A Lenten Thought

I have always thought that lent is the most boring holiday ever! During my earlier years, it was four days of doing nothing. There were only five channels during that time and all of them sign off during this time of the year. My mother was a strict Catholic and we were not allowed to play either. Well, we'd pray the rosary and go to church but you can only do so much of that when you're young and adrenaline filled. Those were the days...

Now, there's cable, PSP, Nintendo, DVD and internet. I still pray yes, but now there's more things to while the time with. Now I wonder---did it really become better? Before, you had no choice but to think about God; now God seemed to have been put in the backseat for other hedonistic enterprise.

I will not point fingers for I am a prey to these pagan rituals myselt---guilty beyond reasonable doubt! Heck, I was in a "Spartacus" marathon just a while ago!

So let me call on all of you reading this blog to just pause for a while and think of everything that we have done so far to deserve this precious gift called LIFE. Well, I did it a while ago and was hard fought in capturing only a handful. What about you?

Graduation Message

Last March 28 marked a milestone in Chesca's life---her high school graduation! However, as I sat there listening to the valedictory speech, I was disappointed. The valedictory speech should inspire the other graduates to look forward to college life and dream big! Unfortunately, the speech focused more on reminiscing high school life and the thought of missing it after they've gone their separate ways. So let me impart my own graduation message to my daughter Chesca.

1. Have a VISION. Going to college without a vision is like sailing on a boat without a rudder! Know what you want and make it happen!

2. Be Persistent. College life will definitely not be an easy task. Challenges will surely present itself in every turn. As such, one must have a strong heart to hurdle the problems that may come your way.

3. Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is part of life. A person who does not have problems is already six feet under the ground. Treat failures as opportunities that you can learn from. Two important things you get to learn in failing: (1) you will know WHAT DOESN'T WORK; and, (2) failure gives you an opportunity to try A NEW APPROACH.

4. Do not waste time. Finish your course on time. As an old Chinese saying goes, "one ounce of of time is equivalent to one ounce of gold, but an ounce of gold will not be able to buy the ounce of time already passed." Among other things, we don't have the luxury of unlimitted resources for you to gallivant through college. Additional tip: LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF "OTHERS".

5. Hard work is more important than talent. Graduating with honors is not an INSTANT SUCCESS free card! I can name a number of honor students who failed to even graduate college. Talent alone will not guarantee success but hard work will.

6. Always think POSITIVELY. Positive thinking is the fuel for persistence. Always look at the brighter side. Accept circumstances that you don't have control over and make the best out of it.

7. Choose your friends well. "Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are." Friends have always been a big influence in all of our lives. Make sure that you pick them well.

8. Pray. Many people pray only during times of crisis. Don't be like that. Always keep God in your heart. Thank Him for all the blessings---great and small! Ask Him for guidance in all that needs deciding.

9. Walang nagsisisi sa huli! Regret always come in the end. Before making any major decision think first of the consequences. Make sure you will be able to live with whatever consequences your actions. Wala nang LIBRE ngayon!

Good luck and may the FORCE be with you!

PS
Yung isang picture na pinadala mo e di ko na linagay dito---seloso ako e!

Divine Providence

I have written about God's Divine Providence in my blog http://nonoy-1025.blog.friendster.com/2008/05/god-will-provide/ as a testament to my own personal experience. To further expound on God's presence in each of our lives, let me share with you a recent happening in the life of my friend Cora.

Last December 7 I received a text message from her asking for the cellphone number of our former Managing Director (whom we worked for when we were regular employees at Jollibee Novaliches). She said that it was important. After giving her the number, I asked what the urgency was about. According to her, her 3 year old son Angelo is in need of a special operation for HYPOSPADIAS, a birth defect of the urethra in the male that involves an abnormally placed urinary meatus(opening) and she needed to borrow money to cover the expenses---Php 23,000 for the operation alone. After hearing this, I was filled with empathy for Cora since I have also felt being at the end of the rope before.

Angelo was born out of wedlock and Cora doesn't have a stable income so to speak. She's into networking and is mostly under the auspices of her family. Since I am not a rich person I can only give her what my shallow pocket can afford, but I really felt for her and I had this nagging urge to give this woman and her son a MERRY Christmas. So I told her that I'll try to raise additional funds by calling out to our former colleagues in Jollibee. "Pray ka lang," I told her. After which I began my text and e-mail brigade for "Operation Angelo".

I did not envision to generate all of the money but our friend Art from Los Angeles seemed to have jumpstarted the whole thing by pledging half of the total amount and the rest just snowballed! By December 9, total pledges amounted to Php 27,000 not including 2 pledges from abroad with undeclared amounts.

I felt Cora's joy when I gave her the good news and what a wonderful feeling it was---the same feeling I had when I felt God by my side during my times of trouble!

Postscript:
As I've mentioned, Cora does not have a steady job and it would truly be a great help if any of you reading this blog can provide her one. I personally feel that what we have provided her was a temporary solution to her financial problem. As a Chinese proberb would say, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a life time."

She's in her early 40's and was formerly our administrative assistant during our Jollibee days. Unfortunately, she was not able to finish college. I know this isn't much of a criteria to get a job for but I need to try anyway. Who knows, God may again intervene. Can't win the lottery jackpot without placing a bet, right?