Life Lesson: The 21 Commandments

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, “I love you,” mean it.

FIVE. When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone’s dream. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

I have learned that...

* God didn’t do it all in one day, what makes me think I can?

* No matter how thin you slice it, there will always be two sides.

* Most of the things I worry about never happens.

* You should always leave loved ones with loving words; it could be the last time you’ll see them.

* If you are in a relationship with someone who doesn’t believe in you, you should get out before you stop believing in yourself.

* It’s best to ask for whta you need from your loves ones and not assume that somehow they’ll just know.

* Old age is not a defeat but a victory; not a punishment but a privilege.

* All of the bad four letter words, DIET is the worst.

* No matter how old or experienced you are, you can always learn something from a child.

* An act of love, no matter how great or small, is always appreciated.

* No matter how beautiful your makeup is, it can’t hide the expression of a sad heart.

* No situation is so bad that losing your temper won’t make it worse.

* Most people don’t look for the truths in life; they only search for someone to agree with them.

* Although I can skip class without getting in trouble, there’s still the consequence at exam time.

* People can surprise you. Sometimes, the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

* The greatest test of friendship is to take a vacation together and still like each other when you return.

* A minute of extra thinking beforehand can save hours of worry later.

* All the advice and wisdom in the world cannot help you unless you apply it daily in your life.

* You are never too old to try something new.

* Life is both simple and complicated at the same time. the trick is finding simple truths that are contained in the complicated confusion.

* Good habits are just as hard to break as bad habits.

* The easiest way to find happiness is to stop complaining.

* You can sit and worry until you are physically ill, but worrying doesn’t change things –action does.

* You should keep an open mind, but don’t be so open minded that your brains fall out.

* Perspective is everything. To a worm, digging in the hard ground is more relaxing than going fishing.

* You should be thankful for what you have learned, no matter how much it cost you.

* When I’m angry, I have the right to be angry, but it doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

* Just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to means they don’t love you with all they have.

* The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.

* It’s worth fighting for causes, but not for people.

* No matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

* No matter how old I am, I want my mother when I am hurting.

* Whining doesn’t solve problems.

* You should stop asking people for what they cannot give you and be content with what they can give.

* Smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

* I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what to do about it.

* After being on a diet for 2 weeks, all I lose is 14 days.

* In this world, you don’t need a multitude of friends. All you really need is one who will stand by you through thick and thin.

* The greatest physician in the world is OPTIMISM.

* Everyone you meet deserves a smile.

* Love, not time, heals all wounds.

* People always underestimate one’s ability, but what they should never underestimate is the drive behind that ability.

* To ignore the facts doesn not mean to change the facts.

* I don’t have the right to complain about something if I had the power to change it and did not.

* Money does not buy class.

* If you wouldn’t write it down, you probably shouldn’t say it as well.

* The best way to succeed is to do small things well.

* The janitor is the most important person in the building.

* Just because two people argue means they don’t love each other, and just because they don’t argue means they do.

* Being quiet doesn’t necessarily mean you have nothing to say.

* Deciding whom you marry is the most important decision you’ll ever make.

* Every great achievement was once considered impossible.

* The great challenge of life is to decide what’s important and to disregard everything else.

* You shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.

* The more creative you are, the more things you notice.

* You should never be too busy to say “please” and “thank you”.

* You can’t be a hero without taking chances.

* Nothing of value comes without effort.

* Even when I have pains, I don’t have to be a pain.

* You cannot expect others to solve your problems.

* Animals can sometimes warm your heart better than people can.

* You should never go to bed with an argument settled.

* You should always take time to answer children when they ask “why?”

* More comfort doesn’t necessarily mean more happiness.

* The worst pain is to see someone else in pain.

* There’s no substitute for good manners.

* It’s best not to quit at quitting time.

* People are as happy as they decide to be.

* If your life is full of failures, you’re probably not taking enough risks.

* There are 4 ages of men: 1) when he believes in Santa Claus 2) when he stops believing in Santa Claus 3) when He is Santa Claus and 4) when he looks like Santa Claus.

* “Today’s Featured Items” is a euphemism for “things we need to get rid of.”

* Being a success in the office is not worth it if it means being a failure at home.

* The simple things are often the most satisfying.

* If I don’t try new things, I won’t learn new things.

* Good health is true wealth.

* You can keep going long after you think you can’t.

* Success stops when I do.

* People treat me the way I allow them to treat me.

* When someone hurts your feelings, it’s unimportant unless you persist on remembering it.

* My greatest fear is that in the later years, I’ll look back at a long list of things “I never got to do”.

* If I don’t know the answer, it’s best to say “I don’t know.”

* You can’t expect your children to listen to your advice and ignore your example.

* Honesty in little things is not a little thing.

* There is something more painful than hate: indifference

* Indifference, and not hate, is the opposite of love.

* We are responsible for whatever we do, no matter how we feel.

* You must fight for the things you believe in.

* Age is only important if you are cheese.

* When bad things happen to me, I must keep the lesson but throw away the experience.

* If there were no problems, there would be no opportunities.

* Everything sounds romantic in a foreign language, no matter what is said. (except the chinese language hahahaha -ed)

* Making a living is not the same as making a life.

* you can’t please some people — no matter what you do.

* The two happiest days of my life were the day I bought my boat, and the day I sold my boat.

* If you wait until all conditions are perfect before you act, you’ll never act.

* You can either control your attitude, or it controls you.

* Success is more often the result of hard work than of talent.

* The greatest risk is in thinking too small.

* You should fill your life with experiences, not excuses.

* You can have a fancy education and still not be wise.

* When you’ve been angry at someone a long time, it’s easier to stay mad than to make up.

* If you allow someone to make you mad, you have let him/her conquer you.

* You shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. you need to be able to throw something back.

* There are people who will life for you and will lie to you.

* The best tranquilizer is a good conscience.

* We should be generous with praise, but cautious with promises.

* The faults I have now are exactly the ones my parents tried to correct when I was a child.

* To get the right answer, you have to ask the right question.

* It’s never too late to improve yourself.

* It takes much energy and time to wish as it does to plan.

* We grow only when we push ourselves beyond what we already know.

* When things get easy, it’s easy to stop growing.

* People can change, so give them the benefit of the doubt.

* You can inherit wealth but never wisdom.

* It’s never too late to heal an injured relationship.

* 90% of the things that happen to me are good and only 10% are bad, i just have to focus on the 90%.

* It’s not what happens to people that are important, but what they do about it.

* The best way to appreciate something is to be without it for a while.

* You shouldn’t do anything that wouldn’t make your mother proud.

* If you won’t let your daughter date him, you shouldn’t.

* The only time you’re guaranteed not to get something you want is when you don’t try for it.

* It takes years to build up trust and only seconds to destroy it.

* When a father takes a son fishing, the least important thing to either one is whether they catch any fish.

* The biggest regrets in life are the risks you didn’t take.

* Some folks are like the bottom of a fraction, the bigger they try to be, the smaller they really are.

* You have to reach for the stars; they’re not just going to land on your front porch.

* No matter how many tears and sleepless nights you’ve experienced, if you can walk away from a relationship cherishing more than you regret, it is not a waste of time.

* Change is a challenge for the courageous, an opportunity for the alert, and a threat to the insecure.

* If you don’t expect a thank you, giving is easy.

* You can miss a lot of good things in life by having the wrong attitude.

* Two people can look at the same exact thing and see something totally different.

* There are only two classes: first class and no class.

* There should be an 11th commandment: thou shall not whine.

* To save yourself from the price of a face-life, smile a lot.

* By the time I can afford it, i don’t want it anymore.

* Children stop being their children, but you never stop being their mother.

* Wisdom is not how much you know but how you use what you know.

* Maturity does not come with age.

* A best friend is someone who loves you when you forget to love yourself.

* Sometimes, the things that scare you the most turns out to be the best times of your life.

* It’s just important to be friendly to the janitor as it is to be friendly to the company president.

* It’s the teacher, not the subject that makes class interesting.

* It’s easy to be critical about something you’ve never experienced.

Humility

Just wanna share what our priest said in his homily yesterday..

Fr. Dave: "Naniniwala ba kayo na kaya patuloy na naghihirap ang Pilipinas ay dahil sa salitang 'selfishness'? Meron ako nakausap nung isang araw at nabanggit nya sakin na 50 rich families lamang ang nagpapatakbo ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. At kung itong 50 mayayaman na pamilya ay magtitipon-tipon, magkakasundo at ibabahagi ang kahit kaunting porsyento ng kanilang yaman sa ating bansa, masosolusyunan natin ang paghihirap na nararanasan natin ngayon."

May point si Father dun! Para sakin, tama sya! Hindi naman nangangailangan na sobrang mayaman ka para makatulong sa nangangailangan. Kahit sa kaunting halaga, makakatulong tayo. Sa bansa natin ngayon, kung saan ang mayaman ay lalong yumayaman at ang mahirap ay lalong naghihirap, isang napakalaking hamon ito. Marami marahil ang magtataas ng kilay sa sinabi ni Father. Baka yung iba isipin na kaya sila yumaman kasi pinaghirapan nila yun at kung naging mahirap ang iba, problema nila yun na hindi sila nagsumikap na umahon sa kanilang buhay. Kung ganito ang magiging pag-iisip natin, hindi talaga tayo uunlad. Sana matuto tayo na kung anong meron, ibahagi natin sa iba. Kung ano man ang mayroon tayo, bigay satin ito ng Maykapal at wala tayong karapatan ipagmalaki at ipagdamot ito sa iba.

Sinabi ni Father sa huli ng kanyang pagbibigay ng homily, "Where there is selfishness, miracles won't happen. Where there is kindness in heart & generosity, everything is possible. Where there are true disciples of Christ, the Master is present. And when the Master is present, miracles are bound to happen."

Sometimes, miracles don't happen in us because maybe God wants us to be a miracle in someone's life. :)

At the end of our life, we shall all be judged by charity. -- St. John of the Cross

Day 206/365

Seeing old couples walk hand in hand never fails to give me the warm fuzzies. They give us hope that lasting relationships do exist.

Ang Modernong Pulubi. Bow!

Naranasan nyo na ba makasalubong ng pulubi tapos mamamalimos sa inyo at binigyan nyo ng barya? Pagkatapos mong bigyan ng barya, may maririnig ka pang "Pwedeng dagdagan?" o kaya "Kuripot naman, piso lang?" Aba choosy na sila ngayon. Kumbaga sa jeep meron na silang minimun fare! Nakakaloka! Kung ang gas nga daw araw-araw kung magtaas sila pa daw ba!

Noon, nahahabag ako pag meron akong nakikitang mga pulubing namamalimos sa mga kalsada o lansangan, sa mga paradahan ng sasakyan at sa iba't ibang lugar na maaaring maging lugar ng palimusan. Nakakalungkot na isipin na naging biktima sila ng magulong lipunan at mga tao. Ang iba sa kanila'y iniwan ng magulang, itinakwil, ipinamigay at inalisan ng karapatan na mamuhay ng may kumpletong pamilya. Marami sa kanila ang di na nakapag-aral, nakapag-asawa sa murang edad at bumuo ng pamlya sa lansangan at marami sa kanila ang nagkaron ng bisyo makatakas lang kahit panandalian sa mga kalupitang dulot ng lipunan.

Hindi ko alam kung maaawa pa ba ko sa mga pulubing nanlilimos o maiinis. Mayroon akong karanasan noon, pagbaba ko ng MRT mayroong batang lumapit sakin at humihingi ng limos eh nagkataon pagbukas ko ng bag mayroon pa pala kong biscuit kaya yun na lang ang inabot ko sa kanya kesa pera baka sa iba nya gastusin. Nagulat ako sa sinagot ng bata, "Ate, ayoko ng biscuit. Gusto ko P5!". Imbis na magpasalamat ang musmos eh nagawa pang magrequest. At mayroon din isang eksena na P2 ang naiabot ko sa bata at ang banat nya sakin eh, "Dagdagan mo Ate, P5 na lang!". Limang-piso na ba ang minimum rate ng mga pulubing nanlilimos ngayon? Nakakaloka! May iba naman na ang lakas ng katawan, pero manlilimos lang kaya nasasabihan sila ng iba na maghanap ng trabaho kaysa umasa sa limos kasi hindi naman sila baldado baka tinatamad lang o wala lang talagang diskarte sa buhay. May ibang bitbit ang anak habang nanlilimos para mas mahabag ang tao sa kanila. Nakakalungkot tingnan ang mga ganitong eksena sa kalsada. Pero nakakainis naman yung ibang bata na binigyan mo ng limos tapos makikita mo lang sumisinghot ng rugby. Yung iba abot-langit ang daing sa buhay dahil hindi alam saan kukuha ng pantustos, nagagawa pang mag-anak ng mag-anak. Ikaw na yung tumtutulong pero may ibang hindi naman ito ginagamit sa tama. May mga pulubing may gana pang magreklamo sa halagang ibinibigay sa kanila.

Naitanong ko sa aking sarili, tama ba na bigyan ko sila? Tama ba na kaawaan sila? Tama ba na mamili pa sila ng ibibigay ng mga tao? Tama ba na sa bisyo nila gastusin ang perang kanilang nilimos? Kung sa bagay, may kanya-kanya tayong pinaghuhugutang problema sa buhay. Mas naging malupit lamang sa kanila ang lipunan o maaring resulta ito ng kanilang personal na choice sa buhay. Sabi nga sa 100 days to Heaven, "Kung ano ang nangyayari sa tao, resulta ito ng kanilang choice." Sa sistema ng gobyerno natin kung saan ang mayayaman ay lalong yumayaman at ang mahihirap ay lalong humihirap, siguradong mas malala at malupit ang nararanasan nilang paghihirap kaysa sa atin. Ilang mamamalimos pa ba ang isisilang sa mundo? Napakasaklap isipin na sa kabila ng buhay na ibinigay sa kanila ay ang pagdanas ng karumal-dumal na paghihirap at pasakit pero sino ba naman tayo para magreklamo, ang mahalaga ay nasilayan natin ang mundong ipinagkaloob ng Diyos at naniniwala ako na kung ano man ang sapitin ng bawat nilalang ay may dahilan. Maaaring hindi natin gusto ngunit kailangan nating tanggapin.

Ligo na U Lapit na Me

Anak ng Bakang Bakla!

Hindi ko aakalain mahuhuli ni Eros Atalia ang kiliti ko sa pagbabasa. May pagkakahawig sila ni Bob Ong na peyborit ko! Makwela, di magalang pero hindi nagsisinungaling. Maihahalintulad ang kanilang mga libro sa mga kending nabibili sa kalsada-mura, accessible at readable. Yung mga idyoma na ginamit ay makulay at makahulugan. Ang mga salita ay payak, pangkaraniwan, bastos pero di masagwa, nakakatuwa, makulit. Yung tipong hindi mo na kailangan pumunta ng National Library para i-research kung ano kahulugan ng salitang ginamit! Marami na kong nabasa na blog reviews tungkol sa libro nya na "Ligo na U Lapit na Me" tapos nung nalaman ko pang ginawa na itong pelikula lalo akong nacurious kaya naisipan kong bumili. Sa pagka-atat ko mabasa, nagpunta ko noon sa NBS at Powerbooks sa Shang kaya lang parehong walang stocks noon at sa malapit na bookstore samin, wala din. Napaisip ako, "Aba, mabenta ha. Puro out of stocks! Mukang maganda nga!" At kahapon lang sya napasa-kamay ko! Sa sobrang atat kong mabasa, habang naglalakad papuntang MRT gang pagbaba ko ng jeep sa kanto malapit samin ay hindi ko pa din mapigilan magbasa sa sabrang pagkaaliw ko dito. Kahit sa panonood ng TV kagabi sinasabayan ko ng pagsilip sa mga pahina ng libro, habang kumakain basa pa din at di ko na namalayan ang oras mag-aalas dose na kaya pinagpaliban ko na para ngayon. At tendenenen! "Tapos ko na!". Hindi ako nanghinayang sa P200 na ginastos ko sa librong ito!

Ang sabi sa back cover ng librong ito, “ Paano mo malalaman kung hindi ka magtatanong? Pero andami-dami nating nalalaman kahit hindi tayo nagtatanong. Paano ka pa magtatanong kung alam mo na ang sagot? Pero paano ka magtatanong kung hindi mo alam kung ano ang iyong itatanong? Paano mo sasagutin ang tanong sa iyo kung hindi mo alam ang isasagot? Paano ka sasagot kung hindi mo alam ang itatanong? (Kunsabagay sa buhay na ito, madalas tama ang sagot, mali nga lang ang tanong.)

At sa ending, bitin ako. Bitin na bitin! Para akong nanood ng sine na abangan ang Part 2. Ang dami ko tuloy naging tanong din! Ang dami dami kong tanong lalo na tungkol kay Intoy. Nakahanap na kaya siya ng trabaho? Nakalimutan na ba niya si Jen? Nakausap na ba niya si Jen? Hinanap pa ba ng mga kaklase nila si Jen sa kanya? Active na rin ba siya sa Praise the Lord ng mga magulang niya? Gaano naman kaya ang itinaba niya simula ng maging bum siya? Madalas na ba niyang maka-usap si Benson (John Lennon) sa labasan ng bahay nila? Ano naman kaya ang iba pa niyang pananaw sa ekonomiya ng Pilipinas sa punto ng nakatira sa isang Third World na subdivision? At, bakit kailangang bitinin pa ako ni Intoy sa dulo?

Nagustuhan ko ang akdang ito ni Eros Atalia dahil (para sa kin) umiikot ang tema nito sa kahalagahan ng pagsasabi ng pagmamahal sa isang tao, pag-iingat sa friends with benefits and perks (hanggang dun lang, bawal mainlove) at ang kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng closure sa isang relasyon, anumang label nito. (At kung makapabigay ako ng review tungkol sa librong ito ay akala mong na-inlab na ang 'cornyvorous' na tulad ko! LOL!)

Ang galing ni Sir Eros Atalia kasi nadala niya ako sa ibang mundo. Ang galing ng utak nya! Napakahusay parang nakikipag-usap yung libro! Mapapasagot ka sa mga tanong nya dito at mapapatango sa mga ideya nya! Panalo ang librong ito dahil hindi ito natakot gumamit ng mga barubal na salita pero kung tutumbukin mo ay may laman!

Aabangan ko ang kasunod na kabanta nito! Peksman!

Bili na U! Dali! :) Kwentuhan Us! :)

Sadness strikes!

Shocks! Minsan lang ako tamaan ng sobrang lungkot kasi madalas naman pag dumarating yan sa buhay ko pinipilit ko mag-isip ng mga nakakatuwa. I always try my best to not entertain that thought. Pero ewan ko sa araw na 'to kung bakit ganito ako. Siguro dahil sa panahon; mahangin kasi sa labas at kulimlim. Waaaaahhhh ayoko ng ganito! Usually pag tinatamaan ako ng ganito, nag-oopen lang ako FB, twitter, tumblr or nagbabasa ng ibang blog. Pero lahat yun nagawa ko na ngayon pero ang lungkot ko pa din! Epekto ba to ng walang lovelife??? Tae! Marahil. Malamang. Baka. Siguro! Hay Ewan!!!! Gusto ko na mag-uwian! :)