Free Your Mind Tuesday #3: Only Human

This is post #3 in a series of post for the 50 questions that will "Free Your Mind" which I will be doing every Tuesday. If you have chanced upon my blog and have answered or is also planning to answer the same set of questions, please do link up so that we can all read each others' entries.

Thanks!

  #3

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

Because we are only humans.

First off, do we really intend to do the things we don't like? 

I guess not. It's either we do it out of necessity or simply because we have no choice.

An illustration:
Your sister is getting married and you're the maid of honor. Being the liberated woman that she is, her motif is Playboy and hot pink. Your outfit? S l u t t y. You don't tell her you're against it because it's going to be her day anyway (it's not always about you) and in no way are you going to ruin it. She said that you can change during the reception. 

Will you have it your way? Wear a different gown, and hurt yoursister's feelings? 

Or do something you dread - look like a slut? 

you can be a real martyr, you know

Well, that's a crazy example though. I would have killed my sister for it. 

But hey, the predicament is possible, right?

But really, a concrete (and say, realistic) example would be this..

Imagine yourself wanting to go to lawschool because your life's greatest ambition was to become a big-time lawyer. But somewhere in the middle of lawschool, you fail a class, and eventually drop out. 

One always does the best that he can when he wants something badly, but things do not always turn out the way you planned. So instead of becoming the lawyer that you dreamt of, you end up doing something else. The circumstances thus barred you from living your dream. You may not hate where and what you are right now, but you don't pretty much like it either. Sad, but possible. It just wasn't meant to be. 

Just think of it this way: God has a different and way better plan for you. 

Quit not liking what you do and start appreciating.

And why do we like so many things we don't do? 

Fear, the lack of courage. And the most practical answer: no budget and circumstances just wouldn't let you.

Fear. There's this guy whom you really like. You want to go out with him but you never ask him out because you're afraid he might say no. You  fear failure, rejection, and frustration. You never take the risk. 

(Go out and ask him now! Don't be afraid of him saying no. Solution? Ask him out again!)

No budget. The universe is conspiring against it. 

Personal experience: I want to go to Las Vegas. I'm from the Philippines. I have no money and no VISA. See? Simple.

Random fact about me:
My dream wedding consists of a wedding in Vegas. Just sharing.

Okay, my examples may be a bit weird, what I'm trying to really point out is that no matter how we plan to live our lives in ways most convenient and suitable with our desires, there are always circumstances beyond  our control.

I believe in a Supreme Being and that our life's journey has already been planned before us.  

He has already plotted down our itinerary. It will be now up to us how to make the best out of it.

We may not always like what we do, nor are we able to do the things that we like, what is important is to cherish and be thankful for every breathing moment. Appreciate and count every blessing. Let everything we do be for God's greater glory. Never hate. Sprinkle everything with love. Be optimistic. Smile.

La vita è bella.

{via}

[this was supposedly a scheduled post but then it didn't come up when i checked. 
i realized that it was scheduled for wednesday and not tuesday! it's still halfway through tuesday right now anyway :)]

{images linked from respective sources}

 

Wordless Wednesday: Jump!

It's either that wacky picture or that jump shot! :)

I'm the oldest among my cousins (not counting my married elder sister who rarely joins us during trips due to different constraints). I'm twenty-something, but look! I still look like one of the kids (can you spot me?), and I still feel like one too.

Over the summer vacation, we went to this abandoned pier. It was newly constructed yet abandoned because it was useless. There wasn't a need for it in the area. And so, what happened was that people went there to just sit around, have rounds of drinks, or take a dive.

 

I wanted to dive knowing that the water was deep and the wind was just perfect. However, the only problem was that, if I jumped into the water, I would have trouble coming back up.

 

The waves were just too strong and there weren't any stairs or something that one could hold on to when coming up...

But that didn't stop us from taking a dip into the ocean! There were stairs somewhere at the sides of dike leading to the pier so we stayed there. 

It was getting dark already and I am not a big fan of night (and no light) swimming. So we just stayed near the steps. :) It wasn't that bad..

See? We looked like we had fun!

Honestly, we did! haha ;-) We just looked so funny because our Aunt was trigger-happy taking pictures every now and then. You know that feeling when it's pitch black and the camera just flashes and it's back to black again? I felt like I had migraines. My brother and cousin felt the same thing too!

After dinner (yes, we had dinner there, with the help of an emergency lamp), we planned on walking home because we wouldn't fit inside the transport we brought. My cousin said he'd just come back for us, but for the meantime, we can walk and eventually catch him on the road. It seemed like a good idea (the lamp was with us) because my Uncle said that there was a mini waterfall nearby, we can take a swim there while waiting.

And so we did! It looked like a pool with a fountain at the side. 

The pictures taken during this time weren't good though. So here's just one clear shot. 

It was coooold..

This was only the start of my summer adventure. More to come soon! ;-)

Happy Wednesday! ;-)

Free Your Mind Tuesday #2: Regrets vs Failures

This is post #2 in a series of post for the 50 questions that will "Free Your Mind" which I will be doing every Tuesday. If you have chanced upon my blog and have answered or is also planning to answer the same set of questions, please do link up so that we can all read each others' entries.

Thanks!

#2

Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Of course, everyone would agree with me that never trying is definitely worse.

It's funny how this question reminds me of the Westlife song "If I Let You Go". Go ahead and laugh at me for associating this with an old school boy band (hey, who didn't love them back then?), but the lyrics of the song just seem so fitting.

"If I let you go, I will never know what my life would be..."

Okay, so now I think that it's actually not the best song to answer the question, but hey, it just came up and when it did, it sounded like a really great idea (more like, eureka!).

Anyways, kidding aside, I seriously think that never trying is worse.

Failure might be painful and difficult to accept, but at least, in the end, you know that you have tried your best. You wouldn't be spending the rest of your life trying to answer the what if's and what would have been's.

Regrets may not be as painful as failure but the latter easily heals, especially when you get to realize that things weren't meant for you. We shouldn't fear failure for it does not determine who we are. No one is to be measured by their failures, but by how strong they were in facing them and how brave they had been to stand up and strive harder.

I have encountered lots of failures in my life. I am young and I have a whole stretch of lifetime ahead of me. I am proud to say that I have committed mistakes (and continue to), but I don't regret committing them. I'm not proud, but some things are just easier learned the hard way. 

One thing that is better about failure is the chance to try again and succeed. With never trying, there will never be success. You will neither move forward, nor backward. Life will be the same. Though it's a safe place to be, for some, it's always better to try. As the saying goes, there is no harm in trying.

original image via

Meet me on Monday

1.  What is your favorite bagel flavor?
I couldn't quite relate to today's Meet Me on Monday questions since I don't eat bagel often. Let me skip that Q since I don't have a fave. :) 

uhm, I think I prefer donuts :)

2.  If you had an extra $100 right now, what would you spend it on?
first thing that came to mind was shoes but then if I had extra money, I'd go for food and binge.

Or skin and hair products. I badly need them especially now that summer is almost over.

Tan lines! Good thing I didn't have sunburns but I got this really awful line. I look like I just burned myself!

3.  What is the last thing that you felt guilt about doing?
More of, not doing. There was something I was supposed to do way back and never had the guts to do it. Now that I'm faced with it's consequences, I am having trouble facing the telling the complete truth. 

But hey, I told them the truth but they wouldn't listen!

4.  Soft serve ice cream or hand dipped?
I honestly didn't know the difference until now. :) I thought it was just sundae vs ice cream - guess I use the wrong terms :D  And I've realized that I like hand dipped more! I love soft-served because of that fluffy feeling when you eat it but hand dipped ones are just heavenly! Lots of flavors to choose from too! :D

5.  Are you allergic to anything?
Alcoholic beverage! I try to think I'm not but everytime I drink, I turn red with the slightest sip, and bloat and itch all over! My friends say that the cure to this allergy is to drink more! ;-)

I'm also allergic to people who try hard in speaking/talking in english.  This goes out to people (especially where I'm from where English is only a second language) to desperately try to sound like an American/native english, with all the slangs or twangs or what-have-you's. Why can't you just be proud of your natural accent? You can always improve, but don't try THAT hard - you'll end up sounding really funny!! A shout out also goes out to those who constantly have wrong grammar - especially if they laugh at others about it.

By the way, about 10 days ago, I took (yes, I TOOK) this award from Shanimal's Crackers.
Thank you! She told me to take it, because anyone can haha! :D

I am thus a Sunshine Awardee!
Thank you! :)

Wordless Wednesday (on a Thursday?): Birthday

 

It was my Tito (how I call my uncle) and brother's birthday and we celebrated it at Surigao del Sur (my mother's hometown, which is a plane-ride-and-3-hour-bus-trip away from home). It was the first time that they celebrated their birthdays together. It was also the first time my brother celebrated it in Surigao.

And so they planned on a big event. 

The kid's party was a costume party and my uncle's party was well, just dinner and karaoke.

Guess what, only 3 kids (effortlessly) dressed up. And out of my Tito's (over a hundred!) guests, there were a few who dressed up too!

Me and my cousins dressed up. Our clothes were all hauled from my aunt's cabinet. :D

1st photo: Inside my aunt's room where we all touched-up

2nd photo: AT THE MARKET! Seriously, we went to the market (which was already closed at that time) and took photos there. haha! The mayor's wife was with us so no worries.

And hence the crazy pictures.

 

However, I didn't understand my outfit.

Am I a gypsy or a pirate?

My cousins.

Meg as Princess Jasmine

Errol as a Karate Kid

Nica as a fairy but because somebody brought her wings, she looked more like an angel.

My brother cried because he lost his red contact lens. He was supposed to be a vampire.

And I cried as well because i didn't want to see him cry on his 12th birthday.

And I bought the lenses. Err, I hated it that he misplaced it. haha!

My uncle and my brother.

I love my uncle, he's my favorite.

I love my brother, he's my favorite person in the entire world!

He's the first person I miss when I'm away.

He's the one I hate the most too. ;-)

It was a hectic day but I didn't feel that busy, just tired.

My Tito invited a million guests but the others didn't come when they saw that we were wearing costumes and they weren't. Blessing!

Free Your Mind Tuesday #1: Age

This is the first post in a series of post I promise to be doing for the rest of the year (or at least, 49 more weeks).

This is part of the 50 questions that will "Free Your Mind" which I will be doing every Tuesday 

(but this first post was posted late, I was super busy!).

 #1:

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

This answer would be biased because it's from my own viewpoint. If others were to be asked as to my age, they would tell a different one. Older probably, because of the way I think. Younger, because of the way I act. Older because of the way I look. Younger because of the way I talk.
But since I;m on the hot seat, talking about myself, I prefer to say I really feel younger. :P

I should be 19. 

or 18. Somebody who has just reached legal age.

  I still live with my parents.
Of course, in the Philippines, children don't traditionally live alone, even if they earn money. They only leave when they get married. I once tried asking my parents about staying in an apartment. Well, as expected, they said NO.

I still go to school.
I've graduated from college already but I'm currently taking up a post grad course. Well, it's still school and I still have to stay up late for assignments. Thankfully, I don't have to wake up early for class.

I'm single.
No need to elaborate on this. Single. Not married. No boyfriend. Very much SINGLE (and ready to mingle, haha!).

I still ask permission when I leave the house.

 Followed by: I still ask money everytime I leave the house.

Well, just because. haha! It makes sense, I don't have a job. My parents don't allow me to work in order to focus on my studies (echos!).

I need to be home by 10 pm on a school day.
My mom is a super worry wart! She worries too much so I need to be home by 10. A few minutes before that, my mom goes berserk!

I have to be home by 12 mn when I go partying, and somebody should bring me home.

(of course, I don't follow this haha).
I need to give a really good reason though if I don't make it on time!

Well, there are a lot of other reasons. And I really feel that I'm younger than who I really am. I feel irresponsible, dependent and vulnerable.

But even if I FEEL that way, it doesn't mean that I am. Because in reality, I responsible, driven, and empowered.

There are however times that I feel like I'm older.

I feel like I LOOK older (sadly), and stress makes me feel older too. But like what I've earlier mentioned, it doesn't mean that I am.

Because I actually look younger. haha! :)

 This is crazy, I actually couldn't think of a decent answer because AGE is relative, and I don't look at a person, or judge his acts because of his age. Tough.

That should be all for now though. I feel like there's no full stop to this post.
Okay, nothing follows : )

Wordless Wednesday: Enchanted

 Enchanted River

Talisay, Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur

Philippines

yeah, I know the photo didn't fit haha!

It's not called Enchanted for nothing.

The water is very clear you can actually see the bottom.

And guess what, it's 86 feet deep! Imagine all the fishes, big and small, swimming with you.

What makes it so special is that a diverse set of marine life lives here. They're also used to having the people around. It's best to catch the fish feeding at 12:00 noon. You'll get to see the wonderful fishes (which they feed with cooked octopus bits!). But in case you miss it (like us), you can have a special fish feeding session at 3:00 pm for only a hundred pesos (about $2.50). :D They caretakers just ring the bell (a signal for people to get out of the water) and the fishes just all show up.

Divers have come and studied the place and from what I gathered (from tv and the people there), nobody has been to the deepest part of the river because of the strong (and dangerous) current. And there's actually a deeper part of the river (there's a bend and it's not visible from above) and it's said that nobody knows how deep that part actually is. My cousin says that it's deeper than 120 feet because his friend was told by somebody... (ahh, double hearsay!).

I only jumped with the lifevest on once. It's better swimming and diving without it. They have lifeguards anyway and I know  how to swim!haha And oooh, it was cold (and salty!haha). It's best to come in the afternoon (they close at 5:00 pm) because there are fewer people. You'll get to enjoy the entire place to yourself. There's a spot where you can jump/dive. I got scary at first because I was thinking what if I hit the fishes (because they appear to be really close) or what if I go too deep and couldn't control my breath? I also imagined it as a trench, which scared me more. Picture this out: I had a belly/face/thigh flop dive! Imagine the pain on my first try - I was that unfocused and scared!! But trust me, it's safe, and once your there, it's just WOW!

It's a long drive from the nearest city (and airport, and hotels/inns/lodging houses) though. But it's definitely worth it! The place is being maintained by the local government so there's only a minimal entrance fee (two fees actually).

Ah, was this post for WORDLESS/SEMI WORDLESS Wednesday? 

Oops!

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

There's no Meet me on Monday post this week so I decided to put up a set of questions which I'm aiming to completely answer in 50 weeks. A different "meet me" version.

That should be 1 question answered per week...

Thanks to Michael at Rhinehart's World for the inspiration. :)

{via}

50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

 "These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer."

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
22. Why are you, you?
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
25. What are you most grateful for?
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
32. If not now, then when?
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

I will start answering next week. I plan to religiously do it on Tuesdays (crossing fingers on that because I can never keep up with scheduled posts - I always lose track of day/dates).

I hope people who do this should link up! 

If you've read this and is also planning to do one, I hope you leave a comment and link. Thanks!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

My Nanay is on a vacation and she's probably enjoying right now. But I miss her.

I on the other hand was with my Lola and I surprised her (sort of) with a Mother's Day cake. I hope she liked it.

Today I washed the dishes. Cleaned the backyard. Did the laundry.

Mopped the floor. Bathed the dogs.

I got exhausted. At some point, I complained.

But then I realized...

My mom does those type of things everyday. She's a housewife, and quite an expert at it.

And she never looked too exhausted.

Nor did she ever complained.

To say she's a SUPERWOMAN would be an understatement.

Wow.

And so I take this time to say

THANK YOU

to my Nanay...

For waking me up when I'm running late.

For preparing my breakfast, washing the dishes, and even ironing my clothes.

For waiting for me for dinner even though you're too tired and sleepy.

For many other things; for everything else.

And for never complaining.

Even though I'm 24.

I love you, Nanay.

The Versatile Blogger Award

I am still on vacation and there is a lot to share. I need to get this post out first because this post has been long overdue - thanks to AutoSave!
I usually write my drafts on notepad, but this time there were so many links I had to post that I decided to transfer everything to blogger and deleted my saved notepad draft.
When I checked it again (ready for publishing!), I accidentally pressed on a letter and instead of deleting it, I undo-ed by Ctrl-Z, which was a mistake! I don't know what I pressed, it deleted everything I wrote and IT AUTOSAVED! I don't know how to recover it, even though I did a thorough Google search on how to recover the draft. Oh well, I will have to write everything down again.

I have been keeping an online journal for a few years now but just this year, I decided to finally expose my blog. This one started last February and I am proud to say that I have received my first ever blog award!

At least, I know somebody reads (and appreciates!) my blog!

Thanks to Jo-anne "Blossy" over at Bloomingly Lovely for this Versatile Blogger Award.

In order to accept the award, one has to do the following:

 1. Thank and link back to the person that has given you this award 

2. Share 7 things about yourself 

3. Award 15 blogs you feel deserve the award

 4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the reward

SO HERE GOES

7 (Random) Things About Me:

I.
I cringe my toes when I'm afraid - which usually happens when I cross the street :)

II.
When I was a kid, my favorite song was "One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston. I memorized it when I was still two, and I wouldn't let anybody else sing it because it was MY song, and I was the only one who had the right to sing it.

III.
I collect notebooks and journals of any kind. So if you're thinking of giving me a present, you'll know what to give me!

IV.
I don't like having long nails but I keep mine long just so I could paint them. I like the feeling of applying nail polish. haha! :D

V.
While I was on my first week of vacation, the place where I stayed was attacked by a rebelious group. I woke up from the sound of gunshots. Weird I wasn't afraid. I was only worried what might happen if they actually took over the place. Good thing everything went fine. Thanks to the police who firmly and bravely took their stand.

VI.
I clean my room before a big exam as a way to preoccupy my mind and free myself and welcome the upcoming stress. :D Sometimes I watch a movie of read a few chapters from a novel.

VII.
I was recently on a trip that included air, land, and water transport! It was a 12-hour trip (with more than half the time spent waiting for the transport). I'm going to post about it soon. :D


And now, I'm giving this award to the following lovely bloggers:

The Vixen's Lair 

Who Dee Hoo
You Will, Won't You?
Shanimal's Crackers
Sunday Morning Sugar

The Sunday Sweet

i8 

 Get the Words Out

Dance to the Radio
Just the Stuff Ya Know
The House on the Corner
Life as Lolly
incognitus scriptor
macy...line!

Sprinkle me Sweet

Again, thanks! And congratulations to everyone!

<3,
Simonette

Wordless Wednesday: Vacation III