally stepped out of the plane and his cap was blown by the wind. I smiled and my tween sister couldn't stop laughing.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

I must admit that he seems to radiate godliness when you look at him. I was touched when I saw him hugging the little boy. He must be genuine after all. Of course, my skeptical self quickly caught up and I thought maybe, again, this was just a popularity stunt.

Why did I keep accusing the Pope of this? It's because I judged him through the articles written about him. Articles that portray him as a Pope who was willing to compromise what is written in the Word to be popular. Which, in hindsight, could be incorrect. In my judgmental eyes, I was convinced that you couldn't just believe that a person is godly based on what you see.

Then the irony hit me like a ton of bricks.

I came to like the Pope not because of what he did and not because of what I read or heard or saw. It's because of what God clearly told me that afternoon.

My opinion was that "... you couldn't just believe that a person is godly based on what you see." How hypocritical of me. If I shouldn't like a person based on what I see, what made me think judging was any different? I shouldn't judge a person based on what I see because I cannot see his heart. Only God can. I need to be wary of declaring people as inauthentic in their faith just the same as I need to be wary of believing anything thrown at me.

In other words, I should be slow to judgment and criticism. Instead, I need to be more compassionate and believe in the goodwill of people - or believe in the presence of goodwill in the first place. Those were the words God spoke to me when I knee-deep in judging and criticizing.

Pope Francis had been an undeserving victim of my unfair prejudice. With that said, let me clarify that I look up to him as a Christian Church leader, nothing more and nothing less. But now I truly want to believe in his goodwill and godliness and that he doesn't have agenda other than bringing the Light of Christ to those who need it.

I only hope the people view him as a human leader, not as someone divine, certainly not God.

What are your thoughts on his visit?

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11 Things to Leave Behind in 2015

It's finally the first Monday of 2015. Back to the daily grind! I can't say I didn't enjoy my mini, unofficial break, but I'm looking forward to gaining back a regular routine and schedule and, of course, regular income. Hee hee.

With that said, I'm sure all of us hopes for a good year. The best year even. But for me, to accomplish a good year, aside from making resolutions - and actually following them - I think it is best to also leave behind those that weigh us down.

Good bye. It was good while it lasted.

In my case, here are the things that I resolve to leave behind in the new year:

1. Other people's unfulfilled promises

It's simple; if they truly meant to do something, they would've done it a long time ago.

2. Toxic relationships

My criterion in evaluating a relationship (any kind) is that it should be contributing to my health and well-being: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If a relationship (any kind) does not only neglect any of the aspects but also damage it, let go.

3. Clothes that don't fit

Before the Grind Begins

It's Saturday, the third of January, and also officially the last day of "vacation." Technically, I don't get a vacation, but because the students are on Christmas vacation, it means there's almost no essay to review over the holidays. Thus, self-imposed vacation for me.

How are you?

I feel as if it's been so long since I last interacted with someone online. I know there are still occasional updates on this blog, but my mind has been far from blogging during this vacation. Aside from the busyness that comes with the season, I just wanted to make the most of this down-time. The truth is that I have several things I need to blog, but I don't want to sit in front of the computer just to blog. After all, this is the only time of the year when I can afford to not look at my laptop for a whole day!

Today, I was able to review four essays this morning and none at all this afternoon. So I'm taking a short time to drop in and blog. There are also many things in my mind that I feel the need to write something to let off some mental steam.

Source: allthingsdisneysfrozen.tumblr.com

Aside from going back to regularly working, here are the things that face me once Monday begins:

1. I need to go back to eating a healthy diet. 

I'm sure you have heard this a million times, and like many other people, I've pigged out a lot over the holidays. I actually can't wait to eat red rice, white meat, and vegetable salads again!

2. I seriously need to go back to exercising and working out.

Which I haven't done in, like, a year, and my body is seeing the effects. I'm so big.

3. I will be beginning my review classes for my brokerage exam.

This means I won't have any weekend free from January to March. I'm a bit anxious for it to start since I haven't been in a classroom setting for years, but I'm also excited to learn a lot of new things.

And some long-term preparations:

4. I need to get ready for a family trip on March.

5. I also need to prepare for the official start of our homeschooling on June.

So now, I'm making the most out of the last day of vacation and, at the same time, worrying over some stuff that I don't need to worry about. #OCDproblems

What about you? What do you need to do once vacation is over?

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The Joys and Sorrows of 2014

I didn't have a year-ender post ready. In fact, I have not been up to blogging lately; I "forced" myself to write posts just so that my blog gets updated. It's not because I lost my mojo; it's because of the fact that this is the first Christmas season I faced as a yaya-less mother.

And I had been so busy.

I planned to just write something over the weekend to post on Monday, but last night (or early this morning, as I didn't get to sleep after Media Noche), I came across the post of one of my sorority sisters, which inspired me to write a similar one.

Can you, like, read it? Haha. Happy new year! 🎆🎉🎇🎊

A photo posted by Marie Angeli Laxa (@maanlaxa) on Dec 12, 2014 at 3:15am PST

2014 was certainly a rollercoaster ride for most of us. I can only speak for myself, though. I experienced many joys and sorrows, and I now realize that both are testimonies to the goodness and sovereignty of God. He is in charge. No matter what mistakes and wrong decisions we make, if we repent, God can still use them for his glory.

With this realization in mind, here are the joys and sorrows that God used in 2014 for His glory:

FAITH

SORROW: I very recently backslid - a little - in faith. I underwent a spiritual attack, and this is one of the reasons why I didn't have the drive to write. I don't know; suddenly, I couldn't pray and I kept doing this specific thing that I had already rebuked when I became a Christian years ago. It was a low moment.

JOY: But God helped (helps) me overcome the weakness. It was a struggle but God sent trials along the way to shake me up. There were warnings after warnings and finally, I stopped doing the sin that I kept on doing. Just like that. Some of you may be skeptical, but that's always the way God works in my life: perfectly.

LOVE

SORROW: Well, I'm still not with Job - physically. My family is still technically incomplete, and there are times when I question whether we should keep waiting or not.

JOY: But the strength of our relationship is a testimony to how faithful God is. Everyday, it reminds me that we just have to wait for God's perfect timing. For the record, I can't count how many astonished glances I've seen whenever I mention that we are in a long-distance relationship. We had been in an LDR for 3 years. Frankly, I know we can't do it alone; I would have been astonished, too. But we need to completely depend on God for this relationship to work, and I have to tell you that because of the dependence, the relationship is a lot easier and smoother to manage.

Source: biblia.com

STRENGTH

My Pursuit of Happiness

Hello, I'm back!

*kru kru kru*

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

So I had a blogging hiatus. I felt so down last week not only because of a friend's death but also because my words were mocked in an article that opposed my view.

I wanted to copy the words here (and cite the author, of course) but decided against it at the last minute. I don't want to link to it, but most importantly, I don't want to read my blog in the future and have to read her words again. The author, who is a professor pa naman from UP Mindanao, lifted my words from my post, Let Me Grieve, and didn't even credit me, to show everyone that some people's priorities are askew.

Apparently, according to that author, I am one of those people.

To tell you the truth, I got so mad. Even now when I attempted to copy what she wrote, I got a little miffed again. I get it. I understand that she thinks the NPA movement is noble. She and I have different views. But do I have to get mocked for her to deliver her sentiments? As a writer who speaks out her mind (more than what is necessary), I will never go as low as that.

More importantly, she didn't have to belittle my faith. She didn't know what conversations I had with Perper about it. She didn't even know Perper in the first place! I never directed offense at anyone in my post, so why was I getting attacked?

Source: bible-quote.deviantart.com

But you know what, the article, despite being offensive, made me think. Am I really pursuing meaningless happiness? Here are the things I wrote that I think my friend - and everyone - deserved:

Look Sexy or Be Prudent?

Last Monday, just when I barely recovering (haha oa) from the blogger fiasco that happened last Sunday, I discovered another fiasco.

Itago na lang natin sya sa pangalang Honey.

Old readers would know who she is; for the new stumblers (hello!), Honey is Yuri's yaya.

Yes she's still here (here's the reason why). In fairness to her, other than her usual carelessness and "sabaw" moments, she hasn't done anything drastic since this experience.

Until last Sunday. Can you guess what happened?

I didn't want to write yet another yaya woe, but I'm seriously baffled with this case and I want to know your insights.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED.

Last Thursday, she asked me if I could lend her a dress. I asked, what for? She said it's for a cocktail party activity in school, where they are taught how to serve and etiquette I guess. Since it's for school, I immediately said yes. I have no other cocktail dress so I let her borrow this:

This is our batchbook from college; I'm the third one from the left (never mind that I'm the fattest). Now, take a good look at that dress and take note of the length, too. That's short, right?

Then the day after, she also asked to borrow a pair of shoes. The annoying part was that she had already chosen for herself the shoes she wanted before she asked me. But that's not the issue.

On Monday morning, I found out that she arrived home the night before (Sunday) at already 12 midnight. She's usually expected to arrive at before 9pm. What was the reason?

She skipped school and didn't attend her afternoon classes because she wanted to go home to her province in Davao del Norte. Nope she didn't tell us. We only found out when she got home.

Just a few months after we almost sent her away because she went home without asking for our permission and she did it again! Not to mention that she cut classes; nag-aaral kaya talaga to?

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

She arrived at our house at 12 midnight still wearing my short cocktail dress.

Hello, It's October

Image: http://www.wallpapersandimages.com/

(I am fully aware that October began yesterday; I do have a calendar hee hee.)

I like October for three reasons: the beginning of the cooler weather (which, I notice, begins near the end of September), the Trick-or-treating (if only because of the costumes and the chocolates), and the countdown to Christmas. Yay!

I didn't enjoy September much. I read some people say that some particular months were not "kind" to them as though months had some control on us, and I do not subscribe to such thought. In my case, September was a trying month mainly because I had a weak prayer life, which affected my faith. I'm glad I learned my lesson right away.

This month, I want to start (or regain) a better lifestyle and outlook by doing the following things:

1. Read the Bible and pray more sincerely.

Because I learned that my prayer life makes such a great impact on my life in general. I still read the Bible but lately, I've been scheming through the chapters because I only feel obliged to read them. It was a far cry from my Bible sessions earlier this year when I found myself reading more resources to learn more about what I just read.

As for my prayers, I'm not proud to say that I couldn't count the number of nights I slept without uttering a prayer. And when I did, most were not heartfelt. As a result, I found it easier to sin. *shudders*

2. Think before I speak.

My Friends are in Amazing Race, Duterte, and Other Stories

Image: http://www.tv5.com.ph/

1. My Friends are in Amazing Race

During high school, I had two very close girlfriends: Zarah and Osang. Zarah and I were called "twins" because we looked alike daw (she's a lot prettier), while Osang and I were kindred spirits because we had a lot in common. We mostly grew apart, but I still consider them dear ones.

One thing I don't have in common with them, though, is that they are adventurous (while I'd rather stay home), so I really wasn't that surprised when I found out they got into the final teams competing in this year's Amazing Race:

Zarah and Osang, taken from Zarah's Facebook account

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I'll make sure I'll try to follow (follow talaga) Amazing Race. Woot! Go Zarah and Osang!

PS: They're the only team in the game not coming from Luzon! You can watch the trailer here.

2. Duterte for President