The Value of Honesty

Among all the virtues I value honesty.

People cannot prevent saying lies, sometimes, because it is necessary, and sadly most of the time out of habit. 

I won’t say that I am really honest but every day I strive to be. I want to mean what I say and give people my truth. I think it is the greatest gift one can give -honesty.

Today I discovered that even if you are honest somehow people end up believing what they want to believe.

It is sad.

But I also discovered when you tell the truth you free yourself from the need to defend yourself.  

What Makes You Beautiful

Today I feel grateful that I am alive

And that nature is crystal clear

The sun illuminates everything

Even the darkest corners

It doesn't blind the eyes

It makes everything bright

I find that when you are bright

You are clear

It makes you beautiful.

When Boredom Strikes: What Do I Do Now?

I never thought that id come to have problems with so much time in my hands.

I just don't know what to do now that my life is my responsibility.

I do not wish to be a child again like I did not wish to get older when I was a child.

I never thought of responsibility

I'm no teen, how can I not know about this thing?

But I don’t, I don’t know.

I like myself but with so much time I see so much of me.

It gets… it gets. Boring,

Every afternoon the questions start coming.

And every move does not satisfy.

I am thirsty I could die.

But Lord for today

Just for today

Keep me away from boredom.

-tabulyo

I Will Wait For You by Janette Ikz

I love watching spoken-word poetry. And this is such a great find for me. I had goosebumps! Enjoy!

So it seemed, that it was cool, for everyone to be in a relationship but me..
So I took matters into my own hands… and ended up with him
Him who displayed the characteristics of a CHEATER, a LIAR, an ABUSER, & a THEIF
So.. why was I surprised when he broke into my heart?
I called 911, but I was cardiac arrested for aiding and abetting,
Cause it was ME who let him in…
Claiming we were “just friends”..
It was already decided for me by the first date, that even if he wasn’t!
I was gonna make him ‘The One’..
You know… I was tired of being alone,
And I simply made up in my mind, that it was about that time so I decided to drag him along for the ride,
Cause I was always the bridesmaid & never the bride..
A virgin in the physical, but mentally just a grown woman on the corner in heat!
Who was tired of the wait!
So I was gonna make him ‘The One’.
He had a… form of Godliness… but not much..
But hey, hey I can change him! So (honey) I’ll TAKE him, I mean he’s close… enough
Ready to sell my aorta for a quarter, not knowing the value of its use to me
Arties so clogged with MY will, it blocked HIS Will from flowing through me
So, I thank Christ that His blood pressure gave this heart an attack,
That flatlined my obscured vision, put me flat on my back
Through my ignorance He sawed,
Through my sternum He sawed & cracked open my chest
TO transplant Psalm 51:10
A new heart & a renewed right spirit within!
So now I fully understand,
Better yet I thoroughly comprehend,
How much I NEED to wait… for You.
See, the bad thing is that I knew he wasn’t you from the beginning..
Cause in the beginning was the Word
And he didn’t even sound or shine like Your Son
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,
And all he could whisper was sweet, empty nothings –
Which meant NOTHING.
He couldn’t even pray when I NEEDED him to
Asking him to fast would be absurd!
So forget about being cleansed & washed with water through the Word…
But I know You.. ♥
You were already praying for me
Even never having met me
Let me assure you, I will wait for you.
I will no longer date, socialize or communicate with carbon copies of you
To appease my boredom or to quench my thirstiness I have for attention
And short-lived compliments from ‘sorta kindas’.
You know…. He ‘sort kinda’ right, but ‘sorta kinda’ wrong?
His first name LUKE,
His last name WARM.
I, I won’t settle for false companionship
I won’t lay in the embrace of his arms,
Attempting to find some closeness,
But never feeling so far apart cause, I just wanna be held
Cause ♫”all I gotta do is Say” No!
NO more ‘almost sessions’ of ‘almost coming close’
Passing winks & buying drinks,
I’ma, I’ma, I’ma flirt!♫
Who flirts with the ideology of,
‘Can you just tell me how much I can get away with & still be saved?’
NO more.
I’ll stay in my bed… alone, and write poems, about how I will wait for you
He won’t even come close,
Our fingers won’t even interlock
We won’t even exchange breath
Cause I have thoughts that I’ve ‘saved as’ in a file that God has only equipped you to open.
I will no longer get weighted down,
From so-called friends & family talks,
About the concern for my biological clock
When I serve the Author of Time.
Who is NOT subject to time,
But I’M subject to Him,
He has the ability to STOP, FAST FORWARD, PAUSE, or REWIND at any given time…
So if we could role play,
You would be Abraham & I would be Sara
Or you can be Isaac & I can be Rebecca – a servant’s answered prayer
I am bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh,
Made up of your rib Adam!
And once we meet, like electrons
I will be bound to your nucleus, completely indivisible atom.
We even speak the same math: 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, which really equals 1 if you add Him.
We were all created in His image,
But you have the ability to reflect, project & even detect the Son.
If I were to explain what you looked like,
You would have to look like a star,
A son of the Son..
I would gain energy simply from the light on me.
I would need you , in order to complete my photosynthesis
I await your revelation, but once again from the genesis, I will wait for you ♥
And I will know you… because when you speak I will be reminded of Solomon’s wisdom,
Your ability to lead will remind me of Moses,
Your faith will remind me of Abraham,
Your confidence in God’s Word will remind me of Daniel,
Your inspiration will remind me of Paul,
Your heart for God will remind me of David,
Your attention to detail will remind me of Noah,
Your integrity will remind me of Joseph,
And your ability to abandon your own will, will remind me of the disciples,
But Your ability to love selflessly & unconditionally will remind me of Christ.
But I won’t need to identify you by any special Matthews or any special Marks,
Cause His word will be tatted all over your heart.
And you will know me, and you will find me,
Where… the boldness of Esther meets the warm closeness of Ruth.
Where the hospitality of Lydia is aligned with the submission of Mary,
Which is engulfed in the tears of a praying Hanna.
I will be the one, drenched in Proverbs 31… waiting for you.
But to my Father, my Father who has known me before I was birthed into this earth
Only if you should see fit…
I desire Your will above mine,
So even if you call me to a life of singleness,
My heart is content with YOU – the One who was sent.
YOU are the greatest love story ever told,
The greatest story ever known
You are forever my judge & I’m forever Your witness
And I pray that I’m always found on a mission about my Father’s business
Oh, I will always be Yours!
And I will always wait for You Lord, more than the watchmen wait for the morning…
More than the watchmen wait for the morning… I WILL WAIT ♥

transcript from districtdiva

Salon’s Guide to Writing a Memoir

I am trying to reblog but I guess it didn’t come out as what I expected it to be.

So yeah, just click the title to take you to the article.

P.S. I love Anne Lamott! I have been trying to get my hands on her books. pdf, torrent, anything, to no avail. Someone, something, please help me :)

Letters From My Journal: Kindling Love

When I talk to God,

       

               I would always want to hear him say I love you.

(Or force him to say it.)

 He knows I like to hear those words of love from Him.

     I get tickled.

               I feel assured.

Today I heard God,

                                    Said He also wants to hear it from me,

That I love Him,

I don't get to say that to Him often

                                                   I'm afraid I may not be sincere enough

                                                                                                            To utter those words

I may not mean it

I'm afraid I may find one day

                                           To have not love in my heart

But today

                God said,

                                      Say you love me too.

So I say,

               I love you Father

                                           My Abba, Father I love you.

                                                    Yes I do.

                                          And if my love is but a little,

                                               Accept my little love.

I love you

With all that I could offer.

Thank you.

-from my journal (I felt like sharing because it made me smile knowing that I felt this way)

Witchcraft / Barang

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. - Galatians 5:19-21

It is unfortunate but this has been an issue with my family and relatives for a long time now. We have 2 doctors and 3 nurses in the family and I am trying to understand how people succumb to this kind of mentality.

For me it is just so wrong for people to blame other people for their sickness.

Witcraft/Barang whatever you call it may be true as it is written in the Bible but there is in no way possible that it could hurt people of faith. I think it is an insult to God's power and protection to believe it could hurt you. We have been washed and covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. How could anyone think that witchcraft could overpower that protection?

All of us are flawed. We are not perfect. But what worries me is for a person to believe that he is sick because of somebody's doing. Sickness is a dis-ease. A tension, a stress, it's not other people's fault that you are sick. You are responsible for your health.

To walk around in fear that you are under a spell can kill you faster than a speeding bullet.

Take pity on your mind. Let not any toxic idea poison it. Get hold of yourself. Wash and purify your thoughts! I beg you. Call upon God; remain steadfast in your faith. Pray. Find forgiveness, find peace that you may find healing.

I believe in confession of sins. I believe that being at peace with yourself and with your God is true health.

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Image Source

"Leave your mouth open."

I was so surprised by this request that my mouth remained open of its own will.

I blinked back tears. Virtuous women did not open their mouths in paintings. 

I did not know what to think of this book but the author writes so beautifully.

It's about a story behind a painting of a girl with a pearl earring. The painter is Johannes Vermeer. First, I would like to tell a story. I bought this book long before I heard the author, Tracy Chevalier speak at TED onYouTube. She tells of watching paintings on museums and coming up with an idea to tell stories behind those paintings. A story behind a painting, pretty clever! I was so surprised when she talked about the book, Girl with a Pearl Earring. I was like "I had that book on my shelf!"

I did not know what to feel about this book really. It felt like I understood the protagonist (Griet) completely but at the same time I did not. I find the girl shallow and so limited even though she was clever, perhaps because she was a maid and a bread winner in the family or maybe because of the culture itself.

I find it shallow of her to think that she was ruined after her master had seen her hair. A hair she kept hidden for so long.

I felt it was stupid to run and give herself up to Pieter just because of a hair exposed. I never thought that hair could be that powerful or crippling. Well maybe but to be ruined by a hair! It's supposed to be a woman's glory.

I also think that every character in here is a prisoner of their own circumstance. They do things because that is what is expected of them. That is what the society expects. Or what they themselves expect. The rule is to remember who you are and to look after yourself, to cross the line maybe the start or end of a drama.

My Favorite Part

She looked at me, and then she did the worst thing. If she had sulked or shouted, I would know I had mastered her. Instead she laughed.

  I reached over and slapped her.

- This is Gariet first day as a maid where she slaps Cornelia when she was just a little girl.

As I brushed past her she said in a low, eager voice, "You could give them to me." Her greedy eyes were laughing.

I reached over and slapped her.

- This was 10 years after the incident and Gariet, no longer a maid, met Cornelia again who was now a grown woman. This is my favorite because it felt like Cornelia deserved every slap.

Conclusion

The whole novel was a struggle of some sort.

I felt like I was struggling too. It's not easy to be a maid and it is not easy to be a woman of their time, 1664, Delft.

The book left me confused and I do not want to say that it wasn't worth my time. But I am sure that I would not want to read it again for a long time.

A Thank You Note to My Friend Eva

Dai Eva, I love you.

Thank you so much for the book you have given me. You know me so well.

I was quiet shy when you gave me the gift on your birthday instead of me giving you a gift. You're like a Santa Claus.

I was so happy seeing you happy on your birthday. You truly deserve to be happy because you are a loving person.

I can see how well you treat your lola, your ninang, and your mamoi. Such affection and fondness! It is in things like this that I am truly inspired by people, unguarded moments where an act of love is done.

Know that I have been inspired by you on your birthday.

When I entered your house I thought this is what family is. This is how to love. You spark joy and laughter and comfort which is hard to find in a person. You are so warm dai and it makes me so glad that I know you and that you are my friend.

Thank you so much for loving me. And thank you for thinking of me too! I wish you joy and happiness all throughout your life. And don’t be sad when I don’t reply to your text messages. You know I don't charge my phone often nor do I load often. You know much better ways to reach me :) I love you dai.

P.S. A super thick Selecta ice cream is a good choice!

-Shunani nga wati kadausahay. haha

Genesis: God Taking Pleasure in His Works and Other Discoveries

My preparation for classical education has begun. Reading the King James Bible made me realized many things. One that really stood out for me was that God takes pleasure in his creation.

And God saw everything that he has made, and, behold, it was very good. Gen 1:31

In everything that He creates, God saw to it that it was good. God is an excellent worker. That makes me happy because it means that we are all created as God's best, you and I.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them.

God has blessed us. He did not let us go without his blessing. We have been blessed. It's like a seal. Isn't that wonderful?

And God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

 This feels like God was saying, "Go ahead, enjoy! Everything here is for you."

I did some parallel reading and tried to compare KJV to NAB(New American Bible). I discovered that subtle is cunning and fowls of the air are birds of the air and every beast of the earth is various wild animals. This is a fun way to learn new words. It gets more interesting when I tried to compare KJV to our Cebuano Version of the Bible (Ang Bag-ong Maayong Balita).

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. -Gen 3:4-5 KJV

Gisulti kani sa Dios kaninyo kay nasayod man gud siya nga kon mokaon kamo niini, maabli ang inyong salabotan ug mahisama kamo kaniya nga nasayod unsay maayo ug unsay daotan." -Gen 3:4-5 Cebuano

God said this to you because he knows that if you will eat this, your mind shall be opened and you shall be like gods knowing what is good and evil. - Gen 3:4-5 

- My translation from Cebuano to English

My God how beautiful is the Bible in our own language. How different is the translation of then your eyes shall be opened,. In our language it is not the eyes that shall be opened but the mind. Salabotan has something to do with the mind not with the eyes, though I maybe taking the English translation quite literally. But based on my translation of our Cebuano language to English it's quite different. This is wonderful, like, Ahhhh!. :) I think our Cebuano translation of the Bible is quiet strong.

Take for example:

God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. -Gen 3:3 KJV

Gidid-an kami sa Dios sa pagkaon ug bisan gani sa paghikap nianang kahoya. Kon supakon namo kini, mamatay kami. -Gen 3:3 Cebuano

God has forbidden us to eat or even touch that tree. If we disobey this, we will die. -Gen 3:3 My translation from Cebuano to English

Gidid-an is forbid and supakon is violate or disobey. I read from the foreword of the Ang Bag-ong Maayong Balita Bible that the scholars did not translate the Bible from English Bible to Cebuano but from Greek directly to Cebuano (our dialect). Just like how our Roman Missal Mass was translated from Latin to Visaya.

The scholars task to translate and choose appropriate words is like getting a peek of their world. I wonder how it would feel to be given the duty to translate the Bible. How would they go about their day? Knowing that whatever words they choose today will go down for generations and generations to read. But I believe people with this kind of task are guided by the Holy Spirit. So words from the scriptures in whatever language will always be a two edged sword.

My little classical quest

 Image

I stumbled upon a blog who is in a quest for classical education. To improve oneself by reading classics intrigued me. So I decided to have my own little quest of reading the great books. Adriana (first name basis ;) ) pointed out that a lot of classics books reference the Holy Bible. So reading the bible is a good start for all those interested to read the classics.

So here I am, about to begin a new journey and hoping that I would be able to finish what i am about to start. I don't think you can really finish this kind of quest. But at least I aim to have a solid grasp of what the classics are all about. It has been said that you just don't read for information or entertainment but you read to live. I am now in my 20's and this decision to read the classic books will greatly improve my English and will surely impact my life. Because i hope to read to live. So for this year I will chronicle to you my journey through the classical world. I shall now commence by reading the entire King James Bible, so help me God.

Thank you so much Adriana of Classicalquest.com for inspiring me and guiding(i will ask questions!) me through this. This will be wonderful I believe.

Classroom Observation

I went to observe a class today here in our City. It's my first time to do a field study. Here are some of the things i have written in my notebook while observing.

This Is A Morning Class

The teacher is giving an exam.

One student lost his test paper.

The type of exam is identification.

Students were told to draw and label the nail structure.

Students raised their hands to ask questions.

1teacher is to 55 students.

The teacher walks across the room.

She told the students to greet us good morning.

I smiled.

Some insults (ganganga!).

She is red in the face.

Class continues.

The room is near to the gym.

The teacher has to talk loudly to drown out the noise.

The teacher asked if students were done answering the exam.

Students answered "No" in chorus.

The teacher hovers.

I caught a student cheating.

I mean students!

In front of us.

Students were told to exchange papers.

Students talking.

Students checking paper teacher mouthing answers.

Teacher told students to keep quiet their job is to check.

Class concluded with a prayer.

My Top 3 Videos last year (2012)

So here are some of my top favorite videos last 2012. My favorite person right now is Sarah Kay. I watched her videos for like almost everyday for the last month. I've listened to some of her interviews, i especially love her way with words interview with Krista Tippet.

Here is Saray Kay on her Ted talk reciting Point B and Hiroshima.

...I want her to see the world through the underside of a glass bottom boat, to look through a magnifying glass at the galaxies that exist on the pin point of a human mind. Because that’s how my mom taught me. That there’ll be days like this, “There’ll be days like this my momma said” when you open your hands to catch and wind up with only blisters and bruises. When you step out of the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you wanna save are the ones standing on your cape. When your boots will fill with rain and you’ll be up to your knees in disappointment and those are the very days you have all the more reason to say “thank you,” ‘cause there is nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline no matter how many times it’s sent away...

My second favorite is the  Som Sabadell flashmob video. It's about the power of classical music. I am not into classical music but i was so moved while watching the video. I was crying a little bit. And that lady in 2:35 with the look of surprise joy on her face is priceless.

And lastly, this warm, warm video from the Jimmy Kimmel Halloween Challenge. This little girl is Madeline. She is 3 years old.  And this was her response when her mother told her that she ate her Halloween candy. There is hope for humanity when you have little children with this kind of attitude ( amid all the killings and craziness going around you could barely stand).

Aw baby girl, you are so much mature than most adults i know! God bless your kind heart. And God bless your mother too for a job well done on raising you :)

So i hope you enjoyed watching my top 3 videos for the year 2012 - assuming you took the time to watch all three. I hope you would. It's worth your time. Promise :)

So what are your fave videos last year? Let me know!