A time for reflection

This lent…

Give up complaining——focus on gratitude.
Give up pessimism——become an optimist.
Give up harsh judgments——think kindly thoughts.
Give up worry——trust Divine Providence.
Give up discouragement——be full of hope.
Give up bitterness——turn to forgiveness.
Give up hatred——return good for evil.
Give up negativism——be positive.
Give up anger——be more patient.
Give up pettiness——become mature.
Give up gloom——enjoy the beauty that is all around you.
Give up jealousy——pray for trust.
Give up gossiping——control your tongue.
Give up sin——turn to virtue.
Give up giving up——hang in there!

(source)

Don’t you feel like life is bordering on circles and ellipticals? I mean, it’s that time of the year again [so fast!] when we are called to reflect this Holy Week, focusing on Jesus, on our relationship with Him and others, on our spirtuality. Let’s put down everything for a moment, block out all “noise”, and just be with Him.

May we all have a fruitful Holy Week.

New passport appplication process

Got to watch news last night (I am avoiding watching the news because do so makes me want to throw something at the TV stands…always negative news), and there was some news that the DFA has made some changes to the passport application process. Apparently, they aim to make the whole process last just 30 minutes.

Some changes are the following:

• For first-time applicants, all you have to bring are a filled up application form and a valid ID (no need for birth certificates, etc).
• For renewals, just bring your old passport and a valid ID.
• Pictures are now taken at the DFA office, during the process.
• Finger scanning is now used instead of finger printing.
• No walk-in applicants will be entertained. Appointment should be made over the phone or through the Internet.
  

WOW! All these to make the process simpler, faster, and easier.

However, based on the reviews of the people interviewed, the system is not yet running smoothly, and some applicants spent hours on their application. This is expected, though, with a new process. It may take some time for the new process to run smoothly.

Thank God I recently renewed my passport!

For more information in this, you may check DFA’s Web site.

Bad dreams!

What a morning!

I had the weirdest dreams I’d rather do without.

I dreamed that my parents were already dead, and these occurred in separate dreams.

In the first dream, my mother was still with us, but she was already a spirit, and only we, her family can see her. Weird!

In the second dream, I was outside our house, talking with neighbors about my “late” father.They were sort of giving me a eulogy, telling me the good things they remember about my father (something like accutane reviews). Weird!

Oh gosh! What could these mean? I hope nothing bad!

One thing is for sure though, I am NOT READY to lose them! No! No!

Pale orange

Since I tasted one of the tastiest lemon chicken in Kuala Lumpur, I’ve been craving for some when we got back. I was so desperate that I even tried cooking one, which turned out not to be a success [but not a failure either]. I was so desperate that I’d be willing to give up money allotted to Outer Banks vacation rentals just to taste good lemon chicken again.

So, I was excited to try Chowking’s orange chicken. I know, I know. It’s not lemon. But I’ve tasted orange chicken before, and I think they taste almost the same. So pwede na.

So I asked my sis to buy one for me today so I could taste it.

When I opened the takeout package, the first thing I blurted out was, “Ay, ang putla. Bakit parang ang ganda nya sa advertisement.”

My sister quipped, “Oo nga. Bakit dun sa picture ang ganda nya?”

True! In the pictures, they looked so orange. In reality, they looked so pale.

Oh well, there goes good advertising.

So what can I say about the taste?

It tasted ok for me. Subtle orange taste. Just enough to “quench my thirst” for the time being.

But don’t take my word for it. I have a bad cold, and I think my taste buds have been altered for the time being. I have to taste it again.

If you’re looking for color, don’t expect your orange chicken to be this “orange.”

Some things are not meant to be

Do you somehow feel that some things are really not meant to be? That when you look at the whole picture and at the details of the circumstances, you will just shake your head and say, “perhaps, I am not meant to get this?”

There are things in life that we want to achieve, but things do not go on as we always plan. It’s sometimes hard to accept that we did not pass the bar exam or that the best acne treatments did not work on us or that someone else had bought the bag you were eying for months. Yes, some things are not meant to be, and you are not always to get what you want.

When these things happen to me, I just remember the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and somehow hope that everything will be okay.

“Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and
the wisdom to know the difference.” 

The complexity of faith

“Mama, nagpray naman ako ha? Bakit hindi pa din nangyari? Why didn’t Jesus give our request?”

How would you answer such a question? How would you explain to an 8-year-old girl the “complexities” of faith? What if her prayers are as simple as “Jesus, please let me be able to buy that toy!” or “Jesus, I pray that those top fat burners finally work on Mama” and are not answered?

For us adults, it’s as easy as thinking, God answers with a yes, a no, or a maybe, and that faith is what keeps us praying even if the answer is no. But at times, it’s more complicated than that and even we, as adults, cannot understand the mechanics of God NOT answering our prayer.

Harder, still, to answer is “Mama, why do we still pray kung hindi rin naman ibibigay ni God?”

I just tell Wendy, “Mama or Papa doesn’t give you everything you want diba, but you still ask? That’s the way it is.”

I guess it really does boil down to faith.

Up, up, and away

I found a very cute picture on the Internet that made me smile on this Friday morning:

Isn’t he cute? He could be Russel in real life (they look so much alike…they both need a natural appetite suppressant!).

I admit I haven’t seen this movie yet (much to the irritation of my sisters). Those who have watched it unanimously recommend that I watch it, and I have yet to hear a negative review about it.

I have it on DVD. So I’m only guessing when I would find the time to watch it.

Well, hope the picture made you smile also!

What I love about Fridays

• No work the next day
• It is the gateway to the weekends (time for sleeping in, catching up on other things like reading a good book or colon cleansing, or going somewhere you’d rather be)
• Dress-down at the office
• Being relaxed the whole day (not much stress at work; kung meron man, you know you’ll have the weekend to recuperate)
• Simply having that great feeling that you know it’s Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

Book time!

I am currently reading this:

I am just one fourths into the book [mind you, this is a lengthy book…for me at least].

I find the book interesting. I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I am hanging on to every word of the book. I must admit though that, at times, I am having a hard time following the story (it’s like reading xenadrine reviews). Sometimes, I am inclined to abandon the book altogether and read something like Harry Potter again. However, there is something about the story that keeps me hooked. I am always wondering where Henry [the time traveler] will pop up next. And I am always wondering how his love affair with Clare [the time traveler’s wife] bloomed.

Interesting indeed! I hope I get to finish this book.

Google-less

Can you imagine a world without Google?

Well, if you’re in China, you might start thinking of the possibility. Issues related to censorship has prompted Google China to think about pulling out from the highly populated country.

I haven’t gone deeper into the issue, and I am left wondering what kind of censorship issues there are between Google and China [in the minimum, it is probably safe to say that they are not arguing about muscle milk review or online bag sales]. But I’m guessing that it has something to do with “Chinese law requiring Internet operators to censor information for sexual and political content.”

At any rate, it is a lose-lose situation forboth parties: Google will lose millions in revenue, whereas China will be Google-less. Can you imagine that?

(photo source)