I don't know why I am quite affected by Michael Jackson's death. Somehow there's a piece of me who mourns for him. I am not one of his avid fans, though I like few of his songs. I am sad about his untimely death, a few weeks before his comeback concert. In my own opinion, it's too soon for him to leave. Why now, when he had a chance to redeem himself and showed the whole world that he's only human just like the rest of us.
But I am not in the position to question the decision of our Life-Giver. He alone knows the reason and purpose behind the mystery. Life lives, life dies. Life laughs, life cries. Life gives up and life tries. But life looks different through everyone's eyes. Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.
As I watched Michael Jackson's Memorial Service, I got hooked with Jennifer Hudson's Will You Be There number. I had goose bumps when I heard MJ's voice saying the following lines:
In Our Darkest Hour In My Deepest Despair Will You Still Care? Will You Be There? In My Trials And My Tripulations Through Our Doubts And Frustrations In My Violence In My Turbulence Through My Fear And My Confessions In My Anguish And My Pain Through My Joy And My Sorrow In The Promise Of Another Tomorrow I'll Never Let You Part For You're Always In My Heart.
We all have those moments when we feel as if we’re drowning in life’s pressure and stress. Many failed in coping up with the problems that comes along their way but there are also those who stood up and survived the pain. How can you handle the circumstances that are beyond your control? How can you live a happier life?
Superchick’s Stand in the Rain song is very appropriate for this kind of life’s dilemma. It tells a story about a girl who seems so busy with her life but the truth is she is just covering up the emptiness and the fear that she felt inside of her. What must she do if you are currently in this girl’s situation? Superchick advises us to stand in the rain and don’t give up even though all things seems to fall apart. We should always remember that when God closes a door, He always open a window. Never give up, just stand up!
She never slows down. She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down She won't turn around The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down
[CHORUS] So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, what's lost can be found You stand in the rain
She won't make a sound Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down She wants to be found The only way out is through everything she's running from wants to give up and lie down.
[CHORUS] So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, what's lost can be found You stand in the rain
So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down Stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, what's lost can be found
[CHORUS] So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, what's lost can be found You stand in the rain
This song is about being in a situation where you don't know what to say to the person who really needs your comfort. With our human nature, we tend to panic and have a tendency pull away from a friend or a loved one who had a serious problem or an overwhelming trial. We struggled for words of wisdom that is appropriate for the moment but it only lead us to question God's power it.
If you are in this situation, what would do? Casting Crowns' "Love Them Like Jesus" inspires us to love them (the broken individuals) just like Jesus loves us. We don't need to have a lengthy speech, loving them and having their backs is enough.
The love of her life is drifting away They're losing the fight for another day The life that she's known is falling apart A fatherless home, a child's broken heart
You're holding her hand, you're straining for words You trying to make - sense of it all She's desperate for hope, darkness clouding her view She's looking to you
Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him His yoke is easy, His burden is light You don't need the answers to all of life's questions Just know that He loves her and stay by her side Love her like Jesus Love her like Jesus
The gifts lie in wait, in a room painted blue Little blessing from Heaven would be there soon Hope fades in the night, blue skies turn to gray As the little one slips away
You're holding her hand, you're straining for words You're trying to make sense of it all They're desperate for hope, darkness clouding their view They're looking to you
Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him His yoke is easy, His burden is light You don't need the answers to all of life's questions Just know that He loves them and stay by their side Love them like Jesus
Lord of all creation holds our lives in His hands The God of all the nations holds our lives in His hands The Rock of our salvation holds our lives in His hands He cares for them just as He cares for you
So love them like Jesus, love them like Jesus You don't need the answers to all of life's questions Just know that He loves them and stay by their side Love them like Jesus Love them like Jesus
I always watch reality shows here in the Philippines but I am not fond of spending some money to vote for them. However, for the Season 2 of Pinoy Dream Academy, I will surely cut a small amount from my daily budget just to vote for Bugoy.
Jay Bugayan aka bugoy came from an impoverished family in Camarines Sur. One of Bugoy's dream is to earn a college degree so he payed his tuition through scholarships and earned his pocket money working as janitor, dish washer and other odd jobs. As a farmer's son, he also worked in the farm and sing songs with the cows and birds as his audience. He never took his talent seriously for until one of his friend discovered his singing talent accidentally. His friend heard him singing while cleaning with a mop. Soon, he joined school competitions that led him to try out for PDA. He said that he never auditioned just for himself but it was also for his family and for all the common people who had "small dreams" in life.
At first, I don't like Bugoy. He was funny for me. He was good as a recording artist...not as a performer. But as I watched the show every day, my perspective about Bugoy changed. I want him to win in this one big fight. For me, he deserves to win. Here are my reasons:
He's not perfect but with a small polishing especially in his diction he will be among the top performers in the Philippine industry.
He had a pure heart, I can see it in his actions.
Some say that helping Bugoy is just an act of charity. Yes, if he'll win he'll be a millionaire but we can't deny the fact that he got talent.
Bugoy is humble.
Again, let's support Bugoy.
By posting these banners from PDA Forum in your blogs, sites, etc:
By Voting through text votes: PDA BUGOY send it to: 2331 for Globe, Touch Mobile and Sun Subscribers 231 for Smart and Talk n Text Subscribers
Last June 21, Typhoon Frank (international name: Fengshen) hit and battered Iloilo City, heavily affected the province’s 42 towns. Around 80% of the city went underwater affecting 48,836 families and the district of Jaro (where I, my sister, and my cousins live) was submerged because the water level reached a height of 2 meters.
Everyone has his or her own version of "Baha" (Flood) story... and here goes mine (I hope the pictures reflect the calamity that we had overcome):
We were having a good sleep when somebody knocked on our door. It was one of our boardmates, she said: Ate, may tubig na sa kwarto! (Big Sister, the water has entered our room!) My sister (Aying), my cousin (Rophe) and I immediately jumped out of our beds and grabbed the things that we can save. However, the rain didn't stop and the water reached the second floor of the house.
Fortunately, the house had a ceiling. Thank God, it didn't collapse. Imagine...all the things that we were able to save were placed here and 11 of us stayed here for almost 3 days and 3 nights.
On the second day of the flood, we checked our rooms and we found some clothes, shoes, and slippers that were soaked in the mud.
These are the things that helped us lived through that traumatic experience...the well and the stove..
Frank destroyed some parts of the house. We can't even use some of our kitchen utensils.
Here is a picture of the ceiling during daytime. It's good to have some spare clothes... shoes... slippers even though they don't have pairs now.
When the water subsided, we immediately wash our clothes and clean the house.
P.S. I appeared only once in these photos because I was the photographer.
It's all coming back to me now...I mean my obsession to "The Little Mermaid" Disney character. I had saved a copy of the movie, downloaded a wallpaper and my ym icon showed Ariel. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so hooked with the mermaid characters. All I know is that I really loved Ariel, the way she swim and the way she sing "Part of Your World". In fact, Donna and I keep on singing it again and again as we worked on our respective tasks. It seems that we can relate to the song's lyrics: " Bright young women..sick of swimming..ready to stand..."
I must admit, I love books and that makes me one of the certified bookworms in this world. I started to read novels when I was in 5th Grade and as I aged I can’t stop loving my favorite pastime.
Of all the stories/novels I have read, I chose to feature (in this post) the most recent book I borrowed from my officemate. This book was entitled “Twilight”. It is a young adult vampire novel authored by Stephenie Meyer that was originally published in 2005. It is the genesis of the four Twilight saga with New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th novels.
When Bella sits next to Edward Cullen in Biology class on her first day of school, he displays extreme animosity towards her. This leads Bella to believe that he dislikes her. However, his attitude towards her soon begins to change. He displays supernatural abilities while saving Bella from being hit by an out-of-control van that is about to crush her into another car. Bella confronts him about the strangeness of the situation, but he refuses to talk about it. As time passes, Bella and Edward are repeatedly drawn to one another, even though Edward desperately tries to stay away in order to keep her out of the danger that he will likely put her in.
Bella eventually learns from her friend Jacob Black of the Quileute tribe and her own observations that Edward and his family are "vegetarian" vampires who drink animal blood rather than human blood. Despite of this, Edward and Bella fall deeply in love. Their foremost problem is Bella's "alluring scent", which makes it difficult for Edward to restrain himself from killing her. However, despite this and Bella's strange knack for constantly landing herself in dangerous situations, they manage to stay together safely for a time being.
The blissful state of affairs is thrown into chaos when another vampire coven sweeps into Forks and James, a tracker, sets his sights on Bella. Under the assumption that James has kidnapped her mother, Bella is lured to her former dance studio, where James attacks her. Edward, along with the rest of the Cullen family, rescues Bella before James can kill her.
Twilight is being adapted into a film by Summit Entertainment. The film is being directed by Catherine Hardwicke and stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson as Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen. It is set to be released on December 12, 2008.
Here’s some of the never-forgotten quotes from the story:
"When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations its not reasonable to grief when it comes to an end."
"What if you sincerely believed something was true but you were dead wrong? What if you were so stubbornly sure that you were right that you wouldn't even consider the truth? Would the truth be silent or would it try to break through?"
"I'd never given much thought to how I would die--though I'd had reason enough in the last few months--but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this."
"'And so the lion fell in love with the lamb...,' he murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word. 'What a stupid lamb,' I sighed. 'What a sick, masochistic lion.'" -- Edward and Bella
"If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it." -- Edward
I don't normally participate in our office's online forum. I only visit the forum during my spare time. Months ago, as I was doing my usual reading my attention was caught by the signature of one of my colleagues. It's a qoute from Epicurus.....
"Is God willing to prevent evil but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is Malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then hence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
Well, maybe it is in our human nature to ask and question God. It is a natural reaction to complain in times of distraught and hopelessness for complaining is the easiest way to handle uncomfortable circumstances. Sometimes we have our own disappointments with God that lead us to doubt His kingship and power. It can cause dilemma that can be compared to the "egg or chicken" dilemma; "who came first, the chicken or the egg".
Friends if you have any doubts regarding God's will and existence, take time to read the following conversation. Maybe you have already read it somewhere and maybe it's too long for you. But I can assure you, it's worth your time and effort. Here it goes.........
An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his Class on the Problem Science has with GOD, the ALMIGHTY. He asks one of his New Christian Students to stand and....
Professor : You are a Christian, aren't you, son ? Student : Yes, sir. Professor : So you Believe in GOD ? Student : Absolutely, sir. Professor : Is GOD Good ? Student : Sure. Professor : Is GOD ALL - POWERFUL ? Student : Yes. Professor : My Brother died of Cancer even though he Prayed to GOD to Heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn't. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
( Student is silent )
Professor : You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, Young Fella. Is GOD Good? Student : Yes. Professor : Is Satan good ? Student : No. Professor : Where does Satan come from? Student : From . . . GOD . . . Professor : That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World? Student : Yes. Professor : Evil is everywhere, isn't it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct? Student : Yes. Professor : So who created evil ?
( Student does not answer )
Professor : Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they? Student : Yes, sir. Professor : So, who Created them ?
( Student has no answer )
Professor : Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the World around you. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever Seen GOD? Student : No, sir. Professor : Tell us if you have ever Heard your GOD ? Student : No , sir. Professor : Have you ever Felt your GOD, Tasted your GOD, Smelt your GOD ? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of GOD for that matter? Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't. Professor : Yet you still Believe in HIM ? Student : Yes. Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Student : Nothing. I only have my Faith. Professor : Yes. Faith and that is the Problem Science has. Student : Professor, is there such a thing as Heat? Professor : Yes. Student : And is there such a thing as Cold? Professor : Yes. Student : No sir. There isn't.
( The Lecture Theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events )
Student : Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat. But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 Degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir, just the Absence of it.
( There is Pin - Drop Silence in the Lecture Theatre )
Student : What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness? Professor : Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness? Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the Absence of Something. You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . . But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it? In reality, Darkness isn't. If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you? Professor : So what is the point you are making, Young Man ? Student : Sir, my point is your Philosophical Premise is flawed. Professor : Flawed ? Can you explain how? Student : Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality. You argue there is Life and then there is Death, a Good GOD and a Bad GOD. You are viewing the Concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life: just the Absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey? Professor : If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do. Student : Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?
( The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going )
Student : Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this Process is an on - Going Endeavor, are you not Teaching your Opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist but a Preacher?
( The Class is in Uproar )
Student : Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain?
( The Class breaks out into Laughter )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . . No one appears to have done so. So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have No Brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust you're Lectures, sir?
( The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable)
Professor : I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son. Student : That is it sir . . . the Link between Man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that Keeps Things Moving & Alive.
Remember: If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Be moved from this place to that; and it will be moved; and nothing will be impossible to you. ~Matt. 17:20
Known for his many inspirational songs such as "God Will Make A Way," "Give Thanks," "God is Good All the Time" and "Thank You Lord," Don Moen is a famous songwriter and performer who gained success with his praise & worship songs.
I have known him since I was in gradeschool and that's before the Hillsong generation. I was so excited when I heard the news that Don Moen will be having a concert here in Iloilo for at last I will be able to see him personally and hear his songs live. It will be once in a lifetime experience for me.
A week before the concert, I decided to dumped my idea of buying a ticket for the concert due to lack of money. But where God guides, He provides so I was able to acquire a ticket courtesy of John.
And so, last April 10 at 7:00 pm I was at Don Moen’s "Worship and Revival Concert Tour". I had a great time. It was a spirit-filled evening of praise and worship as God's believers unite in prayer for God’s grace and spiritual revival. It was comforting to know that no matter who you are and what you have done, God is always there for you and me because He never slumbers and He never sleeps.
Here are some of the songs that Don Moen sung that night:
My favorite was his version of Hillsong's Still. I hope I could go to Hillsong's concert in Manila this May 26.
Symptoms: bored to death, drowsiness, brain dead, always looking on the wall clock, low morale
Findings: I am having this Friday sickness. It's some sort of psychological feeling that I have before the week ends. It seems that I am not capable of thinking and every single minute spent in front of my pc results to boredom. The hours seem to be too long and at times I want to speed it up..if only I can do some magic.
I'm so stupid. I know that there's an antidote for this sickness but I prefer not to do it. Just like what I am saying to Donna (friend, seat mate, teammate), maybe I am a masochist. I have the power to things the present circumstances but I allowed other forces to dominate. But I just can't do it now...it's not easy to change a career if you're working in order to live. Maybe some day...when the right time comes...
Pausing for another break, I took another online quiz. This time it's about "What Age Do You Act?". I know I am childish oftentimes and always not acting my age. My mom would always complain about it . But what can I do? I am young at heart...
By the way, here's the result...and it's true....
You Act Like You Are 19 Years Old
You are a teenager at heart. You don't quite feel like a grown up yet, but you don't feel like a kid. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.
You're quite rebellious, and you don't like being told what to do. You like to do things your way. You have your own unique style, taste in music, and outlook on life.
Out of the blue, I just typed in the following keywords in the Google search tab: "when to quit a job". Looking on the search results, one item woke my curiosity. It's an online quiz that helps you decide if you should quit your job.
I took the quiz and I was not that surprised with the results. Honestly, I know this would come along especially with what happened in the past weeks. It really made me laugh...ha!ha!ha!
Your Job Dissatisfaction Level is 71%
Your job is a total bummer, and probably the worst job you've ever had. Your co-workers stink. Your boss is a jerk. And your company is probably in trouble. Think about finding a new job quickly, even if it's just a not-so-great transition job. You've got to get out of there as quickly as you can!
I created this post just for fun and I hope people (esp my coworkers) would not misinterpret it. It's a fact that our minds work in different level: below sea level or above sea level...wahahaha...Friends, you should take this test.
It's seven days before Christmas! We are all busy for the biggest celebration of the year. Christmas trees, colorful lights, boxes of presents, bulk of grocery items for the Christmas feast or noche buena. We were all too much concerned with ourselves and we seemed to forget other people..people who were "less-fortunate" compared to us.
Lask week, I had learned so many lessons about contentment in life. I am always complaining that life is so tiresome and boring. I was so worried about Christmas expenses: tickets for going home, credit card charges, gifts etc. I forgot that my concerns were too nonsense compared with concerns of other people.
This Christmas, may we know and see it's true essence through the eyes of the lowly.
The song below was entitled Paraiso, a filipino term for paradise. The lyrics speak of a dark and dreary environment where scavengers are free to make what they get from the garbage pile. But that does not make them any less free to imagine, any less free to hope, and any less free to dream. This is an inspirational song that was dedicated by Ryan Cayabyab not only to marginalized folks but especially to young people who have hopes and dreams of a better future. The song won the grand prize at the 1992 Tokyo Pop Music Festival.
Paraiso Return to a land called Paraiso, a place where a dying river ends. No birds there fly over Paraiso, no space allows them to endure. The smoke that screens the air, the grass that's never there. And if I could see a single bird, what a joy. I try to write some words and create a simple song to be heard by the rest of the world. I live in this land called Paraiso, in a house made of cardboard floors and walls. I learned to be free in Paraiso, free to claim anything I see. Matching rags for my clothes, plastic bags for the cold. And if empty cans were all I have, what a joy. I never fight to take someone else's coins and live with fear like the rest of the boys. Paraiso, help me make a stand. Paraiso, take me by the hand Paraiso, make the world understand that if I could see a single bird, what a joy. This tired and hungry land could expect some truth and hope and respect from the rest of the world.
This post is dedicated to Joboy. The boy we met a week ago. We had the chance to listen to his life story and his life is not far from what we have seen in the video. To Joboy, may you not lost hope...I cannot forget smile in your face when ran home with your chickenjoy.
Originally, I created this blog to air out my concealed sentiments about my life and everything that comes along with it. This 2009, I realized that all along I was so busy ranting about how my life sucked. I need to change and so I decided to dedicate this blog in cheering up other people's life. I hope you'll get inspired with this blog. Happy reading!
If you enjoyed reading this blog, please have time to visit my other blogs: Fashion-O-Lic Geekielogy
