Road to 35: Treasures Unfold

As the number of our years increased, number of people in our lives decreases...

I remember celebrating my birthday, full house... from friends, colleagues, high school and college classmates, friends of friends and friends of friends of friends. 

Those were the days when strangers come over not to celebrate but to drink with other friends. When you just walk with bottle beer, checking on each group of people if they were enjoying... Party normally ends the following day. 

As I think of it... yes, indeed those were the happy days.

And as I try to recall one or two of my "happy birthday celebration" and try remember the different faces who were there; it seems that most of them were just part of my past. Very few are still on my present...

People come and go. That is something that I learned from my mentor while I was still in broadcasting network. 

But through the years, I learned that: 

You can choose the people who will stay in your life and those that you will let go... 

Being friends is not about being together everyday; even if you talk to a certain people daily, it doesn't mean that you are friends... and not talking or chatting everyday doesn't means you were no longer friends. 

No time nor distance can separate real friends. 

Bathroom Diaries: Yosi

Last Thursday, I was able to have a chat with a new colleague...
It started with a normal hi, hello and getting to know you conversation; and since we were both not busy as it is almost end of day, our conversations leads from one topic to another, until we noticed bunch of people at the smoking area.

Then I asked her if she smokes; she said no. Good! Then she threw the same question on me. I said I used to... but I quit... few years ago.

She was surprised... then she asked me how I did it.
She told me that her dad is also a chain smoker and she hope that he can stop too...

Celebrate Life

Today, I am celebrating my 34th.

Probably, I am stepping at the half stage of my life... more or less... maybe. 

My FB account was flooded with greetings from family and relatives, friends, former classmates, church family, acquaintance and career connections.

Yes, even in people, there are categories, and that is the reality; as time passes by, I realized that there are different level of relationship for every people that surrounds us

As we grow more mature, our friends became less in numbers. Others became not just friends but family to us; they are those few who stayed all throughout... while others left when things get rough. As the saying goes, I'd rather have one true friend than hundred fake ones. 

Stand Firm

Last week, our church celebrated its 16th year of standing firm in faith, united in doing the mission of God. It was victorious. The program runs smoothly, the message was very clear on the presentations, the Word of God was delivered with great impact by the guest pastor, and more importantly, many visitors took the step of faith and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Indeed, our labor is not in vain.

And as expected, the enemy will work double time to destruct us. We cannot expect them to simply sit and watch us as we celebrate.

I Wish I Don't Have To Go To Work

I admit, those words came out from my mouth this morning; just as the other mornings, especially these days that bed-weather makes waking up a bit harder...

The gloomy light, the morning breeze and the cold water.... brrrr. My bed screams "come back to meee!"

Who's not guilty?

This New Year, Let Us Focus on Jesus

Has anyone written their New Years’ resolution? Any do’s and don’ts for 2014?

I have my to-do, and that is to diet and exercise again. I am hoping and determined to lose weight again and I planned to start it this New Year. Yes, I preferred to wait until tomorrow :) 

I think this goes to everyone. Each of us has their own plans as the year starts.

Yes. I also have my don’t-do-it-this-time list on my mind; things that I should stop doing. One of those is to sleep late or not having slept at all… (let me try!)

As Christians, I know we should not practice this New Year’s resolution list anymore, we should be living a life pleasing the Lord and not according to this list (the above were just examples).

We look at New Year as start of something new and something great. This is the best time for new endeavors; to step in a new opportunity or challenge.And this is also the perfect time to leave the past behind. Those things that we want to forget; experiences and difficulties that causes us pain. We can all move forward to start anew.

One Peace

On our travel every morning, the traffic is getting worst. The 45 minutes travel time is now 1 hr. and 5 mins. Accident is always present on the road which adds few more minutes... But despite the heat and  the hot headed drivers, my extended morning nap re-charged my battery for the day.

Office as usual is busy and stressful - for them. But on my corner, being isolated from the rest is quiet and relaxed, as if there is a blanket that shields me from tension from the outside forces... work flows smoothly on my side. Follow ups were made, deadlines were met and everything is organized. And as I always say, I am blessed with kind hearted superiors... they are God's bonus gift to me.

SSNHL Episode

Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

After seeing 3 ENT Specialist, 2 Otolaryngologists, a Neurologist, an Internist and a Dentist;  I was diagnosed to have SSNHL.
To those of you who are like me that just heard about this, you can click the link and check; that was what actually happened to me. I have also shared with you my personal experience when The Adventure Begins, with the initial diagnosis from ENT here in Dubai, before we headed to Manila as I was Listening With One Ear.

My audio gram : PTA 0.00

BOXER OF ALL TIME

It's A Beautiful Day

I initially started my post with these lines - I missed blogging because...

And I came up with 6 excuses. 

As I continue on my 7th, I realized that I was just fooling myself with all those reasons... 

and the bottom line is that I failed to manage my time and I was not focus at all. 

To be fair with me :), I was also pre-occupied with many things... both on work, personal and extra curricular. At office, I was given additional accounts to manage; on personal note, my parents and auntie just left after a month of vacation here in UAE, and my extra curricular - are the most important things among the three, for those are my commitment to WIN Sharjah church ministries. 

Now, are my reasons valid? :-) 

Maybe, but still I found myself guilty. 

Guilty for not fulfilling my promise to you and my commitment to share how marvellous God is. 

I know I have said I MISS YOU several times already. I have expressed my innermost desire to be with you on the pages of KALI. But I have failed you many times... 

Now, I'll try again; let me start by saying: KALI's back! TODAY ---

Today, I do not have a huge story to tell. 

But I have a huge God Who do mighty things that I can share...

Who needs a break?

Few minutes ago, I felt so tired and restless...
I needed a break.

I first thought of making a chai but I didn't find my mug in the pantry, so I erased the tea break on my mind.
I walk along the corridor and went to toilet to freshen up.
Ate was there... the Filipina cleaner.

As I was washing my hands, I took a deep breath and sigh - "Hay kapagod!"
Suddenly, Ate said in a very calm voice, "Sinong mas pagod sa atin?"

Boom!!!

It took me a while before I finally find the right words to say..."Oo nga po, kayo maghapon ng naglilinis. Masakit na po kasi mata ko sa harap ng computer."
Ate said, "Nakakapagod din ung mag isip ano? Pero malaki naman ang bayad sa inyo, sulit naman."

In few seconds, all the weariness that I felt seems to escape from me... crawling away from my complaining body, not wanting to hear another word from Ate's sad and frustrating story.

Lolo Ciano: An Inspiration

The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed  are their children after them.

- Psalm 20:7

Hearing Sleigh Bells

Have you heard that ting-a-ling-ling these days?
The season of happy songs from the happy heart and happy souls is finally here.
We'll I haven't heard any Christmas carols on this side of the planet but the ting-a-ling-ling-ting-ting-a-ling-dong is buzzing on my ears... in my mind and in my heart.

Vision Board

3 years ago, I started to create and believe in the vision board - as mentioned in Rhonda Byrne's The Secret - Understanding the law of attraction - and the power of positive thinking.

My first vision board was not a board at all, I just posted a DVD cover of the movie - Dubai on my cabinet. It was 2007. Few months after that, I found myself in UAE.

A for Effort

Few days back, I wasn't sure if I was just experiencing another 'holiday hang-over' -- but that was not the first time that I felt bored at work... it's all over my head and I felt that I do not want to create another job nor talk to anyone regarding work again.

I missed the thrill... the excitement in coming to the office everyday.
Everything seems monotonous... numbers and computation irritates me... not to mention some people who I felt were insatiable and so insensitive. I know it was alarming -- because I started to hate my job :(

I somehow felt depressed... but I have to drag myself to go to work. There are days when I will just sit and stumble at the net, replying only to urgent matters... the rest of the jobs... I just ignore them. My self-esteem was so low... thinking that this is not the job for me...

Everything changed after one phone conversation that I had with my Ninang.

Happiness Overload!!!

It's 1AM.

I am so awake.

And sooo happy.

It's been 9 days since my parents arrived for vacation here in the UAE...

Cloud 9 for me and my brother. Every minute was so precious, so memorable...

I just can't shout loud enough to tell you how happy I am now.

This is their first travel out of the country.

A dream come true...

The happiness was really overloaded.
Our hearts were shouting for joy.
Giving thanks and praise to our Lord God who made this possible.

Indeed, He is an awesome God.
He fulfilled His promises to those who believe...

The Value of Sharing

Life is not about having and getting...
but being and becoming.

Familiar? Because it's in my profile :)
That is one of my favorite quotations...
It applies to me and my vision of what life really is.

Aside from being passionate in writing and photography, I am here to share God's faithfulness in my life, on the people around me and in the world where I belong...

I am not a perfect example of what a Christian should be...
But my God is perfect. That is what I want to share.
And that is what we all need to attest...

One friend told me her feelings towards giving testimonies at the time when she still attended a Christian fellowship... that is the portion of the program/activity that she wants to avoid,  she felt uncomfortable in sharing her life story...
And she said that maybe, its because of she's still young then and lacking self confidence...

Or I can say that maybe, during 'her' time, the importance of testimonies wasn't explained enough that she didn't understand why it is necessary.

In our church (Phils.), giving testimonies is part of our Sunday service. And weekly, I heard people sharing how great our God is...
I remember being so naive before, not understanding what was happening around...
I found it so odd, that people are crying in front of the church... thanking God but crying at the same time.
There are some who I thought were so proud with their new businesses or new investments or careers...
Others have sick relatives and family members that were in trouble... but still, they were shouting Hallelujah!

Honestly, I thought they were OA then!
Yup... I did :-)

It took me some time before I understand why 'they' do that...
or rather...
I needed to have deeper relationship with Him, wider knowledge about Him, and strong faith in Him before I fully understand why people have to stand there in front, crying while saying their pieces and thanking the Lord...

And maybe, many finds me OA these days, too :-)

We always say, 'count your blessings...'
But after counting, what are we supposed to do?

In our weaknesses, others' may find their strength...
And where we failed, others may succeed.

For me, Christian living is like living in a fantasy world... each day is another miracle... never ending blessings... unlimited happiness and overwhelming joy...
Trials are there, but it won't bring me down... instead, it will draw me closer to Him.

And that wonderful Christian life experience shouldn't be a secret...
We should say it and share it and be proud of it.


In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15

Let your stories be heard...
Let others be inspired, not of what you have but who you've become through the grace of God.

Now On Lane 3

I just hit the big 30!

Yup... just recently :)

And I had the best party ever!!!

I had 3 cakes... 3 candles... 3 wishes...
It was celebrated with 3 different set of friends (early morning, lunch and dinner)...
It was also my 3rd birthday here in Dubai, and my 3rd birthday celebration away from home...

And I had 3 first time on that day...
Let me share with you those 3s... (briefly)

First is the 'alcohol free' yet very fun party!

I am trying to recall when was my last party without alcohol... maybe when I was in highschool?
Maybe...
And for the past years or hmmmm... decade of celebrations, I thought that it is impossible to enjoy a party without a beer!!!

On that day, I knew what it takes to be really happy... I learned that laughter comes from the heart and not from the mind corrupted by alcohol... and party is enjoyed most with special people whom you love...

Second on that three is the experience of the so called 'tribute' to the celebrator.

The feeling was overwhelming, as my new found family shared their thoughts about me... and offered verses that will be my guide towards the next chapter of my journey.

Through that, I was able to reflect... I am thankful to all the kind words they said about me... (thank God for the food, they were not hungry and angry ;-)

During that time, memories flashed back... Good and not so good memories that molded me to become who I am today. Years of struggles... Moments of success... Failures and achievements...

Trials that tested my faith and proved God's love and faithfulness... my ride was never easy, but it has always been safe and happy, having Him beside me.

Third but never the least is the total happiness that I felt on that day...
It was so so different... I felt the love not just by the people but most of all by God.

It is the first time that I didn't cry on a special occasion...
Of course, I missed my family who are not beside me physically... but the distance was never a hindrance for me to feel their love...
I longed to be with my relatives who always supported me and my friends who sailed with me all the way...

I missed them... but it won't be reason not to be happy.
We may not be together but I was embraced by their love...

God works mightily... He filled up those empty spaces...
He completes me...


On that day, a new chapter of my life started...
I'm done with rough slow lane 1... moved to curve fast lane 2...

Now, I am on straight lane 3 :)
Focused on every step together with our Almighty.

---
Let me share 3 of the many verses that I received on that day...

Ephesians 3:17-19
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Lent

The season of prayer and penitence...
Time of commemorating the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As the whole Christian world observes the Holy Week, many tends to forget the real meaning of the season... Most family were already booked for the much awaited week long vacation. Friends have their parties set... Although the traditional practices were still observed (esp. in Phils.), it was more of gimik and happenings instead of remembering what Jesus had been through and understand why He suffered on the cross.

Living in a Muslim country is becoming more difficult in times like this, when Christians should be in churches for service and activities or doing some penitence, we are inside our offices, just as another ordinary day...
I missed the days of watching 'The Ten Commandments', times when we are just at home and Nanay reads the Bible, or attending Bible study lead by our Lolo Marciano.

More than the usual vacation, as Christians, we are longing for the Spirit of the Holy Week... Moments when we can reflect and repent and give service to others. Observing the good examples that Jesus demonstrated to us.

Though being on this part of the world, surrounded by non-believers, it won't be a hindrance for us take part and rekindle our faith... deep in our hearts, we continuously give thanks for all His sacrifices...

"This is how God showed His love among us; He sent His One and Only Son into the world that we might live through Him." -1 John 4:9

Forever Grateful

For quite sometime now, there's a pain in my abdomen...
Last weekend, I underwent an abdominal ultrasound, and discovered that I have 'gems' on my kidneys... 5mm on the left and tiny 'gravels' on the right.

Nothing to worry. Everything is fine.
I am now under medications and in 2 weeks time, there will be another ultrasound to check... and in Jesus' name, I know that it will be gone...

Though as per my Urologist, the pain is not coming from those 'rubies' (as I call it), but maybe from my Colon... and so I haveto see another doctor, a Gastroenterologist - which I already called for an appointment, that is 2 days from now. I will let you know... :)

I am smiling... because I know that I will be well, soon.
and I am grateful because I believe that this is just another test of my faith in Him... and I will not be shaken.

For the past months... life seems to be perfect for me and my family. Our hearts are filled with joy... there are a lot of reasons to celebrate. And we are thankful that we are so blessed.
I don't say that this is the payment for that (as we sometime thinks that in every happiness, there is sadness afterwards)... because I believe that this is another blessing for me, as God will use me to show His healing power as He removes these diseases away from my body.

God gives me trial so that I will continually cling onto His hands, and forever keep in touch with Him. Day by day, I know that He moves into my life... and through these circumstances, behind all these pain, I am molded and hardened to become a better individual - to be called His child.

"He knows the way I take;

  when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

My feet have closely followed His steps;

   I have kept to His way without turning aside."

Job 23:10-11