My Sunshine Through the Rain

Picture taken about 2 yrs ago. My sons' most recent picture, actually.

As I set my feet on the wet road, I felt the chill in the wind. It is raining dogs and cats. Despite the coat and the umbrella, the chill brought by the wind crawls under my skin. I tried to ignore the cold and damp feeling as I walked in tiptoe on the slippery road. My stomach tightens as I so desperately want to just get home. After the grave yard shift, all I want for now is to get some good sleep.

 

I reached home soaking wet.  As my son saw me, he immediately said I should take a bath because I might catch a cold or something. Abiding with his advice, I told him to just go ahead and take his lunch.  I took my time as I changed into dry clothes . After several minutes, I proceeded to the bath room.  Then, I realized some one is in the bath room. To my surprise, Vincent is placing a towel on the dry area of  the bath room.  He also poured hot water to the already running water for my bath. Confused, I asked, “What are you doing?”  Vincent simply replied “You should bath with lukewarm water. The water is very cold as is and  you are already freezing cold.”  He moved systematically that before I could speak he is already at the door as he gave his warning “Do not be long, you might get sick”.  Before I could respond, he already shut the door behind him. I wanted to ask him “You should be having your lunch by now”. But I can not utter the query anymore. I am already alone.

 

As soon as I am done with my shower I planned to have a quick lunch. After all, I  will eat alone today. But as I entered our humble abode, Vincent is waiting for me. The foods are untouched.  My son answered my puzzled expression with a kiss on my forehead. With his upbeat mood, he simply stated “I Love you, Inay. Now, let us eat lunch, shall we?  It is past 1:00, way past lunch”  So, we ate as my son talked about his day. He talked about his plan that was unrealized because of the bad weather. He talked on and on with his story about his day and his expectations.  Usually,  it is a conversation.  I asked questions, tell a story or whatever.  Usually, he would  tease me, talk about the games he won or simply, prank me.  But today, it is different. I listened while he does the talking. But I did more than just listen. I looked at him intently. The boy I took care is now a full grown man. And I can not help but to smile to myself.   

 

I felt how my son cared for me as his mother. There are things that needed to be told. But there are things that goes without saying.  As simple as this day maybe, these are the days that reminded me of the simple pleasures in life. And the fulfillment that goes with motherhood.

 

This post happened last year when I was still with my previous company. In fact, I wrote one post about this day. Simple and ordinary as it maybe, but days that a mother will always remember. Each and every day of remembering the simple but colorful days of motherhood. After all, that is all that I have. 

 

Have a great lunch every one…whatever time zone you are in now.

 

 

All Souls Day

Source: news.yahoo

It is now "All Souls Day" here in my country. People are busy. Most of those who resides in Manila are going to the provinces in order to visit the grave of their love ones who passed away.

As a tradition, people go the the cemetery to offer flowers and prayers to their love ones who passed away. Since relatives usually see each other only on occasions like this, it became a family reunion to some families.

How about you, had you already visited the grave of your relatives?

Hope your day will be a nice day today :) 

"About Me" in a Social Media Network

Source: consolidators.greentreegazette.com

After being a member of Facebook network for quite some time, I had not  filled out any information on "About me". As I am using my Face book account to promote my  articles , I gave a closer look on this page of mine;

And so, as my mind were mumbling for words, i came up with this;

About Me:

A curious spirit with undying thirst to thrust unto the deepest realm of humans senses. A continual journey to challenge an intellectual pursuit. And a sensitive soul pursuing to the meaning of each bumps and bruises on each corner of this journey we call Life.

Hmmm....what do you think?

Welcome, Eve

One of the recent member of my friends list is Eve. She is a stay at home mom who earns her living through home based jobs. Her website is "Single Mom, Earning Online". This is the site where she shares her experiences and struggles on earning online. She is also into web designing. Furthermore, she is in search for something new to learn each day so she could share it with her reader.  

If you want to know more about legitimate earning online, her posts could help you and give you tips.

Thank you, Eve, for being a member of my friends list and welcome to my humble abode.

I hope you do not mind, I took the liberty of posting your picture. Thanks.

Welcome, Kimmy

This post is for an internet friend, Kimmy. She had been in my friend's list for quite sometime now. And she is one of those who had been consistent on responding to my post. And for this, I would like to extend my appreciation to a fellow blogger. She is maintaining four blogs. And these are The Earth and I, Soulful, The Story Teller, Kimmy Schemy. 

The Earth and I 

This blog serves as a reminder on how beautiful our home is and the wonderful things it has to offer.

In Soulful

Kimmy stated that "Music is the language of the soul. It expresses our innermost feelings and soothes our deepest hurts. It is a universal medium of communication that passes through language barrier.

The Story Teller

Kimmy states  "The stories featured in this blog are retold for easy retelling, the purposes of which are to inform and entertain: your children, your party guests, an audience, your love interests, etc."

Kimmy Schemy

 This blog chronicles of her life as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a teacher, a friend.. Life is beautiful and must be lived to THE FULLEST

With her wits and interesting concept, anyone would surely pick one or two from her. Thank you Kimmy, for being one of my friends list.  I sincerely appreciate your comments and your presence in my blog. Hoping for more success for you and your blog.  And I hope you will not mind, I took the liberty of posting your picture here.

And have a great week days, every one.

Starting a Business

[Source: www.oup.co.in]

People say entrepreneurship is creating something from nothing. If you will think about it, it is extremely difficult. In an instant, I felt it is an impossible dream.

I wanted to be a business owner. I used to imagine myself owning a business. Every time I passed by a business establishment, I can not help but to think that owning a business is more than a daunting task. It is like moving mountains in order to succeed. It will require extensive marketing skills. And most especially, it will require huge amount of initial capital. For years, i wondered how it works. Until one incident prompted me to take a crash course and do it. Just do it. 

I am on the process of building my small business.  But, I have to have a clear mind in order to take the path. And I learned a few things on the process. I would like to share with you things that you could also work on, just in case you are planning to have your own business as well. If you could bear with me, I will talk about the steps I took on my succeeding posts. As I would like to go over each of them step by step.

I hope to speak with you about some of the tips on my succeeding posts. Have a great week days, every one. Take care of yourselves.

 

Nice Guy

Family Bonding time, Vincent picked the movie to watch today. Cen chose "Nice Guy" of Jackie Chan. I think this movie is far more older than the last movie we watched.

We brought chips. I also included dried pineapple fruit to add a variety to the menu. So, as we roll the film, starts family time;

Nice guy is a combination of comedy and action. It stars Jackie Chan. He plays a chef who got involved in a chaotic chase between a syndicate and a reporter. The reporter was able to video tape a crime committed by the head of the organization. And the syndicate wants the tape. Jackie Chan got caught in between. In the end, Jackie Chan ended up busting the whole syndicate all by himself. Huh! What ever happened to the police authorities? 

With Jackie Chan as the lead role, you can expect lots of stunts and martial arts action. Of course, it included comedy. That is the trademark of Jackie Chan, right? What had I felt while watching the film? I can not help but to remember how reporters are always projected in movies. Media people will do every thing to get a story. They do not care who will get caught in between. They do not care about the consequence. That is the image of reporters.  Somehow, I can not help but to conclude that there is a shed of truth in it. 

Well, happy Sunday to every one. And enjoy your time with your family.

Love of My Life - Queen

The song may not be much. But the more I hear the lyrics and the rhythm, I learn to appreciate the song. In fact, i could even say i like it.



Have a great week every one!

Shirley on Hubpages

Just recently, i became a writer for Hubpages. I am pretty excited. It is a medium to develop my writing and an opportunity to earn as well. I know that it is not much at first. But with hard work and effort, it is like investing for future income. On top of it, I am being exposed to more and more opportunities to write. 

My first article with Hubpages is "The Distinct Concept of Wellness." When you have time, feel free to drop by. I hope you like it.

Happy week days, every one!

60 Seconds..

Bonding time for me and my son is watching CD or DVD movie together. Usually, we are noisy when watching a movie. If we are watching a thriller, we would bet on what will happen next. I always lose.

During our grocery schedules, we drop by to DVD store. He would pick his choice of movie and I would pick mine. Then we buy chips, pop corn or anything we could think of. We are actually planning our slouch day ahead of time. And we try to do this every Sunday. We also have a schedule on who will pick the movie to watch. For instance; if I was the one who picked the movie to watch last Sunday, my son will be the one to choose the movie this coming Sunday. We alternate for fairness sake.

So, last Sunday I was the one who picked the movie to watch. I chose  "Gone in 60 seconds" It is an old movie. It is a story of a man who steals car for a living. Retired and all, he came back to his old gig to save his younger brother. It turned out that his younger brother followed his foot steps and stumbled into serious trouble on the process. The target: To steal 48 cars in 60 seconds, or his brother dies.

The main star was Nicholas Cage. The first part of the movie was not much. And I am not into cars. But we were entertained nonetheless. Vincent was laughing during the car chase. The character played by Nicholas Cage already retired but the police  authorities could not even beat him. Well, that was the comment of my son. Which is actually true.

I liked the scene of the car chase as well. Especially the part where the character played by Nicholas Cage was trapped on the bridge. There was no escape anymore. On his front were long line of vehicles. And as he drove on backward motion, he was confronted by numerous police authorities. Gathering his momentum, he drove straight towards the slanted object on his front. Prompting his vehicle to fly, literally. And as he landed on the part of the bridge where there were no  long lines of vehicles anymore, he escaped the long arms of the law. Maybe, had I watched that  scene during younger years, I would be so ecstatic. Well, for me that was the best scene. As his car flies, I can not help but be amazed and shout "whoaa..hoho". 

Got the video from youtube. Thank you for dropping by and have a great bonding time with your family :)

How to Address House Mess

[Picture from: doobybrain.com]

Our home is our refuge. It is our haven. This is the place where we rejuvenate after a hard days' work. Hence, it is only logical to expect a home that projects a heavenly shelter for each of us.

Many of us never realize it but too much clutter can add up to our stress level. Messy surrounding can drain our energy. Worst it could make us irritable. But then, if we do not have a house help, we have no choice but to do it ourselves or to assign the task to our household companions. Perhaps our kids if they are already capable. The challenge comes in the picture if all members of the family is already working. In a fast paced life and hectic schedule, housekeeping can be a daunting task. Here are a few tips to minimize the clutter and beat a stressful environment.

Music - How about a music in our house? Do you know that music is one way to beat stress? The sound that music brings is a therapeutic method to enhance wellness. Of course, that would depend on the music you prefer to listen into. However, what ever it is you are doing, music can actually sooth your mood and calm your nerves. This is a fact supported by therapists and experts. Actually,we do not need the experts to tell us that music is a great medium of relaxation.

Eliminate excess baggage- Filipinos are fond of sentimental values. "I do not want to toss this equipment because this is given by my great-great grand father. "  Had you heard the same words?  Actually, my origin has that trait. As a result, there are a lot of equipment hanging everywhere. When I go to the second floor, I could not even walk straight anymore. I have to watch my step or I will bumped into a 1960s stereo, or a bag containing albums much more older than I am. All of those stuffs are not even functioning anymore. They are not being used. They just lay there, very still. No use. Nothing. That is the reason why I told myself, If and when I already have my own home, i want to see ONLY usable equipment in my house. I want space. The reason why storage is invented is because we are supposed to put there items not usually used. For those that have no function anymore, it would be better to either recycle them or donate them to the people who needs them the most.

Allot at least 15 minutes of filing documents and other papers - Do you have lots of papers like me? My bills, my mails, my documents and so on. Sometimes, they pile up before I could file them. You see, I have a separate filing space. I keep my folders in one filing stand. One folder for my Certificates, Title of Deeds, bills, credit cards etc. Each has its own folder. Sometimes, i am not able to immediately file the statement of accounts after paying for them. And i am not able to immediately file my bank statements after receiving them through mail. So, I have this space in the house, a small cabinet actually. I immediately put the papers, bills, documents etc.. to this small cabinet if I can not immediately file them. When I have time, that is the only instance when I could finally file them to their respective folders. It is easier to find them if they are placed on one location in the house, right? The problem is that they often  pile up.  So, the solution is to allot at least 15 minutes every day to file these papers. Had you been on the same predicament as mine?

Put the things where they belong. As every one knows my son is my only companion at home. As I was divorced and had not remarried again. I had this house rule. If I or my son use something, it should be returned where it was taken. If we can not return it, then do not use it. The rule applies to me and my son. I do not believe in prompting him to do something and tell him it is the correct way to do it yet I am not doing it, right? For instance; nail cutter is included in my manicure kit. If he will cut his nails, he can take the nail cutter from my manicure kit anytime. But after using it, he can not simply put the nail cutter on the dresser or on the cabinet. If he could go out of his way to get the nail cutter, he should also go out of his way to return it. If he can not do so, then just bite his nail. Am I too strict? Nah, I do not think so. 

Hey, I am not perfect. Sometimes I am guilty. Lately I had been very forgetful. I never realize i broke my own rule. If and when that happens, Vincent has the right to tell me I am wrong. And I follow. I did not argue. If I am wrong, than I am wrong, I admit it.   But if he is the one who forgot the rule, and I remind him of it, he follows without a single complaint. In fact, he even apologizes. That is how we are at home.  So, again, am I too strict? Nah, I do not think so :)

 

So, that is how we deal with clatters and mess around the house. It should be  a coordinated effort from each member of the family, right?  Especially if your kid is grown up. A shared responsibility, so to speak. It just so happen that in my case, Vincent is my only direct family. 

I hope you are able to  pick up something that could be useful for you. 

So, how about you? Any tips to address those unavoidable clatters in your home?

 

Anticipating "BER"

[Picture from: radiojinglesvip.com/img/BER-kickoff.png]

BER is now at hand. You see, Christmas is still my favorite time of the year. And somehow, as the months enter the "BER" months, i can not help but to get excited. I am feeling the fresh,cool and cold air of the holiday season. I am already expecting Christmas songs on the radio. And I am already thinking of Christmas decorations.

Wow, very nice feeling indeed. The shrill anticipation of the upcoming season. How about you, are you still excited with the thrills of Christmas season?

Well, I am sure you are:) Shall we do the count down?

Have a great months of "BER", every one!

National Heroes Day

August 30 connotes National Heroes Day in the Philippines. This is the day when Filipinos commemorate the Filipino heroes who lost their lives during the oppression against foreign land. And it is the date of tribute to the nameless heroes who sacrificed so much for their country men.

I suppose it is very easy to simply forget how it is to be oppressed when one already gained ones freedom. We also disassociate the word "Hero" to the true meaning of the word. Nowadays, heroes are the masked figures who have the physical strength of thousand men. Heroes are the comic characters and TV figures who can fly. Heroes are those who can punched with an iron hand. Heroes are now associated with fame, physical strength and supernatural powers. But is it really the meaning of the word?

As we are all born unique, we have different perception in life. For me, strength can not be measure by ones physical strength. Strength is measured by the capability of a person to do the right thing even if the world says otherwise. Strength is being afraid but would still go on despite impossible challenges ahead.  For me, heroes are those people who would rather choose the welfare of other people first before his/her own security, safety and welfare. It is being able to care for others without anything in exchange. Being a hero is about value and compassion. But sad to say that compassion is becoming over rated as times pass by. And the fact is, real value is not always seen by the naked eye.

To all Filipinos, Happy National Heroes Day

Bank Holiday in UK

August 30 spells bank holidays in England. This event is celebrated in  Wales and Scotland. This is considered a public holiday in the countries mentioned. Needless to state, banks are close today.  This includes other types of businesses as well.

Bank Holidays Act 1871 gave birth to summer bank holiday. The main purpose at the time was to give bank employees the chance to join cricket matches. The date of bank holiday was changed to the last Monday of August on 1971 through Financial Dealings Act 1971.

Since this is their holiday, it is a time of vacation, gardening and relaxation.

Just an information of what is happening on this date in one part of the world.

Have a great week end every one.

Welcome Faye

In pursuit of acknowledging the important people who is included in my friends list, I would like to thank Ms. Faye for being one of the recent member of my blog list.  Her hobby is blogging and she would like to explore more in the World Wide Net. Her web site is Blogging is My New Hobby.

Thank you Faye for being a member of my friends list. I hope you do not mind, I took the liberty to posting your picture in order to identify you with my friends list.

Again, my thanks to you.

Congratulation to Ms. Raj

picture from imageshack.us

This post is to congratulate Ms. Raj for vying the 4th runner up post for Miss Universe 2010.

Tips on Taking Care of our Brain

In one of my posts, I talked about how our body affects our brain. I am pretty sure we all acknowledged the importance of taking care of our brain. This said, let us talk about how we could take care of our brain.

Eat healthy foods - This means fruits and vegetables. We know that fruits are packed with nutrients needed by our body. And because 40% of our body nutrients are transported to our brain, it would be wise to give our body foods of value.

Learn to deal with stress - Stress is part of life. In fact, I said in my post entitled  "Stress" that it can actually drive us to reach our optimum performance. It can keep us alert. However, anything that is too much is bad. This is the same with stress. Too much stress is like a venom. It finds its' way to your immune system until it weakens your defenses. Eventually, it will slow you down. Hence, welcome healthy stress. However, eliminate it on the early signs of being destructive to your mind and your overall health.

Exercise - Exercise is always associated with being sexy and hunky. We live in a society with a mind set that you are cool if you have a great body.  Well, i have news for you. Vanity is not the number 1 benefit of exercise. A healthy body is the no. 1 benefit of exercise. Vanity is just an extra flavoring. If there is one thing where vanity comes as no. 1, it is Al Pacino's line in "Devil's Advocate". Do you recall his line? "Vanity is my favorite sin!" Huh!! Sure, you can take vanity as your motivator. But do not forget that the main reason why you should exercise is to have a healthy body. A sexy body is just a bonus that comes with the package. Exercise regulates the oxygen in our organs. It also regulates the blood stream in our brain. This said, exercise gives you a healthy body, a sharp mind and a trimmer waist line.

I gave you three ways to take care of your brain. There are other tips on how we could take care of our brain. 

To know more, check out the article I wrote entitled "How to take care of our Brain". It is recently published in healthmad.com. I gave a more detailed information on my published article. So check it out and find out more.

Have a great week end, every one.

Ourstanding Worker Award

I am so happy because my efforts as an article writer had been acknowledged by my employer. And I would like to share this with all of you today. 

Again, thank your for acknowledging my efforts. This award is for my son, Vincent Vaughn.

Have a great week end, every one.

Welcome, Ellie The Great

In pursuit of acknowledging the recent member of my friends' list, I would like to welcome Ellie The Great.

Ellie is one of the recent members of my friends list. She is involved in a non-profit organization who focuses on helping talented children to develop their potential in the art of theatrical acting. I say it is a noble work indeed.When you have time, do visit her site.

Thank you Ellie for being one of the recent members of my friend's list. I am happy to welcome you to my small abode.  And I hope you did not mind, I took the liberty of including your picture as well.

How our Body Affects our Brain

Do you know that your brain is at least 2% of your body weight?  1/4% of the oxygen that you breathe to your lungs goes to your brain. And about 1/4 of the blood pumping in your heart goes to the human brain as well. Above all, about 40% of the nutritious substance in your body goes to the brain.  However, if you will hold it in your hands, you might be flabbergasted with its size. It is tiny. 

So, how does our body system affects the health condition of our brain? The human brain absorbs the nutrients we give to our body. Therefore, if we give our body garbage, we are also feeding garbage to our brain. And really, it affects our brain big time. Had you ever wondered why we have difficulty thinking or studying when we are hungry?  Had you noticed how we have a head ache if some parts of our body are not functioning well? For instance, if our tooth aches, had you noticed that you also have a stabbing pain in your head? When I was in the call center, I had not had a decent sleep. As a result, I had a head ache while working. Less sleep and fatigue equals head ache.

There is a theory in computer operation. Garbage in means garbage out. For those who studies computer, they know that. In the human body, take a garbage in and it will surely have an effect to the functions of our body. The result is low energy, inability to think effectively, bad performance or worse, disease. Makes sense, right?

This said, it is only logical to conclude that what we do to our body, we also do to our brain. So, how do we take care of our brain, then. I think I already asked this in my previous post.

Let us talk about the easy tips on how we could take care of our brain, shall we? But then, that will be on another date and time. But I promise it will be sooner. But until then, have a great week every one.

By the way, image comes from braintraininggames.net

Supernatural

Season 5 of Supernatural series has ended. At first I thought it was the end of the story. I felt heavy. It saddens me that I will not be able to watch Supernatural anymore. However, as I surf the internet between my writings, I found out that there is going to be Season 6. On top of that, there is going to be an animation version of the series as well. I suppose I just have to wait....until next year. But until then, my television viewing will not be the same

I can not really say I like the concept of Season 5. You know, the twisted angels and all. As I said, i am not religious. Maybe that is the reason why I can stand watching a show that projects an idea that God is out of the building, so to speak. The writer has explored too much. However,  I watched Supernatural since episode one of Season one. The episode was about the "Lady in White". Since then, I know I loved the show. I knew I found my home in television series. Maybe because I had been a fanatic of horror film during my younger years. I may not agree with the whole concept of Season 5, but I still love the show nonetheless.

I had so much to say about Supernatural. However, I am not really sure If you like it. So I will cut it short. What I can say is that I will definitely watch out for Supernatural Season 6. I can not wait for the next season. And for those who loved Supernatural. Let us just patient wait for the next season.

Have a great week days every one.

By the way, pictures came from images2.fanpop

Is the Music Stealing you Away From Me?

Hi, I would like to get your feed back. If you are reading this post and you had been visiting me for quite some time, this question is for you. I had set up a music in my blog. My purpose is to entertain my visitors. Since I can not welcome you personally, I am hoping the music could give a smile in your face.

But then, some one told me that she is having difficulty reading if she is hearing a music in the back ground. The music is stealing her attention. And therefore, she could not really get the whole message of what I am saying. And so I thought, is it applicable to the majority of my visitors? Because if it does, i would rather have it removed. After all, not all web site have music. Really.

So, help me out here. Is it applicable to have a music? Or does it really steal your attention from me?

Your comment is mostly appreciated. I am going to wait for your opinion.

What is the Measurement of a Person's Value?

Unfortunately, my computer is still having issues. But no worry, i will have a technician fix my computer asap. Anyways, the other week i went to the supermarket to buy our home supply. You know, shampoo, soap, food and many more. I went out in white t-shirt, jeans and slippers. My hair was tied in pony tail. Just the simple me. Heck, it was not really the simple me. Let us just say that I was not on my best features that day.

As I was on the cashier paying for my grocery items, the woman beside me were already impatient. Perhaps i had so many bags and she could not wait for her turn. She raised her eye brow and looked at me from head to toe. She was definitely seizing me. Well, what can i do? I stand in the line before her. I waited for my turn. Why cant she? Or at least that was whats on my mind then. And because I do not want to lose my composure, i would rather not waste my anger to petty things.

I had the same experience when I was looking for a clothing. I was also not on my best features then. When the sales lady saw me, she followed my slightest move. And when I asked the price of a particular item, she replied " That is expensive, you can not afford that".  Do you know what came to my mind? My first instinct was to ask the sales lady " How much are you earning per month?"  I was itching to continue "I do not know your fixed income, but i bet my income is times three of yours."  Well, that was the first thoughts that registered in my brain. I was thankful I was able to control my mouth. I did not say the words in my mind. Perhaps the sane thing to do was to speak to her manager. Well...

My next grocery schedule was different. The difference was that I came out enhancing the good features of me. I even wore jewelries. I dressed smartly that day. But then, the quantity of my grocery items did not change. It had the same volume. Here it goes again, the woman beside me was impatient...again! I can sense it through her unspoken language. But when she noticed i glimpse at her, she immediately smiled. No signs of retaliation. I also noticed that if i go to mall with my jewelries on,  and with my best features, sales ladies were not so bitchy.

Was it just me? Or am I right to conclude that there are some people who treats others according to how they are dressed?

Why do some people treat with awe and respect those who speaks the English language fluently? Yet, laugh at people who have crooked English?

Why do some people respect those who are well dressed? And took lightly those people who are shabby on their eyes. 

Do we really measure the value of a person according to ones physical appearance, status in life and intellect?

Must we really judge a book by its cover?

I think every one needs to be respected. Regardless of physical appearance, educational attainment, status in life or even manner of dressing, don't you think so?

My Computer is Acting Up :(

Thank you for dropping by. I had not been posting for the last days because my computer is acting up. I had been having a slow connection. It is not my internet provider. It is actually my computer. Nonetheless, i promise to post as soon as my computer starts kicking in. For the mean time, i will try to post from time to time. You know, bear with a bad connection.

Thank you for your patience. I deeply appreciate your visit.

I Dreamt a Dream

The other day I had this dream. Dream that I could not really understand. I can not find the logic. But then, how can we really find logic in dreams, right?

It is normal for me to dream about my work. When I was in the finance department of EEI Corporation, i dreamt about my vouchers. When I was in the call center as an agent, I dreamt i was troubleshooting a customers' computer. When I became I Quality Assurance Analyst, I dreamt my  scoring form. I was going over each line item and I was analyzing a call. That said, i suppose it is not a surprise if  I dreamt about some of the topics I wrote. I do not know why is that. That is just me.

Anyways, I came across a home improvement software while writing about a given subject. When I slept that night, i saw the features of this software. Of course, the context is accorded to my own specifications. Hey, it was my dream. Had you experience dreaming wherein you are an observer? You are not part of the dream. You are in the distance observing the dream. I had a number of dreams like that. On my case, some one was with me every time I dream like that. Some one was actually talking to me while I was seeing the events in my dream. Sometimes the voice was explaining to me what was happening. But I do not know who that voice was. No hint and no idea. And I did not bother to know. The thing with me is that I still remember my dream even when I wake up. 

On this particular dream, the software consists of squares separated by spaces. Each square has a visual door. When I entered one door, i saw a memory in the past. I felt the pain stabbed my heart. I could vividly feel that kind of pain when I am awake. There was no need to open the other squares. They were too many. This voice just showed me that  these squares existed. That they are there.  Then the voice told me " They happened because they must happen. It could be very painful but there was a purpose why it happened to you. It was designed to work for you. To make you a better being".

That was it. I woke up. As I said, I usually remember my dream. I still felt the stabbing pain. Or the memory of it.  Maybe the voice was the subconscious part of me? I do not know. Let us put those idealistic wisdom out of  the window for now, shall we? Here is what I can not comprehend.

That voice said "bad things happen in order to make me better".  I am on my mid life now. I know for a fact that pain and bad experiences never go away. When I was younger, I used to say time heals all wound. But as I grow older, i realized they never really go away. We just have to know how to deal and live with it. We have to roll, so to speak. But the pain, or the memory of pain, is embedded in our hearts. The memory will never go away.  It leaves a scar. And the scar will never disappear. That is just how life is.

Hence, bad experiences stays, and the pain becomes part of us, we just learned to deal with it, how can that make us a better person?

Is it because we learn to live and accept that life is not really as good as some say it is? I do not know. But you know what? I just realized it now while I was putting in words that dream of mine. Maybe being a better person does not necessarily mean we can not feel the pain anymore. Maybe....

What do you think?

Hey, picture came from yahoo images

How is our brain?

I could not really say I am too old. However,  I had been experiencing forgetfulness. I had been asking my self, what could be the reason for such? Are you on the same predicament?

As some of my virtual colleagues had known, I had been in a call center industry for years. One of my supervisors had noted that a night being awake can pop out one of our cells. The cell affected has something to do with our memory. Honestly, I can not attest to the veracity of the word. However, I could not help but to think that maybe there is a shed of truth in it.

Our brain is one of the important facet of our body.  Every cell in our body reports to our brain. The senses acquired by the main sensory organs of our body is reported to the brain. Every movement in the smallest fiber in our body is connected to our brain. Above all, a sound disposition would require a fully functional brain. If compared to a computer, the brain is the mother board. Remove the mother board. Surely you will have no computer. 

I suppose the main question here is that, how do we take care of our brain? Let us go with the basics for now.

One significant step is to keep our brain busy. Challenge your self. Indulge to activities that would require you to think. Read books as well. Eat healthy foods. There are a lot of things that we could do in order to take care of our brain. We will go over to each of them on the next succeeding post. 

Hope I will be speaking this subject with you, on my next posts.

The picture came from DavidJParnell .

Always take care. 

 

Online Job for a Fee?

This morning, Vincent was surfing to the internet. He called my attention. He then showed me a website that is offering a home based job. Of course, who would not want a source of income? And so, I checked it out. Unfortunately, I realized it is one of those sites that has to be paid a certain amount before you could start working for them.

The nature of the job is that you will give your opinion about a certain product. Then you will be paid for it. Sounds good. On top of that, being paid for your honest opinion is believable. 

It is said that you can earn as much as $30,000 a month for the task. You would have to buy something though, I  can not recall anymore the term used for what you will be paying for. You will be paying $70.00 rounded off . That is the portion that shatters me. How much is $70.00 in Philippine Peso? If the conversion rate is 46, then that would be 3,200.00 Philippine Peso. Wheew...would you pay that amount for a job that you are unsure of?

If you will type "work from home" in the search engine, surely many will come up. Surely one can say that internet has a vast array of working opportunity. Hey, my arms are wide open. I, for one, is earning significant amount through writing. Therefore, I could definitely attest that there is good money through internet work. 

However, it took years before I am able to stumble to good paying jobs. I had been scammed on the process. Bottom line is that, while there are a vast array of work online, there are a lot of scams as well. I say we have to be very careful.  When I was new in the internet work, friends advised me never, never go to jobs where I would be required to pay a certain amount before I start working. I also read that in a number of articles I read. This said, I had been doubtful about jobs where I should be paying before starting to work.

How about you, had you known any body who gave money to a site  and really was able to land to a legit source of income? Had they received the payment they so deserve? More importantly, was their money returned through their income? It would be a welcome to know of some one who really earned income after paying for their job.

Personally, I am doubtful. Following logic, why would you give money to your employer so you could render service to them? 

What do you think?

By the way, picture came from imageshack.com

Welcome, Jane

As I had been continuously acknowledging the people who had been included in my friends list, here is one of them. 

Thank you, Jane. I appreciate you being a member of my friends list. 

Jean is actually the newest member of my friends list in my other blog, CensWorld2. She has two blogs. These are Love of Learning and Days of our life. Her blog is a manifestation of her faith. You would be able to read her encounters and thoughts about her surrounding and its relation to her faith.

I hope you would not mind, I took the liberty to including the picture in this post. 

Thank you Jane, for being the recent follower of one of my simple abode, Censworld2.

How I Stopped Smoking

I had been writing about smoking lately. I am hoping that these posts would be able to help in my small ways. We talked about Why We Should Stop Smoking, Why is it Difficult to Stop Smoking and Tips on How to Stop Smoking. I also mentioned that I used to smoke. I even promise I will tell you about it. So here it is;

It was a typical night like any ordinary night. I believe it was my day-off. I was watching a television with my son. Vincent was ten or eleven year old then. There was this commercial on cigarette. Do you still recall the commercial on cowboys and cigarette? I believe it was Marlboro Country.

Vincent was already curious then. He asked me about the commercial and about cigarette. I recalled he even asked me if there is a need to smoke to be a real man. He further said he watched that in the television. I explained to my son how it is to be a real man. As you can see, he was curious at the time. The conversation about how it is to be a real man was further explained to him in my own way on another occasion. I will tell you about that conversation as well. But then, that will be on another date.

Now, let us go back to that faithful date. I told Vincent that smoking has nothing to do with being a real man. I further explained to my son the health issues that smokers encounter. Further, advising him that it is not good for a man or a woman to smoke. He nodded and said, "So, it is really bad to smoke?"  With a firm "yes" I answered, with a wink. Again, I replied "Yes, son. It is bad to smoke". Little did my son knew  at the time that his mother was smoking.

After the television show, I sent my son to bed. Believing he was asleep, I went downstairs. For some reason, I had the urge to smoke. I went to the gate and light my first stick of cigarette. I was already halfway when I noticed some one was on the window on the second floor of the house. It was directly adjacent to where I was standing then. When I stared hard, I realized it was Vincent. I did not know how long he was standing there. He was watching me as I inhaled and exhaled nicotine.

When I realized Vincent was my silent audience, I froze. I immediately threw the cigarette and hurried upstairs. There was my son, standing by the window. His eyes were inquiring. I think I  saw hurt in those innocent eyes. I felt trapped. Should I lie? He said " You said it is bad to smoke?" My knees weaken. I sat beside my kid.

I remembered hearing my own voice saying "Yes, son. I am smoking. And i did not lie when I said it is bad to smoke. I am sorry. It is my mistake. Tell you what, I promise that the cigarette you saw is going to be the last cigarette that I will smoke. Let me prove that to my best friend, please!  His  inquiring eyes looked at me directly. He asked "Is it a real promise?"  I swear and pledged my promise. Then I told him "truce?". We had this hand gesture, you see!  It is like saying "Ok, we are cool". Up until today, we had that hand gesture. 

I remembered his face lighten up. He held my hand as I guided him back to his bed. As I cover him with his blanket and kissed him on his forehead, I bid him good night.

You see, I was ashamed to my son. How can I tell him it is wrong and still do it? How can I tell him not to do it when he knows I am doing it?

That was more or less ten years ago. Every time I thought of smoking, I thought of my promise. I never smoked since then. Not even once. I did not back slide. Not even once. I stopped smoking in cold turkey, so to speak.

I stopped smoking not because of cancer. I stopped smoking not because of bad breath,  unpleasant smell nor the expense that goes with the vise. I stopped smoking because I promised to my son that I will quit smoking.

His inquiring and hurt expression was enough to make me ashamed.

His smile was enough to remind me that I can never risk breaking the credibility of my word to him.

***************************************************************************

The upper picture was taken in our Lady of Manaoag. Vincent was a already a teenager on that picture. 

The lower picture was from his graduation.

Welcome, Jacque

The recent member of my friends list is Jacque.  Her blog is Behind the Scene. Upon visiting her site, it projects the creative mind of a blogger. Artistic as her taste is, the blending and colors complements the whole picturesque of  her site.

Thank you Jacque for being a member of my friends list. I hope you do not mind, I took the liberty to posting your picture as well.

Typhoon Basyang aka Concon

I am not sure if it was Monday or Tuesday night when the storm came here in the Philippine. If I am not mistaken the storm was named "Basyang" aka Conson. I remembered waking up at 4:00am. I could feel the strong winds outside the window. I could feel the strong rain as well.  Or was it just the wind? I could not really tell. Every thing was dark. I tried to step into my sons' room. I was surprised that my son was already awake. He said there was a black out. Thinking that the electricity would be back in no time, I did not give it much thought. I went back to bed because there was nothing I could do anyway. I could not even go down to the first floor of our house because every thing was dark. 

I woke up at 6:00am. I immediately sat on my bed. I thought I over slept. But then, my surrounding was still very dark. It was as if it was still 4:00am. I thought the sky was too dark for 6:00 in the morning. But then, I remembered, there was a storm. As my feet touched the floor, I realized there were still no electricity. It started to worry me. 

I went downstairs. My sibling told me that it was a black out in the whole street. I thought It was only our Street that was affected. I thought maybe because of the storm that night. That morning I went out. As I walked in the streets, some establishment were not open that day. There was no electricity even on the main road. It was on the latter part of that day when I learned that the electric failure had affected not only our vicinity but a significant part of Luzon. My sister in law told me then that it would take at least four days in order to fully resolve the issue.

You know, the storm was only less than a day. In fact, there was no flood in our area. However, what struck me was the black out. The storm had been long gone, but the black out still lingers around.

But then, do you know that as per Phil Star, the total damage caused by the typhoon in the Philippine territory had caused P73.4Million in Agriculture and P144.60 in Infrastructure. Just imagine the businesses that were not able to operate especially during the black out days? How much were lost from these businesses on that day?

How about you, what happened to you during the storm Basyang aka Conson?

By the way, picture came from typhoon2000.ph

Tips on How to Quit Smoking

I wrote about the Reasons Why You Should Stop Smoking. I also wrote about The Reasons Why It is Difficult to Quit Smoking. Let us now talk about the tips on how you could start quitting. Smoking is addictive. Hence, it is advisable to take it one step at a time. 

Fist thing to work on is your motivation. Even in losing weight, motivation is very important. This is going to be your driving force to continue especially during the craving moment. So, why do you want to stop smoking? Maybe because of health reasons. You do not want to have lung cancer. Just imagine the limitations once you acquire lung cancer. Or maybe, you are tired of unpleasant odor in your finger tips, in your hair or even your breath. Or maybe because it is becoming heavy to your budget. What ever the reason, make sure you can hold on to it with your firm grip. You will definitely be needing that during craving times.

Keep away from temptation, so they say. Therefore, remove your lighter, match, cigarette pack. Anything associated with smoking should be a hundred miles away from you. It is better if you will also avoid possible scenarios that would eventually tempt you to smoke, again.

Know what triggers your craving. Do you have the persistent craving to hit one stick after a meal? When you are stressed-out? When you want to relax? When you are watching TV? What are the instances that arouses your craving? Knowing what triggers your addiction could help you determine how to lessen the instances of those triggering moments.

Make an alternative. You can go with chewing gum. You know, maybe I could consider myself  lucky. I used to smoke. However, I am able to rid of smoking in cold turkey. Maybe because I was not your traditional  smoker. I did smoke and there was occasional cravings. My trigger was when I was stressed-out. The last time I hit a stick was 10 years ago. My son was ten or eleven years old then. Never had one ever since I stopped. Never went through withdrawals. Never back slide, even once.  How did it happen? I will tell you about it on my future post. Perhaps on my next post. I can tell you now that one of the alternatives I used was coffee. An alternative may not be good enough but it would do rather than nothing at all. 

Create an activity for yourself. Be busy. Cravings will be on its peak on the first weeks of quitting. On this stage, cravings will come pretty strong. You must be firm. The problem with cravings is that the more you say "No", the more it tempts you. Divert your thoughts. Enroll in a gym. If and when you have the cravings, go to the gym and work out. Have a hobby. Associate with a non smoker group. Talk to some one. Do something. Do not just allow the craving to get to you.

Some say that you should have a schedule. The problem with a schedule is that if you backslide, the effect is more damaging. This is  especially when you are almost near your target date and you back slide. Target date can be stressful. You will be expecting that at this point, you had already achieved up to a certain level of improvement. If you feel you had not, it could be very frustrating.  Also, once you reached the target date and you back slide after wards, the feeling of failure can be over whelming.

However, it depends on a person really. If a target date works for you, i say go for it. For me, i think focus on small results matters. Do it one step at a time. Until the time when you can finally stand on your own. Until you reach the time when you do not crave anymore. If you stumble, no pressure. Stand up. Gather yourself and start again. If it takes forever, so be it. Make it your personal battle to stop smoking. I think that is more effective.

There are more ways to stop smoking. I hope you are able to pick one or two from this post. Remember that it does not matter how many times you stumble. What matters is how many times you stand up. Never, never give up.  If I may repeat, giving up is NEVER an option.

Have a great day every one and always take care.

By the way, the picture came from izismile.com

Younger Generation

We were standing in line for a taxi on our way home. It was our grocery schedule, you see. When it was our turn for the next available taxi, I immediately jumped in. I was in a hurry to get home. My thoughts were on the tasks waiting for me at home.

As soon as I sat inside the cab, I smelled something. Smell of food, actually. A faint smell could come really strong in an air conditioned and closed cab. That was when I noticed a plastic full of foods. The first thing that came to my mind was that a passenger left an unconsumed food. As I looked closer to the plastic, I realized that that content was not unconsumed after all. They were left-over of foods contained in a plastic bag. The bag was even wide open.

The taxi driver seemed to have read my mind. He said a group of students left the plastic bag. The students came from San Beda College, Recto. When they reached their destination, they left their trash behind. The plastic bag was there sitting at the back seat.

How would you feel if you were on my shoe?

I do not know really if these students were from San Beda College, Recto. I had not even seen them to know that. Maybe these students just happened to be in front of San Beda College when they got the taxi. Or, maybe there are really students of San Beda College. We can never really know.

The thing is that, they are students. As the driver even said "Tsk...tsk..mga estudyante pa naman!"  Let us not generalize. After all, not all students are irresponsible. However, incidents like these are quite disappointing. Do you know what was the first thing that came to my mind? "I wonder how these students are at home?" Do they just throw their garbage anywhere? 

Our national hero had once said "Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan". The younger generations are the hopes of our country. After all, they are the next generation who will run this country. If these kids can not even learn how to deal with their own garbage, how could they handle bigger responsibilities?

Do you know that we can read people by how they reacted to and deal with little things? Mistakes in the past had thought me that lesson. Some might say this is a small matter. But really, what does this say about this group of students? What do you think?

Personally, I am hoping, really hoping, that this is not the picture of the younger generation.

Welcome, Old Geezer

One of the recent members of my friends list is Mr. Old Geezer. When I saw his blog, my eyes were transfixed on his blog description. Old Geezer said;

"Old Age Ain't For Sissies! - Do Not Resent Growing Old. Many Are Denied The Privilege"

I used to be in a working environment where people believes that getting old and being old means being extinct. The choice of their words and their body language means "once a person becomes old, they become a big joke". The irony was that, they were half my age. Imagine the torment I had with my co-workers then.

When I saw Old Geezers' blog, I said, "Wow! I stumbled on one soul who believes that getting old is not really a bad thing." It made me feel nice.

But then, this is not about me. This is about Mr. Old Geezer. His site is "The Old Geezeer Blog". He had interesting and thought provoking posts. When you have time, do visit his site as well.

Thank you, Mr. Old Geezeer for being a member of my friends list. Thank you, too, for the wisdom you had been continuously sharing with your reader.

By the way, I hope you did not mind, i posted the picture as well. 

Again, thank you for being a member of my friend lists.

Why is it Difficult to Stop Smoking?

Smoking has caused cancer and various terminal illnesses. It can be expensive because you have to support your vice on a regular basis. Because of this, cigarette becomes a  part of  our regular expense.

If you will really think about it, smoking is a hazard in every way. It gives us bad breath. It leaves a strong unpleasant odor in our clothes. It is not easy in our budget. It makes us its slave when we crave for it. It gives us cancer. With all of these, why is it difficult to stop the habit? Why do we still crave?

We know that cigarette contains nicotine. And I also mentioned in my previous post the description of the word. Merriam Webster defined nicotine as “a poisonous and addictive substance in tobacco that is used as an insecticide.”

Given the effects of nicotine to our health, let us talk about the reason why it is so difficult to drop it…..permanently. You see, one cigarette contains 10 milligrams of nicotine. Once we smoke, at least one or two milligrams are inhaled in our system. Nicotine then mixes up with our bloodstream. After which, it finds its way to our brain. From the brain, it secretes dopamine. A dopamine is a substance that produces gratifying sensation.

The release of dopamine makes the smokers  feel gratification on each stick of cigarette inhaled. This arises the tendency to go back for more. The problem is that in order to get a certain level of euphoria, you would have to inhale more.

On top of dopamine, cigarette works as anti-depressant as well.  The effect is only temporary though. This is the reason why smokers have the urge to grab a cigarette under a stressful situation.

The release of dopamine is one of the major reasons why it is difficult to quit smoking. There are many more.  Despite the gratifying euphoria, the fact remains that smoking is and will always be bad for our health.

I hope I am able to share something with you today.

Picture from flicker.com