Saturday photo(s)



One fine day... may lead to one fine life.

How things in our daily lives affect our being and disposition is all a matter of... uhm, yeah, perspective.  

A few days ago, I was duty-bound to travel about 245 kilometers north of Manila - by bus.  I was reluctant to do it because of terrible stomach upset and the many, many things waiting for my attention at work.  And yet, what awaits me in the North... was more work - bigger ones... well, at least, their implications.  While the mere thought of my 'mission' in the North intimidated me like skydiving above the Pacific Ocean would,  it was comforting to think how accomplishing the tasks ahead would mean great contribution to national progress through excellent Engineering Education.  And so, I braced myself for the onslaught of wild-indigestion-on-the-road, packed a bag of medicine, re-

Life is a beautiful journey... in heartfelt prayer.

charged my iPad's battery and my BB's battery - just in case I'd need to call on emergency, pushed a handful of bravery in my heart's pocket... and 'took the ride'.  

Opening my eyes after praying for a safe travel, I found myself enjoying hours of green fields, blue sky, good road... and the quiet time alone with myself, just with my thoughts, away from the tiring hustle-bustle at the workplace.  The experience was so refreshing after almost nine months of non-stop 'grind' that it made me utter more prayer - of thanks - for the time to be away from the usual concrete walls of my office and the sea of papers on my desk, waiting to be read, signed or replied to.  It made me see how that little office of mine, where a mightily giant beast called work that challenges me to a duel every single day resides, is a part of God's grand and wonderful scheme of things.  And that defeating 'the beast'  is a mission worth setting out for every single day. I paused to thank heavens for that chance to 'fight and defeat the beast' while others could merely dream of the same chance.

When we decide to cease being negative about things, and choose to view things with new and hopeful eyes, God reveals breathtaking beauty... and there's just so much beauty in this life of ours!  

Perspective... it enables us to ignore the prickly little things that don't matter, and concentrate on the big ones that do matter. It enables us to see beauty... and its meaning, even in darkness - through the powerful light of faith and heartfelt prayers.      

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Location:  (1) North Luzon Express Way or NLEX, and (2) Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral or Baguio Cathedral, Baguio City.

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Saturday photo



Sunset... calm and quiet, colorful... beautiful.


Wherever, whatever season, sunset will always be my favorite time of day.  And it always feels wonderful whenever I get the chance to catch it... as the ticking of the clock gets lost in the whirl of incredible work schedule every single day.  And each time the beauty of sunset comes to mesmerize, it also takes away with it the pain that the whip of hard toil inflicts... as it makes one look forward to a restful good night's sleep, experience the bliss of sweet dreams, regain lost energy overnight - to face another day, new beginning, new challenge, new prospects... new hope.

Ah, sunset... it's just beautiful!

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To all the cool Dads out there...



...Happy Father's Day!

Yep, my siblings and I managed to find common time to celebrate Father's Day for our father and the "kids" in the family.  "If there's a will, there's a way," or "if something is important enough, you make the time."  Thank goodness for our favorite "snap vacation" destination - Tagaytay City.  It has everything for family activities:  nice places to stay, good food, cool and fresh air, nice sceneries, beautiful places of worship, pet-friendly restaurants, and venues for adventures.  

These days, my siblings and I are realizing that it gets harder to get everyone together... as "kids" aged.  It's a good thing the "kids" in our family are loving and kind, they still prioritize family and spending time with each other, and with us - their "old folks".  And God is all that generous to always provide us with enough to afford to have food to share as we enjoy one another's company... especially on important family occasions.  I hope our father feels lucky.  :)

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Araw ng Kalayaan 2013



Proud to be a Filipino!

I wear the Philippine colors with love and pride - anywhere, anytime... especially in my proudest moments.  While I enjoyed my journey in many places, fascinated by the uniqueness of each place, and I hold dear in my heart the wonderful moments of experiencing other cultures, meeting great people from different cultural roots, and making new friends from other parts of the world, I'd always longed for home... and I always will.  And I will never get awed enough by my beloved country - Pilipinas kong minumutya! 

Maligayang araw ng kalayaan sa ating lahat, mga minamahal kong kababayan! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!      

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Saturday photo



Life is good... and a life spent in service to others is best.

A few days ago, I had to struggle to keep it together, and not break down in tears as a young lady broke down in front of me, after trying - very hard - to hold back tears.  It was most unfortunate that she was born to an extremely impoverished family.  She had to scrape her way through Elementary and High School - in a very good school, on hard-earned scholarship, as her parents, who could not even obtain High School education, tried to make both ends meet by working as househelps.  None of her hardships though could sway her sight away from her dream to get a College degree, and help her family out of the rut of poverty.  "With hardwork and faith in God, there is always hope," she said. 

After finishing high school, she had to stop attending school for a year, not having enough money to pay for her graduation fees and other fees in high school not covered by her scholarship. Therefore, she was not able to graduate officially even when she was able to fulfil all the academic requirements. And, anyway, even if she was able to get her high school diploma, her family did not have enough money to get her into College.  For a year, she worked as househelp for a relative, living on strict budget and setting aside money, hoping she'd have enough in a couple of years or so to get to College... until a priest in her Parish gave her the idea to look into the possibility of studying in this University he knew about - on scholarship.  She worked to earn enough money to pay her debts in high school and to pay for her University Entrance Examination fee.  She studied hard to make sure she'd pass the Exam... and she did.  After that, she had to work harder to pay the initial fees to enrol in the University.  Once in, she worked very hard, setting aside the temerity that she acquired from being underprivilleged all her life, to find scholarship in the University.  Luckily, she found her way through the process of getting a scholarship. 

I was very lucky to have been given the task to speak with this girl regarding her scholarship application.  I was beginning to despair about how hard I had to work - day in and day out - to fulfil my (many, many) tasks at work.  It took a conversation with this girl to remind myself how lucky I am to be in this position where I am able to serve and help wonderful people like her to fulfil their precious dreams.  And the harder I work, the more people, like this young lady, benefit from the fruits of my labor. 

I guess it helps to always remind ourselves how beautiful this life that we're living truly is... by making it our goal to put a smile on the lips of the people around us, especially those we serve - of course, without compromising the principles and high standard of the Institution that sustains the platform on which we dispense of our service. 

To be put in a position that enables us to serve others is in itself a great blessing from God, and serving well is the best way to show our appreciation for this blessing.  Therefore, let's serve well.

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Location:  Stilts Beach Resort in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

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Saturday photo



Life's a beach....


"Life's a beach... and then we die." Hopefully, not in vain. :)

We swim and struggle to stay afloat, we spend our 'time in the beach' doing that - and nothing else. Sometimes, we fail to pay attention of how beautiful our surrounding really is... how fascinatingly clear and refreshing the water is, how lovely that blue sky can be, how crisp and fragrant the air is, how so much fun people around us are having. We concentrate so much on our struggles that we forget to sit back and enjoy - the beach. It's only when it's time to leave that we, all of a sudden, realize that we did manage to stay afloat alright, but we didn't really 'experience' the beach. It's only when the sky turns dark that we begin to regret why we didn't pause to admire its lovely blue color and the air-brushed cottony white clouds that only daylight can reveal.

Therefore, let's not wait for the sunset to enjoy the beach... let's run around, feel the fine sand between our toes, the sweet breeze on our faces, and let the giggly waves sweep us back and forth as we admire the sky above us, the green mountains around... and the laughter of our jolly company - by laughing along in wholehearted glee. And as we do, let's give thanks to God who is almighty and good, and from whose love and generosity, all this beauty come from.

Yes, life's a beach... let's live it up!

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Location: Stilts Beach Resort in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

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