Kali : testimonies

Showing posts with label testimonies. Show all posts

Cruise Along Chao Phraya River

I had a 5-days short visit to Thailand. It was my first time and admittedly, I didn't have much expectations since they always compare it to Manila.

That is one good thing that I learned from travelling; the places is not exactly what it was on Google, so its better to expect less and be surprised rather than get frustrated. And yes, BKK surprised me... being a Filipino, somehow its painful to admit that it is way better than Manila...

Travel time from Dubai to Bangkok is about 6.5 hours. We arrived in the afternoon.

Lechon Paksiw

While having lunch, a colleague suddenly threw a question:

Ano ung pagkain nyo nung time na mahirap kayo?
What do you eat during the lowest (poorest) time of your life? (tama ba?)

At that moment, natigilan ako... napaisip and somehow yes, nagbalik ala ala yung darkest, saddest times of my family.

One answered: mantika at asin sa kanin... (cooking oil and salt mixed in rice)

While another one is asin... (salt)

I wasn't able to respond. I just answered them with a smile as I remember what it was...

One commented: Mayaman kasi to kaya wala siyang ganyang experience...

I reacted and said of course not... we were also poor and went through down moments.

However, I don't have memories of not having food at the table despite all the hardships that our family went through.

I remember seeing my mother mixing sugar on rice; maybe those were the times when we do not have enough; however she carried the burden alone and never allowed us to suffer. Her lame excuse was that she doesn't want the food...

CHANGE spells F-O-C-U-S

Today, moving forward, I will be posting less of my photos here in KALI Blogs. Rather, this page will be more of my testimonials, sharing God's Words and devotional studies.

Reasons? I am just putting things in perspective; to be able to focus more on what needs to be done. Lately, I wasted so many time thinking that I do not have time to do this... not a day passed without me attempting to write something here...

But I failed because there are many things that I wanted to share, I lost focus on what is Urgent and Important...

Onwards and Upwards

Hello 2015!

I am looking forward to the bestest year ever...

I have my first-7-days reasons why:

01 Jan is FAMILY | This is the best place anyone can be... when we are with family.

After 7 years, I was able to celebrate New Year at home with all the "rounded" fruits on the table, colorful fireworks, loud firecrackers and a happy noisy extended family.

Isn't Jesus Enough?

The two towering figures of the 20th-century church were canonized today at St. Peter's Square, in Vatican. Pope Francis has declared two of his predecessors, John Paul II and John XXIII, saints of the Roman Catholic church. Here's the guardian update.

I was once a believer of saints. I called them and prayed to them just like most of you do. But then, I learned the obvious - that they are human beings, lived a holy life and served God with all their hearts and with all their souls. Just like us, when we live according to the teachings and examples of Jesus, when we put Him at the center of our lives, we too, is definitely living a holy life. Then, what made them extra special?

I will not preach nor condemn the Roman Catholics. I understand we have differences. You have your beliefs, and I have mine. The only thing that I can do is to share a little of mine (since this is my blog)...

Isn't Jesus enough?

He claimed it in John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me."

Isn't this clear? Why do we need to put other figures in heaven to be our mediator?

We only have ONE mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

We've seen this on seminars and workshops. For me, I am not so sure how many times I heard this on company training, but yes, this urgent - important diagram is indeed urgent and important to share.

I consider last March as one of my busiest month, ever. The week of our church anniversary landed on the same week of a regional campaign. The celebration was successful but not the campaign; just as I shared at my Stand Firm story...

Recently, McDonald's Arabia launched A Day Offline, where in they encourage everyone, especially parents to go off line from all their techs for the day and enjoy the presence of family... - at McDonald's of course :)

I wonder how many people participated with all honesty on that campaign. It seems successful if you will see the images posted on their FB page - McDonald's Arabia. Photos of happy faces were flashed on news feed during the 'day off line' which somehow seems ironic, as it was supposed to be an OFFLINE day... but the smile of the children were amazing and so were the parents who have enjoyed the games. But sure enough, most of the parent's cheated on the "offline" thing...

I personally has been struggling with this concept. I am trying to discipline myself not to go online on FB the whole day... and admittedly, I never succeeded (yet).

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

The Adventure Begins

Yey! Just a day after my 32nd birthday, my adventure begun...

In the morning of June 5, my left ear started to hear a buzzing sound. In a spun of 2 hours, it seems like I'm totally deaf. I can no longer hear anything from that side... it seems blocked and felt numb.
Gradually, I felt the imbalance while I walk, dizziness follows, until I started to throw up...
It was after lunch when vomiting took over... when I couldn't fight any longer, I mentioned it to my colleague who immediately rushed me to the hospital.

My suffering continues, countless times of throwing up... I was so anxious, totally weak during those times at the emergency room. Everything is spinning, faster than you can ever imagine. The doctor said it is Vertigo.

Vertigo /ˈvɜː(ɹ)tɨɡoʊ/ (from the Latin vertō "a whirling or spinning movement" is a subtype of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary.The symptoms are due to an asymmetric dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear. It is often associated with nausea and vomiting as well as a balance disorder, causing difficulties standing or walking.

This sickness is very familiar to me, as my Nanay have the same... but I never knew and understand how hard and difficult it was, until I experienced it. At that time in the ER, I suddenly remember how she suffers, and that memory gave me the strength to fight. Her prayers were louder than the buzzing sound in my ear.

After the medicine took effect, the doctor refer me to an EENT as she said it has something to do with my ear...

Yesterday, I went to see the EENT specialist... and he confirmed the Vertigo and an infection on my left inner ear. He sent me to an audiologist to undergo an audio gram. That confirmed my hearing loss. The doctor mentioned that my left ear is very weak at this moment. He will try but he cannot guarantee a complete healing. I need to undergo a 10-day medication before we proceed to the next step.

He will try and we will wait... without the guarantee that I will regain my hearing.

One of my colleague asked how am I coping...

Yesterday, upon hearing the diagnosis, in all honestly, I felt shocked, but never terrified. I know that I have a big God and this is just one of the test of faith and I will survive... looking forward to His wonderful work in my life.

But on my emotional side, I also felt afraid... not for myself but for my responsibilities. Can I still work? How can I help my family? I have responsibilities to our church ministry, and a big part of that is video editing wherein hearing is crucial... how can I continue to listen to His Word, when I am not capable of hearing?

But above all my worries, God spoke to me, my heart hears louder than my ears...
I just have to be still and know He is God.
Our God who heals... Our God who make all things possible. With Him, I am safe.

In the midst of this not so good situation, God's love embraced me tightly. He never let me feel alone... He sent His love through my colleague, Hana, who brought me to the hospital and never leave my side. My best friend Erika who's taking care of me just like how my Nanay will do... Nhyit who looks after me. My brother Ernan who extends his support and love. And to all of my friends and family who keeps on praying for my recovery... With all these love, there is no room for pain, sorrow and fear...

As what I have said when I started the Chapter 32 of my life...
I will submit to His will and surrender fully to my God.
With or without hearing, I will give glory to His name.

PSALM 103: 1-5

¹Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
²Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Chapter 32

Five years ago, I received my first passport.
I was 27 when I entertained the idea of working abroad and finally accepted the challenge.
There were many reasons why I want to leave... I've shared it several times through the pages of this blogs. All my dreams, my plans, my success, my failures and frustrations.
You've witnessed how Kali emerges; from the dark cloudy night until the beautiful sunshine kissed my life.

Today. I turned 32.
And I do not know what's with this age that makes me sentimental and emotional...

I browsed my journal before I started this post; there I read that I got my passport on my birthday.

That page is full of dreams. I thank God for the gift - my passport which will pave way to start another chapter of my life. There were positive thoughts about my plans of going to UAE. I'll make it big, I will continue to race... I will focus on my goal. I will be successful in my field...

It's all about me then. My strength, my capabilities and what I can do. I wanted my parents to be proud of me, because I am somebody. I was determined.

Become Your Dream

A Colorful & Prosperous 2012 to you!

Let me start this by sharing an excerpt from our CEO's New Year message to us...

Mahatma Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

And a year like 2011 in our region has certainly demonstrated the validity of this message. Across the Middle East and North Africa, people have made their voices heard, and I urge you to do 2 things:

First, Listen. Filter the truth and understand the new world we live in....

Equally important to listening is having a point of view and taking action. Have your voice and let it be heard. Stand for what you believe and do what you love. We have the power, the talent and the ambition to be as powerful as far reaching as our dreams can take us... Realize and become your dream...

Since Sunday, I have been thinking of topic for the year-end or new year article. I have been praying for wisdom on what to share to everyone.

Shall I make a recap of what happened in 2011? A year - end repost perhaps? Or shall I make a list of my new year's resolution and to-do-and-not-to-do list for the year?

Hence, you probably have read all the recap of 2011 - good and not so good things that happened in the past. And surely, you had prepared your new year's resolution as well (if you are that type) or at least had enumerated in mind things that you want to improve for the new year (that's my type).

So it took me a week to finally open this page and started to write... thanks to our CEO for the inspiring words.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

It's a lovely day out there! Bright sunny day with cool breeze of winter wind.
Summer is finally over... just as quick as October.
Time runs fast; I have counted several summers here in UAE and have waited with enthusiasm for winters. This transition is significant for me. If you have noticed, I have written few blogs about this, annually -- when its almost winter.

What makes this time remarkable for me?
I guess, being in the Middle East, knowing that you are in the desert, having experience the heat of summer and have survived it, makes this time an extra special above the other phases.

During this time, it feels good to look back few months back... while you are covering yourself from the sun and the hot wind that blows on your face. The feeling of survival and victory that you have overcome the scorching heat of summer.

This year, blazing wind blew several times... I know its not only me, but many of us had a searing summer.

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...

Do You Have The Key?

This is one lesson that I learned from the forty five days gap, I MISS YOU, remember... and as I promised, I will share stories that happened in between :-)

As the clock ticks at 5PM, my adrenalin goes up... I will cross-check all my to do list for the day and will immediately follow up all the pending jobs that were needed. I usually put pressure on my colleagues esp from finance by pointing finger on my watch...
Some walking along the hallway, few phone calls, and before I knew it, its already 6pm... finally!!!

That is me, normally.

Today, admittedly, not all jobs on my list were checked, and not all the mails were marked completed... I left my desk with some pending jobs... I was rushing to go home because there are some things that I wanted to do. That's why even if there were some jobs that needs to be sorted, I shut down the computer and ran...

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.

I Miss You

It's been one and a half month since you read something from me.
I am sorry for the gap... for the silence.

The past 45 days was not dull nor empty that there was nothing to write...
Instead, it was a very hectic 45 days for me that might equal to 90 days to others.
Most of the time, my 24 hours was never enough for one day and it usually ends with another day.

I may be as busy as a bee... but I was never been this happy.

I had several experiences that I should share...
I have compiled them in my mind and in my heart. The lessons that I learned, the people that I met, the moments and the experiences... you can read them all in the coming days.

For now, I want to tell you that I really do miss you.
Its been a week that I have this passionate desire to say something again here in my blog... To open my dashboard and write.
In the past week, I felt guilty for not fulfilling my commitment of sharing something to you.

I know I am not oblige.

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

- Psalm 20:7

Music and Me

I love to sing.

I can sing all day with the magic sing. I know a lot of videoke songs.
I love music.
I can survive all day without TV, but please, I need music.

I am a frustrated singer...
It's not that I'm out of tune; because I know the tones so well...
But I do not have the voice -- of a singer.
My voice is flat... that's the big problem!