The world’s end is coming ?

If one reads the headlines in the news today (Japan's earthquake and nuclear crisis, unrest in Libya and Syria), you would think that the naysayers are right - world's end is coming soon.   I read it might come in 2012?

Well, I actually have heard about the world's doom and gloom prediction every few years, beginning when I heard it from my grandma when I was in my teens.  I was so scared then, and started praying so hard.   It also spooked out my family that we had a rosary, holy water and candles in the rooms in case the earth is covered in total darkness.  Well, I now have a family of my own and world is still spinning day in and day out.   I mean, who can really tell when the world will end?

We can live in fear and get paralyzed into inaction and negative end-of-the-world-thoughts, if we allow gloom and doom predictions to prevail our life.    I am amuse to read that business is brisk with survival kits and things in preparation for next year.   The funniest I have heard is someone building an ark like what Noah did to survive the 2012 end of the world event. 

For me, end of the world or not, we live each day to the best that we can, and leave our worries and cares to the God Above.

"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway." 

-Mary C. Crowley

Tell me if you guys believe that the world is coming to an end by 2012 and I am crazy not to believe it.  

Photo credit:   http://www.drg-photography.com/2009/08/11/a-black-rock/

Love is beautiful

If I could have just one wish,
I would wish to wake up everyday
to the sound of your breath on my neck,
the warmth of your lips on my cheek,
the touch of your fingers on my skin,
and the feel of your heart beating with mine...
Knowing that I could never find that feeling
with anyone other than you.


- Courtney Kuchta -

Pulling Together

Today, our department had good news - our team hit our sales goal as of 4:00 pm.   When the manager shared with us the news, we all sighed in relief and shook hands as we celebrated yet another down to the wire finish.   Our top boss said he will treat everyone for lunch next week - yippee!  It feels great to be part of the winning team.

The past few days have been crazy as all of us push our sales cases, and had it issued.   Everyone in the department, sales and admin personnel, work together as if it was the last quarter end of the year.   It is amazing how the people in the team all pitch in and did their part, however small the cases.   Because all in all, when the numbers are added together, it all adds up to a total amount that we want to hit for the first quarter of the year.

This is beautiful video from Simple Truths on Pulling Together.


Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!.

It reminds me that it takes a team of dedicated people, not just one person, to make it possible to reach a common goal. Communication, teamwork and daily accounting of where we are at, versus our goal, enabled our team to make it to the finish line.

So how did your  Friday end? Hope everyone has a good weekend~

picture credit: toinspireyou.tumblr.com

360 Panoramic View

Don't you wish you have no blind spots specially when you are driving, and can have a wider perspective of where you are going? Unfortunately in life, we view situations and events thru a prism or paradigm, usually from our vantage point. It may be right or wrong, depending on how we see it and based on the limited information we have. It would be ideal to get different perspectives on things so we can see the whole picture before we make our decision. Sometimes seeing things or situations from another angle, can change our opinion or mind. Maybe this is the reason why hindsight is perfect 20/20 vision - we gain insights after it has happened. What may seem to be a negative situation, might turn out to be positive if we saw it differently or with a panoramic view.

Fortunately, in photography, there is a technology where we can view pictures in 360, up or down, sideways, and whichever way we want to see it. It is called panoramic photography or wide format photography.

As you know, I love looking at pictures specially landscapes and seascapes. A friend send me the link for viewing pictures at 360 angle, at all sides, up and down. It is really cool.

Now, it would be perfect if everything can be viewed this way.

http://www.photojpl.com/cities/

Hope everyone is having a good day ~

You become what you think!

"The mind is everything; what you think, you become."
  Quote by: Gautama Buddha

picture credit:   toinspireyoutumblr.com

Keeping the trust

Take care of the trust given to you


by your child, your spouse, your friend or your neighbor.


Honor your commitments and promises, even if it is the last thing you need to do at the end of the long day.


Affirm their faith in you by looking out for their welfare,  as if they are yours.


Hold it in your hands like it is a precious gem or glass.


Because once it is shattered by doubts, dishonesty or lies,


it is hard to gain it back.  




gif credit: http://cristania.tumblr.com/post/3823928897

Math and love

I see that a lot of my readers search for love and quotes about love.   Here is an original composition on love by a young man ~

You plus me equals forever, so I plucked a thousand feathers to make up this quill that I used to tranquilize my thoughts to make my will, so I spill, a thousand hearts, a thousands roads, crying to the skies hoping to evoke, trying to promote to the heavens, pleading god for us to remain together, so we remain together, add us up to forever, subtract all the mistakes, integrate all the great moments, divide all the pride and break it down, turn the X's into hearts, it's dark when I shout at you, but it is the spark of your smile that makes me go through, the rainy days, the tears of pain, the joyful glee you and me, hopefully the universe can see,

that we remain together infinitely...

Credit to:   http://poetarch.blogspot.com/2011/03/math-and-love.html


Picture credit:  victoria6277.tumblr.

Love is spelled T-I-M-E

It is spring break and the snow outside has melted.


At this time, spending time with our children and loved ones


are blessings we are thankful for.   Whether it is biking, walking,


baking or watching movies together,  we are creating and stamping


our "memories" with them.


Specially to a child, time spent with him or her is L-O-V-E.


Here is beautiful video from Simple Truths - To a child, Love is spelled T-I-M-E.


Simple Truths - We Hope You Enjoyed the movie!.

Photo credit:

http://photo.rodrigogomez.com.mx/index.php?showimage=507

In awed of Mother Nature

Vulnerable.   Awed.  Frightened.

These were my feelings when I watched the videos of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan yesterday.   My own earthquake memories came back to me - the swaying of the tall office building and furniture while everyone is scrambling to go down the emergency exit.   It may have lasted  a few minutes or even seconds but feeling the earth tremor and shake always remind me of our vulnerability in relation to Mother Nature.    With one sweep and movement, buildings and houses fall, boats, cars and roads are swept away, trees and land boundaries are changed by earthquakes and its after effects - landslides, floods,  fires and tsunami.

I remember one incident where this lesson was displayed for all to learn.   We had rented a mid sized boat to "entertain and reward" the top sales people in our company one summer. En route to an island for sight seeing, we experienced a sudden downpour and turbulence which shook our boat and made everyone hang on to dear life.   Though we had our safety vests and emergency gear, we were not prepared to be tossed out of the boat and swimming to the nearest shore.   We all kept silent, held hands and prayed for the dark clouds to pass.    All of us in the boat, even the big bosses and top salesmen,  were brought down to our knees as we felt Mother Nature's power and might.   We were no different from the men in the olden times who have felt fear in the face of natural disasters.

Even though we have gained knowledge and progress in health, technology, and science, Mother Nature is still unpredictable, and continues to puzzle us.   With the sudden changes in the weather and the climate, she reminds us that our presence in this planet is that of a visitor - a tenant even.    Just someone passing by and not having a stake or claim in this land despite our land titles.    In one moment, all that we have worked for, our business, our house, our neighborhood, even our loved ones, can be gone in a blink in the event of a tornado,  cyclone, earthquake, volcanic eruption and other natural disasters.

Oftentimes in the aftermath of the destruction, and loss from natural disaster, we learn the value of love, care and helping other people in great need.  And most of all, we learn to live our life passionately as if today is the most beautiful and important day of our life.

What about you?   Have you ever experienced an earthquake or a natural disaster?

Photo credit:


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010127.html

You are amazing

Have I told you today that you are amazing?

The best thing in life is finding someone

who knows all your insecurities, mistakes and shortcomings

and still thinks you are completely amazing.

~ Have a good weekend everyone ~

Picture credit: happythings.tumbr

Young at heart

If 

you want to be 

 young at heart,

then

LIVE. LAUGH. LOVE.

A heart that loves is always young.   

-Greek Proverb

picture credit:  happythings.tumblr

A stroke of good luck

Every week when we buy groceries, I always see a line of people buying lotto tickets in the lottery counter.    I can see their hopeful faces, young and old, milling around the counter and jotting down what is hopefully a "lucky number."   Some are already in dreamland, thinking of what to do if they hit the jackpot.... buy a big house, car, clothes, pay off the mortgage and credit cards debts, travel every year and buy more gadgets... the list does on.   The harsh reality comes the next day, when we find out that none of our numbers didn't even show up, or that someone is luckier than us.   Okay, back to reality, back to work, back to studying, and back to the work grind.  We are not lucky at all, we sigh.

Sometimes it is a blessing that we didn't get what we wished for, as pretty much some of us asked for things or events for selfish reasons.   Imagine if we give in and grant our child every toy, wish or new gadget that they want.    We will end up spoiling our child and giving him or her a self-centered and unrealistic view of life and the way they relate to other people.

I would like to think that not winning the top prize or any consolation prizes in the lottery or contest every time,  is a stroke of good luck.   Adversity, challenges, disappointments and setbacks, makes us humble, diligent, stronger and more passionate about living.  And when we do prepare, work and get the top prize or reward, it is more satisfying and meaningful because we have earned it.   Finally, Lady Luck is on our side.

"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck."  - Dalai Lama

Picture credit:   Frank Boenigk

http://www.photoschau.de/index.php?showimage=499

Walking with friends

Why is it that when we are walking with friends,

it seems that the journey is shorter and more fun,

than if we walk by ourselves?

Sometimes, a friend's cheer is what we need

to move us along the way.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Picture / gif credit to: victoria6277.tumblr

Life is like riding a bicycle

March is finally here! Hopefully spring is just around the corner.

In the first 2 months of this year, we had 4 people leaving our office for opportunities elsewhere. Resignations (including terminations) in our office are done very quickly. One moment, you are greeting your officemates good morning, and the next moment, they are bringing out their stuff from their work station. These changes meant reorganization, rescheduling and reshuffling the workload.

My hubby was also telling me how quickly their office environment changed. One day, their boss was telling them what to do, the next day, he was resigning, and being replaced by another one. For them, under new management, this meant reshaping their product lines, retraining and updating their marketing strategies.

The changes in our office are just a small subset of changes happening around world, even quicker than we can count from 1 to 10. Much as we love things to stay the way they are or for people to remain the the way they are, we can't control changes and decisions made by other people.

To move forward, the best we can do, is to pedal our way through the changes, rely on ourselves (not others) and keep our eyes focus on the road ahead. Some changes may knock us off our seat, and drive us off our path. But if we persevere and and make the best of our lot, we can dust off the dirt from our clothes, and get back on the road. Where will it lead us? Who knows? I think this is where the adventure starts.

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein

Photo credit: Mahbubur Rahman

http://www.mrahmanphoto.com/blog/?p=522

The Serenity Prayer

With all the tragic events happening in other countries (e.g. earthquakes in NZ, unrest in Egypt and Libya), my heart goes out to everyone who needs our help and prayers.  May our brothers and sisters find peace and strength to live their lives meaningfully and courageously despite their challenges and circumstances.

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him.
Forever in the next.

Amen.

quote from : Reinhold Niebuhr

Photo credit:  Luke Tscharke

http://www.get-a-glimpse.com/atomPhotoBlog.php?do=show&photoId=922