Just last night, I was awed when I heard the news about a dentist falling off from the 6^th floor of Shangri-la Plaza Mall. The dentist, Dr. Mary Anne Magtoto, landed on the second floor of the said mall face down and was rushed to the Medical City but was apparently declared dead on arrival. A lot of speculations are growing regarding the death of this lady but I could only pray for her soul. Visions of her relatives and friends are entering my mind; I can only imagine how this tragic, sudden death would affect the whole family.

Confronted with life’s adversity especially the loss of a loved one can truly be devastating. It is during these times that we really need to strengthen our faith and call on to our different support groups such as friends and family.

Every day we are confronted with different tragedies, as we scan the newspaper, listen to the radio and watch the television. This is a reality. These adversities are attached to our very existence; it’s a matter of how a person would deal with. I personally believe that in our lives, these adversities produce a more resilient person.

Of course, no one could ever wish for any misfortune to happen in his life but we need to understand that no matter what, life will continue its course. Even as we grieve, it will not pause. We may never fully understand the rationale behind our own personal hardships, even as we try to make sense out of it, we can never be prepared once it hits us.

I can only pray for strength…

Dear Lord, You are my refuge and my strength. Give me the grace to always fight all temptations and do your Holy Will. Help me to find strength in the midst of trials and comfort that that you have carried the cross for all my sins. Accept my weakness, O Lord and give me the strength to trust You and put my life in Your Hands. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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Funeral planning is a very unpleasant endeavour especially if it’s for a loved one. However, we need to brace ourselves for life’s uncertainties, even funeral cost is not going anywhere but up. It’s better to be prepared.

I always believed that the usefulness of these new gadgets always depends on a person’s lifestyle.  For a blogger like me, I bring my laptop almost everywhere I go. No matter how heavy it is, I feel it’s a necessity especially if I am running after a deadline.  Plus the fact that I regularly check my emails every so often, and when I am not at home, I use my phone to read them but then I tend to browse through those long emails since it really puts a strain to my eye reading those small fonts. Now, with its browsing and wi-fi capability, I can read emails anywhere even those lengthy ones.

Although it will never replace my laptop, the iPad for me will definitely be a handy tool. And since I would be saving up for this gadget, I want to secure my investment by making sure I have an ipad warranty.

Photo: Apple iPad by John.Karakatsanis on Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

Even as I watch US TV series, I seem to notice how Americans deal with problems. How common do they go to a “shrink” every time they have a hard time coping with some setbacks? Or have medications for depression? In the Phils., no matter how hard life may be, you can still see people relaxing specially during the weekends. Maybe because being a Third World country, we’re used to it or perhaps because we have strong faith and support system.

Faith is a big aspect in our lives, whatever religion you belong to – the belief that there is a higher power you can call on to, is enough to keep you going. Plus, the strong bonds of our family and friends, that whatever we are dealing, we know that we have friends and family to lean on. Even in other countries, Filipinos manifest this quality. You can see how Filipino communities abroad gather up and stay in touch with each other. It’s amazing how this trait can help you go along way, most especially when you’re abroad.

I can speak for me and my hubby who have gone through the ups and downs of life and we have managed to stay together and be strong. Laughter is a big factor in our marriage — Hubs has a very good sense of humor and that’s one thing I love about him.
Laughter has a lot of benefits. It’s a therapeutic, relieves us of stress and even healthy for our skin. At least you won’t have to waste your money on adult acne treatments, just have a dose of laughter everyday.

Yes, I have thought of it a lot of times. But after three miscarriages, I think the chance of a safe delivery is very slim for me. I don’t want to dwell on the details, it only makes me sad. However my ob-gyn has suggested that if we really want to try and have another baby, we need to have a work-up –both of us.

Yet, we still have not done so… why? Mostly because it entails a lot of expense without a guarantee, and we both have agreed that it’s God’s will besides we have two beautiful children already.

But yes, that thought is still at the back of my mind.

That every time I see a baby, I want to cuddle them and imagine the child to be my own. That every time I see a pregnant woman, I remember how it used to feel carrying a baby in your womb, being careful about what you eat and reminding yourself to take those prenatal vitamins even though you can’t seem to swallow them. Pregnancy was never easy for me but the thought of having your newborn baby afterwards is enough to erase all those pains away.

If and when, I’ll be able to conceive again… God only knows. Another bundle of joy in the house is a welcome idea.

Photo: “8 Months” by marabuchi on Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

What motivates me to get up?

The driving force behind my will to pull myself up and get things done would be my family, most especially my kids. To achieve the goal of giving them a better future is reason enough to push me to work and achieve this goal. Simply put, to go after the life you want cannot be achieved by just lazily lying around your house. Even though, I am a stay at home mom, I find opportunities to earn. Right now, aside from my online earning opportunities, I am taking care of our small business that will hopefully expand soon.

Opportunities do not come easy, so sometimes you need to create them. Staying inside the house will definitely not give you opportunity, so I try to expand my network and together with my hubby we try to make the best out of the resources laid upon us.  My husband and I are firm believers that nothing happens by accident, everything has its reason. So if you meet someone,  maybe the Lord is trying to tell you something. Open your heart and mind, so you can hear the message.

I wouldn’t want to sound preachy but it’s my personal relationship with the Lord motivates me to become a better person and achieve the goals that I have set in life.

Have faith, believe in yourself and you can do everything that you mind has set out to do. You may stumble upon a lot of obstacles along the way but if you are focused, you will succeed. Wouldn’t victory be sweeter if you know that you have worked hard for it?

Just like losing weight…. No pain, no gain!

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Photo: “Jah’s Rays” by C-Ali on Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

If not for the kids, I would not have given in besides it’s a complimentary stay courtesy of my brother, who could ever resist that? I want my kids to enjoy the last days of summer since we didn’t have much travel during the summer break.

I was like this since I can I was young. I remember my mom placed me in a dormitory when I was in first year college only to find myself going home every other day. The owner of the dorm would call my mom and check if I am with her and she’ll reassure the owner. My mom decided to discontinue the dorm life after a month. My reason was the food, it’s bland, it’s cold and it does not look appealing at all. It’s the Foodie in me.

Maybe if it’s a serviced residence where you have a kitchen and provisions for you to cook, it would probably work for me. But hotel food? Aside from the fact, that it’s expensive I cannot seem to appreciate it on a daily basis. Maybe once in a while, I can indulge. Good thing our hotel is connected to a mall so we can choose from the different restaurants there but still, it’s not home-cooked.

Now with all the pigging out we did for the last three days and the rest of the summer, I really need to exercise and look for diets that work.

I know a lot of bloggers like me are faced with the problem of staying focus online. There are a lot of distractions that facing online people such as social networking sites, online games, chat rooms and a lot of other things at home. These are the things that hinder one’s productivity.

Allot a time to work. It’s easier said than done especially if you’re a mom. Kids will keep bugging for questions and it’s difficult to shoo them away. What I do is to let them know that I am on “work mode” so the kids will stop bugging you, if not lessen it a bit. I remember my son branding this as “DNDM” or “Do Not Disturb Mom”, it’s a cute term and at least I know that he understands what mom has to do.

Stay focus is the key. Most people while working have the habit of checking their emails, instant messaging and social networking sites before they do their online tasks and by the time they know it, they have wasted valuable time checking out updates and chatting with friends. It may be hard but you need to avoid doing so.  While working, “stay offline” or “Be invisible” to your online friends in order to avoid those instant messaging that keeps popping out.

Focus on the task on hand and perhaps when you’re all done, you can do your updates and chatting. Slowly, I am teaching myself to do the same.  Although I am not so much into instant messaging but I easily fall into the trap of surfing other unimportant stuff online. Like if I am tasked to look at an insurance quote, I would find myself searching for camera gadgets or anything that interests me, which totally wastes so much of my time which will lead up to cramming.

Avoid procrastination. Do your assignments way ahead of your deadline. Avoid cramming especially when writing an article that needs lots of research.  It pays to do it ahead of time so you’ll have time to proof read your work and edit, if necessary.

In all the things that we need to accomplish in life, focusing on your goal will always keep you on track and regain perspective. So control those unnecessary distractions to have a more productive life online.

The joys of a stay-at-home mom cannot be compared to anything material. Please do not take this any other way especially the working moms, I grew up with one and I was once a working mom, juggling my life in the office and my responsibilities at home and I commend the moms who can successfully balance work and home. On my end, I believe that I need to learn more on how to do that balancing act. Now that I am a budding entrepremom, I am once again faced with the challenges of living a well-balanced life.

I believe I can do this! At the end of the day, even if I am caught up with my hectic daily activities, I always take a pause and reflect on the real reason why I am doing these things – for my loved ones especially for my children. Knowing that, I regain my perspective and know that whatever I set out to accomplish each and every day has a purpose.

That’s what I keep telling myself nowadays. With all the things happening around me and the people around me, there is a tendency for me to become plagued with emotional baggage. I need to learn how to let go, it’s much easier said than done. Letting go is one of the hardest things to do however it’s the right thing to do and I know that for a fact.

When you hold on to the ugliness of the past, we become plagued with guilt and it only hardens our heart. However small it is, it will still a burden and soon it will become a hindrance to our success.
We cannot change what has occurred in the past but we can definitely change and do the right thing now. We should not feel that our mistakes will be a permanent reality, instead learn from it and move forward.

This is me talking to myself… pushing myself forward so I can focus on the present moment. I may have failed to appreciate how beautiful life is but now I am reminding myself.

I think I need to release this stress and pamper myself a little bit. I can see some signs of adult acne on my face and I don’t want that to happen.

This is an attitude I have developed for so many years. As I start the day, I thank the Lord for the gift of life and the day that is yet to become. In the evening, together with the whole family, we give thanks for the day that was and all the things we have received. Appreciating what you have, no matter how little it maybe, is important to gain more blessings in life.

As you begin your day with a feeling of gratitude, it will radiate positively in everything that you do. It’s like spreading out positive energy. They say positive energy attracts positive things thus when you send out positive force, more good things will come back to you. You’ll reap what you sow!

A little expression of gratitude like a simple “Thank you” will go a long way. People around you will appreciate you more and they will respond in a good way to you.

In my blogs, I vowed not to post anything negative, because I do not want to dwell on anything bad. So that when I look back, I will only remember the happy memories in my life. I believe that nothing in life should ever be taken for granted, but those challenging times in our lives should also not be taken for granted. We also need to appreciate these little difficulties and learn from them in order to truly appreciate life.

If you make the attitude of gratitude a daily habit it opens the doors to immeasurable happiness and contentment.
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