These Are The Objects

Yesterday, we went back to our alma mater Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in three important things: to have an instant reunion with BSE-CAE Batch 2008 (and I am calling the attention of these lovely people: Mark Lester Pabilando, Andrew Kenneth Quisumbing, Kristel Tandingan, Kristine Leigh Zablan, and Adrian Hernandez plus Adrian Kristoffer Pitel and Mary Melanie Sumaria, hahaha!), to meet and greet two of our most favorite people in PLM and in CHD, the "notorious," "dreadful," but super dooper awesome and beautiful Ma'am Nerissa Gabelo and our sweet, enchanting and God-fearing mother, Dr. Daisy Hicarte and to watch what was known for Ma'am Gabelo and her partner in crime, Sir Mark Alfred Gutierrez (which happens to be aside from my co-PLMayer, co-Licean also) as an audition for the newly-organized public speaking team. In that activity, the aspirants hold different simple things and they will connect it to their lives. Simple things like staple wire, mirror, ribbon, rope and other different objects, they need to speak out from their creative minds how would they conjugate them to their lives. For me, I got it really interesting and creative, thinking what if I became part of the audition and I got these objects. How would I connect it to my life? Is there any possible connections with these objects and my life?

I was looking around in my room and I saw five, small, simple objects that I would like to try how would I link it to my life. Bet you didn't know that my room is half-organized, half-messy but I don't think it would really reflect me. Well, yes! Now here's the thing, I will describe the purpose of these things and then, will try to look at it differently on how will I link its purpose to my life. Sounds fun, and sounds I Am PoGay, but let's try...

BOOKMARK

The purpose of the bookmark is to mark the page of the book you have stopped. It is a big assistance to the readers because they don't need to look for the last page they have read. With bookmarks, the life of the reader is very easy. I guess that bookmarks is also a great help for the continuous journey of our lives. It serves as a lesson that we need to look back every time we move forward and forget. By the time you remember that lesson you will be used in mistakes or failures you've experienced, there is only a bookmark being left which will give you a reminiscing past that you will use for what you have had. The pages of the book is the life we had and the bookmark serves as the lesson we need to reminisce.

COTTON BUD

We all know its purpose and we all know where should we use this. Good that I didn't take a photo of a used cotton bud because a lot of people are eating. I love using cotton buds because it cleans my ear and at the same time, it tickles me. I may not have a fixation in it but there is an awakening feeling in using it. I need a bigger cotton bud, not because I am a huge dirt or a huge ear, but because I need something to clean my messy, unorganized life. I need to have a perfect time schedule to finish all my tasks and not by procrastinating (which for me is the biggest dirt ever in my life!). I need to clean my whole attitude because for the past days, I am becoming too sensitive and also thirsty for affection and desire (terribly wrong!). I need to clean up my mind on which path I need to go, teaching or writing. Cotton buds are used for cleaning our ears and so is my life who is in a mess and ruins needs to be cleaned up by I don't know who and I don't know how.

MASS STORAGE DEVICE OR USB

In layman's term, we call it USB. For the computer world, they call it simply disk drive or mass storage device in which it can have up to 1 terrabyte (I don't know its equivalence in any kinds of measurements). This is the smallest object you can use if you want to save from important documents or pictures to music or movies. You can choose any sizes of storage from microbytes to gigabytes to what now known as terrabytes. Our life is also as functional as USB because we can store lots of memories (coincidentally, we use the term "memory" for the size of storage we prefer for mass storage devices) and it's more than 1 terrabyte I guess. We can't have the power to store music but we can relate our lives to music, thus becoming too emotional when we hear the lyrics of the song and somehow relating it to our lives. We can't have the power to store films in our brains but our whole life is actually a film. We cried, we laughed, we poked some jokes, we threw dramatic lines, we heard fires and bombs because of the war, so many that real life had pictured all the days of our lives. We can't have the power to store important documents but we remember how we documented our lives. From the time we were born until the time we' are about to bid farewell, they are all documented. Our lives are rich, treasured and perfect because even though we can't store memories in a digital way, we can remember them until eternity.

CLASS RECORD

I am a teacher and I use this. This is, I believe, the second most important tool, after lesson plans, a teacher should have in his or her table or bag because all the hard work, effort and sweat of the students are all here. This is the basis of who will become this year's valedictorian. This is the where we put all the scores of the students they really deserve to have to. This is where we put the proper calculations. Without this, we can't have the people who we look up right now. Thanks to these class records, I do my job very well. I have this, and also my teachers who are my idols also had this and they had put all of my scores, high or low. They made me a better person because of the judgment and the teaching they installed in me. I may never be who I am right now because of them, and because of the class records they owned. Confidentially, my scores are kept and I don't know the exact transmuted score of it. But I guess I don't need to know it because I already found myself. Those grades in the class record were checked, transferred and right now, those grades embody me. And I am finally doing it to the next generation. I'm not sure with them but I truly believe that they are really the answers of the questions of today. 

OINTMENT

We use this to treat wounds and scars, thus imperfection in our skin. Some ointments give us agonizing irritation, and others give us cool remedy. Our lives will never become perfect and we all know it. We had so many mistakes done in the past or even continued until now. We need an ointment to heal those imperfections which will give us downfall and discouragement in life. It could be a friend, a special someone, family and yes, our God! It may give you instant relief or a short-term healing but it will last forever. The formulation of this ointment is the people you truly love the most. The indication is to maximize love and forget the ugly wound you had in your life. The dosage for this ointment is endless, no number of usage but forever. How to store this ointment? Just put it in your heart, mind and soul and they will stay fresh!

Now the question is, did I pass? Honestly, it is really hard to do this in a snap but if you have a creative mind, and a creative heart, you'll surely get the right spot. Hopefully I achieved something after I somehow interconnected these five objects to my life (or to our lives!).

Toodles!!!

God Wants Me To Know

We live by believing, not by seeing. - 2 Corinthians 5:7

I've been following an application on Facebook named as "God Wants You To Know." I don't know who is generating that application and of course, I know someone can give those kinds of words but I truly believe it is a good instrument of God. Sometimes, it really hits me. There are moments that when they give me notifications to read the message from God, seems it does by happenstance and very timely and there are others which it gives me learnings.

This time, I wanted to reflect about my life right now through the messages GWYTK had sent me. In times of troubles, pains and sufferings, we always look forward for reading a message from God coming from the Holy Book and by means of sermons, inspirational words and guidance from Him. With that, we feel we're very close to Him and we believe that He only wants us for the best. Reflecting God's messages is the best way to get near to Him and putting aside the sorrows and pains we experience in our daily lives. I will be choosing five of the best messages I have already shared in Facebook which I totally got touched and mortified.

God wants me to know that beginnings are only possible where there are endings...

Clear acknowledged endings are as necessary to intelligible life, as pauses between notes to intelligible music. Although endings sometimes feel like the end of you, take them for what they really are, the end of a stage in your life. Here is to new beginnings!

There was a moment in my life that I needed to end something because I chose to begin a new chapter to my life. The beginning will only be possible if I ended something which I don't like to go for and through. Some time, I'll be leaving the institution who nurtured me. It's going to be an end of my journey there but with a new job, or career will be a new beginning to me. I only look at it as a chapter of my book just ended and needed to move on to the next chapter because it is something new to work on, to look for and to live in. Now the question is, how is that beginning possible? Numerous answers will surely be said but the only thing which is the best is to start afresh and anew. Enough of what was happening with the life that you had in your previous chapter. You've ended it already! Here is to a new beginning of the journey of life, which is to find a new job, a new working environment, new set of colleagues and professionals, and a new kind of world. The only thing that lacks in this message is the perfect emotion to be felt. For me, I'm balancing nervousness and excitement. It's a passe but every time there's something new in life, you feel nervous because you do not what's going on. It is going to be either right or wrong. Excitement, at the same time, because it is something new. New experiences, new acquaintances, new world. In all this, beginnings are surely possible because the person is ready.

God wants me to know that you can conquer your fears...

When fear is holding back, don't give up. Even the bravest people feel afraid. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to go on in spite of it.

For the past years of my life, I couldn't say I already conquered my fears. I don't even know if I did one. In the simplest things which I felt frightened were speaking in front of large crowd, trying to drive a car in expressways, doing an interview with an HR executive, and handling different students with different traits and personalities. In the simplest things I felt, I didn't give up easily because I conquered it. Basically because they're all simple. I never tried doing death-defying acts, going to another place alone and without maps and other ideas, putting myself under the knife, and death. It's true that even the bravest people feel afraid. We're not sure if Dr. Jose Rizal never felt afraid when he was about to fired down at Luneta. We're not sure if Pope Francis never felt anxious to himself to lead the largest religion in the world. We're not sure if first-time mothers never felt giving-up after knowing she was about the deliver the first baby of their family. When there is fear, the only true thing we need to do as humans is to never give up. Giving up means quitting, and quitting means no winning. Conquering fears are like facing reality. If you're not ready to face problems and circumstances in life, you have never even tried conquering your own fears.

God wants me to know that it's okay to ask for help.

Sometimes we get overwhelmed with the details and complexities of our lives. Sometimes we need some help to get untangled, to gain new perspective. Ask for help. Help may come in human or divine form. It may be seen or unseen. Ask, and ye shall receive.

Whenever I commit to do something, I never ever tried to ask for help. I know for a fact that I can do it, I can finish it and the idea is all mine. I just wanted the credits to be all mine but when the time comes I needed help, I doubt about my ability. I have this thinking that when someone tried to help me and doing the things I should do, what I feel is it is not going to be perfect. I am such a perfectionist human being that whenever things are done, it should definitely be correct. Even in situation which I need someone to talk to or to help me. At first, I don't come in and telling to my dear friends I have a problem. I need to wear a smiling mask just to hide what I feel. I feel ashamed at first because I have this thinking that my problem is only as little as a pebble, which everyone has huge problems. This message is an eye-opener for me. There's no reason to shy away asking for help because it is a big deal for me and to the person I am asking for. Yes, God grant me the privilege to be helped and so as to people who are so dear and close to me.

God wants me to know that when you are in doubt, stop and listen.

There is not one question in your life that God is not ready to give you guidance on. All you have to do is stop and listen. Listen long enough to know.

Being doubtful is truly a man-made disaster to character and relationships. You exercise mistrust to people, to society and even to God. When in doubt, do not go further and believe it is not working. When in doubt, do not stop in the middle of nowhere and just rely on the flow of life. Stop and listen, stop on whatever you are doing and listen to Him. Listen long enough to know what is best and what is the right answer. It is truly a sin by having doubts in Him because He knows all for our lives. I am doubting myself so many times because I know myself more than others and I guess more than God. If I couldn't do it, I will let it. Many opportunities have come and gone and so I let it. It is because I doubted myself I cannot do it. There is still disappointment because I let it go. Next time, I will be opening my minds for opportunities and changes in my life. I shouldn't doubt myself anymore because it will lead me to nothing. And I need to stand really strong because that's what God wants us to see. We can stand on our own feet strongly and going further.

God wants me to know that in order to move forward, you must open yourself to new experiences.

There is no failing, only results. Be courageous and push yourself to new heights. Besides, what is going to happen if you made a bad decision? - You will learn from it. The more results you make, the faster you will reach your destination.

My friends always tell me I have a personality of being too relaxed and laid back. I'm always on my comfort zone because I don't want to feel sick and tired. Aside from doubting (from the previous message), I also think I couldn't do it because the requirements are highly-facilitated, I don't fit in, and my abilities, I believe, are not match to it. I don't fully open myself to new experiences because of the factors like time, money, changes and much more. And also, I am afraid of the decisions I am taking. I used to do a bad decision and for the whole year, I was wailing and telling that I didn't accept it from the start. How would I experience it if I didn't step in? How would I have the learnings if from the beginning I didn't try? I'm not courageous enough to experience something new. I just wanted to be like this and that and not exerting effort to try harder and braver. It's true that moving forward is done alongside taking chances and new experiences. Your life will move forward because you embraced changes in your whole life. And that's what I need. Like they say, I'm no longer getting younger, at all!

I know for a fact that God is everywhere. He knows everything from the beginning of our journey to its last phase. He is such an incredible, intelligent and loving Father to all of us. And what we should do in His lessons in life is to live on it. Nothing will surely be gone to Him if we didn't follow. We will just act on what He said that benefits us. And everything will come in order. Just believe!

God, thank You very much for the words of encouragement to live by. You know much about me more than I am and I truly appreciate that. I hope You couldn't stop believing, teaching and tracking me to where my life will lead. I will love You forever and ever. Amen!

Toodles!!!

All messages came from alldevotion.com. You can choose them as your Facebook application and every time, they will be sending you messages as a form of notification. Try it, it really is the message from God!