wedding & planner

it's been a week since i made my last entry in this blog. where was i?? ah, been out of the office most days pala during last week.

it is true indeed that u'r attitude at the beginning of a task will determine its outcome, eh, i was beginning to feel lazy in writing and i succumbed to that feeling.. so ayun... gusto ko pa naman sana na daily yung entry ko dito.

nothing so significant happend to me during the week except for my friends' wedding last saturday.

"i do"
and so my friend kristi got married eventually. it was my first time to be in a Christian wedding. i came late, and when i got there, they were about to say their i do's.. and so they did, exchanged vows and kissed.

i was having fun looking at my single-folks friends, who, by the look in their eyes, were also wishing they'l be next in line.. hehehe! most of them were already in the marriageable age.

i dunno what got into me but i suddenly realized i am becoming one of them... one of those "single-folks".., oh my, i've never entertained the thought of getting married but now it seems like it's slowly becoming a reality.

Lord give me enough patience! :-) .

oh i lost my daily planner! last saturday during the reception. how could i??? i was so careless, it was so important to me.. oh well, good thing i have an extra planner...the one tita Cris gave... sayang din yung planner ko ha...dami pa namang important events na naisulat ko dun.. sana lang kung sino man nakakita ng planner ko ay isauli yun sa 'kin..

googles

i had a great weekend! wish i have the time to write it all here! a bit busy today...

a picture is worth a thousand words... hehehe! tinatamad ng magsulat!



i'm not the only one...staring at the ___!  

first photo blog

just trying to work on the aesthetic part of my online journal... all text could sometimes or more often than not be boring!... hehehe...



good old friends...literally...hehehe 

indecision

in·de·ci·sion n. Reluctance or an inability to make up one's mind; irresolution.

today, i played basketball with my bro, we had two games in a row. havent played for couple of months now because of my hectic sked, but today... i had a few.. make that two. i wanted to exhaust and tire myself today.

last night, i have to talk to a friend. i really need someone to talk to for my sanity's sake, heheeh! all went well.. at the end of our talk, still i am indecisive.

how about solving this issue using the case method?, the one they teach in our MBA??? hmmm.. hehee! kinda systematic approach...
i. problem statement
ii. objective
iii. areas of consideration
iv. alternative courses of action
v. conclusion.

or better yet pray...

i guess the latter is what i need right now.

i just have to get over myself.. yes...that's what i need to do..

"u'r too old to cry, but it hurts too much.. to laugh.."

pano' na to??? oks lang... kaya ko to!! nandyan naman si Lord! :-)

no questions asked

"if Jesus were to stand in front of me and say, "Follow me," what would be the first thoughts that would pop into my mind?

Lord, i still have my case analysis due later and it's not yet finish, can i just have an hour or two to finish it before i'l follow You?

i could only face the ground in shame after realizing that i've been burnd-out with such activities in work and school lately that i tend to forget that i have to spend time with God. my prayers seem like i am just saying "hi" and "hello" to God, and it's no longer like it's "the sweetest thing i know".... i'v compromised my time to read His Word when i run out of time to do my activities in school...

Matthew 9:9
Matthew got up and followed Him.

I like that guy Matthew, after hearing Jesus' two words "Follow me"...he just got up and followed Him and no questions asked.

"today matters"
i realized my mistake, now i need to review, readjust, and re-enter... listen and obey God and No Questions Asked!

***from today on, OUR DAILY JOURNEY will be helping me in writing this Journal.... so that i would be reminded that i should be living in His purpose and for His glory alone!

much afraid

i'm feeling so down today, feeling so weak, so defeated, so alone. i feel like it's gonna rain today. i see no sunshine. oh i just feel so weak..

... siguro kulang sa vitamins???? hehehe! i will still choose to be happy!

"Much Afraid"
by Jars Of Clay

Empty again
Sunken down so far
So scared to fall
I might not get up again

So I lay at your feet
All my brokenness
I carry all of my burdens to you

[Chorus:]

All of these things
I've held up in vain
No reason nor rhyme
Just the scars that remain
Of all of these things
I'm so much afraid
Scared out of my mind
By the demons I've made
Sweet Jesus, you never ever let me go
Oh, sweet Jesus, never ever let me go

So happy to love
Yet so far to go
You lead me on to where I've never been before

[Chorus]

"today matters"
a song or two will make me feel better... oh God help me!

my own boss

my boss is out for about a week, and that means i am my own boss for about a week also. hehehe! i've been listening to this audio books by robert kiyosaki about financial freedom lately. his principles were very good but the disciplines of getting it done and practicing it in the real world is the main obstacle i have to hurdle. the gap between knowing and doing is just too painful to overcome...it really needs desire, decision, and discipline to get to your goals. the audio book was about the four classes of people: employees, self-employees, businessmen, and investors, and of course i belong to that first category. the main point he was driving at is that these people are so different in terms of financial intellegence, emotional intellegence, and systems intellegence in view with money. whichever category you decide to belong would determine your financial freedom. i have read also his book rich dad, poor dad which greatly influenced my thinking and as crazy as it may sound to my coworkers and friends...i decided not to become an employee for the rest of my life.

"get-rich plan"
my friend Lloyd and i were talking last week over coffee about this book by Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich). Hill was a protegee of Andrew Carnegie who was one of the richest person during his time. Andrew Carnegie's principle was to spend the first part of his life accumulating wealth and the second part giving it all away...he later then revealed some of his secrets how he did it. we keep on laughing about the idea of Hill but somehow there were good points about it. we later agreed that the money is just a tool to help other people and one should not be stucked in addiction to it. "where ur treasure is, there ur heart will be also". ,

Lloyd is slated for a mission in Cambodia in a month or two, he was telling me that if it's God's will for him to stay there then he would be willing to give up his career in the government as well. Lloyd is second in rank in the information division, we had the chance to work together before i was transferred to the Regional COmputer Unit. he is already 34, with a stable job and a very promising career, with a beautiful and loving wife, although they were not blessed with a child. in a month or two also he will probably become the new chief of their division if ever the acting chief would be approved for migration in the U.S. wow! i am so inspired and encouraged by the commitment of this guy to leave his comfort zone and do God's work. hmmmm.... ???? :-)

"today matters"
yahoooo!!! i can play my favorite songs today!! sana ganito na lang lagi - ako ang boss! heheheh!

a conversation with a farmer

i had this little conversation with my uncle as he was hitchin' a ride on my way to the office today. i've known him since birth, his house is just in front of ours, & in the same compound. he did not use his multi-cab today, which he uses to visit his farm in Baungon, Bukidnon. today, he's going to visit his farm in Gingoog City. when i was a kid i idolized this guy, he was young, smart, and full of dreams. he lived in his own house, has a promising career with the government at the National Irrigation Agency, he was a bachelor then. he has two college degrees (Geodetic and Civil Engineering), he pursued his studies during day while tending in a bar at a hotel during night time. When i started my service with the government, i remember him telling me his past experiences and what-could-have-been if he continued his service with the government. he actually resigned from office at the peak of his career and took a job offer from a British construction company doing a very big project in Malaysia. after a year or two of working abroad, my uncle returned and gave up his job in Malaysia as well. the reason???? woman, he cant stand working from afar and not being with the love of his life. and so he choose to stay in the Philippines and got married and had 3 kids. after resigning from his job in the government and the British company, my uncle started his own business, a mini-grocery store. he was successful for a while but then it did not flourish, he was not a businessman, he was trained as an employee. when the kids are growing and bills are growing as well, he never resorted to becoming an employee again, instead he is now a noble farmer.

"lessons learned"
my uncle is no longer the tough and handsome guy i used to idolized, he is now old, thin, but still smart. of course during our talk in the car, it was all about agriculture, and stuffs... before i could reach the office he askd me to pull the car over coz he will be taking the jeep from there to the the terminal. he thanked me and i said no probs uncle! as i watched him go with his back-pack and stuffs for the farm.
as i reached the office, parked the car, and then i thought for a while about my uncle... then i had this lessons learned: what we are today, it's because of our decisions in the past! my uncle's motivation now is his kids (3 boys), and i can see the glow in his eyes as we were talking bout his eldest who is now about to graduate in highschool. it doesnt really matter where we are now, what matters is in what direction we are moving.. my uncle is now a Christian and also his whole family (just last year)... that's what i am most thankful to GOd about!

"today matters"
Lord give me strength & wisdom for the day!

in a rush

i was rushing to CCF this morning coz im already late for the SUnday service. i dont have the habit of being late actually but earlier my papa, and my bro, asked me if i would want to go with them to the beach. i looked at the wallclock and it was only 8:30 a.m. and since sunday service is at 10, so i nodded and took with me Mr. Wesley, my dog. besides, it;s been a while since we've gone out together and bond. it such a great feeling if it;s low tide coz i can run up to Bayabas (adjacent beach in Bulua where we are) with my dog, and if the waters are high i still can cross all the way to Bayabas but we really have to swim our way. we've been doing this everytime we go there. the beach was great and the waters were very cold, and i was enjoying it that i almost forgot the time. i actually reachd home at 10 and took a quick shower and dashed my way to CCF. it was 10:20 on my watch but just in time they started the praise and worship, hehehe! nakahabol pa rin. grabe, 20 minutes lang....hehehe!

"p.u.s.h."

Dok Allan's message was still in the book of 1 Peter and it was great! he actually ended-up his message with this word "p.u.s.h.", it means pray until something happens. i remember my friend Kristi giving me this bookmark which carries with it that same acronym. now i rememberd Kristi, it's been a while since i saw her after resigning from D.A. and took an Non-GOvernmental Org. job at Xavier University. She was actually among those Christian friends who encouraged me to be strong and keep my faith in God during my trying times. She called me a few weeks back telling me she's getting married! wooohhh! i was surprised! she was asking me to be the emcee during the reception but i declined, i told her that i knw someone who can do it better... it's Mr. Edwin Elorde, the bestman of her husband-to-be. i have the chance to meet these guys during highschool, they were the tough guys, the cream of the crop. Kristi actually didnt think of that and so she thanked me of my suggestion. hehhe! actually i was partly finding an excuse, but still i told her that if Edwin would decline as well then i can be a proxy. Kristi asked me to promise though that i should be on her wedding day. i hope Kristi made the right decision, i'l just keep on praying...

"today matters"
i was pretty tired with my activities this morning at the beach, the running and swimming stuffs so i guess i might spend some time in bed this afternoon, and as usual i have to prepare our case analysis for tomorrow. happy weekend mike!

saturdays

ever since i enrolled in the MBA Program, Saturdays are no longer exciting! well it used to be! it used to be the day where i can spend it at the beach with my dog, reading a good book, watching movies, and basketball. now those days are gone! heeheh! it's not that i dread it but Saturdays have become the day where i have to finish all my pending case analysis'. discussing cases over coffee shops, over fastfood chains, and in the school lobby have become the norm these days. at the sunny side of this shift of priorities, i learned to value time.

"a piece of advice"
i once talked to this good friend and officemate of mine, he's about 50 years old. i ask him how he was able to finish his Doctors Degree in Public Administration while keeping his daytime job... then he grab this piece of scratch paper, turned it upside down and started writing at the clean portion of the paper (he does that all the time). he actually wrote a time-management plan for me....after asking my activities. at the end of that busy schedule he then reminded to allocate time to relax..be it with my friends or my family or my dog....or even just with myself. that was a good advice...now i make it a point that no matter how busy i am, i have to spend time with my friends, my family, and myself as well.. thanks to Dr. U.O for that piece of advice!

"today matters"
as i was saying, i am about to go to Dunkin DOnuts to meet my classmate, discuss two cases and write our analysis, we have to defend one in our class tomorrow. hooooo! it's gonna be a tough day yet still i will choose to be happy! hehehehe!

slow starter

i intentionally woke up at 3 a.m. to write my case analysis, and i did. the alarm clock rang and i get out of bed. so quiet, u could even hear a needle drop. i said my morning prayer of thanksgiving to God for the new day, new challenges, and new opportunities. this is my 4th or maybe 5th attempt to do my case analysis during this time of the day. and much like my previous attempts, it was futile. as i took my pen and piece of paper to write the outline of my analysis, nothing seem to come out of my brain. my precious brain doesnt seem to cooperate, it wont work, despite how much i wanted to get it started. after a while, i found myself in dreamland!


"pareto principle"
after recalling this (20/80 principle), i realized that my productive hours starts at 8 in the morning till noon then slows down and starts to activate late at night. i just cant force my brain to work beyond those hours or more than 20 percent of my day which gives me 80 percent of my output. so in order to have my case analysis ready by 6 pm today i have to take a half-day off in the morning and true enough i was able to write my case analysis.

"today matters" my attitude today has helped me achieved my goals for the day. although i had difficulties in writing my case analysis because i wasnt able to join our group discussion but at the end of the day, i still learned my lesson...."prioritize or agonize"...

my first

it's about time i should be writing something into this blog. it's been quite a while since i created this but just now that i decided to write, i call it my first . wow! medyo iba yung dating ng title ah! hehehe! dami ko yatang naiisip and naaalala sa title na yan. i was thinking of writing my blog at the start of every day instead of doing it at the end of each day, hmmmmm... that seems to be a good idea...besides, my brain works faster at the start of each day. so what;s with today??? i skipped traffic, it's such a great feeling to start my day going smoothly down the road all the way to my office with no stop lights to bother me. whew!! it actually saves me 45 minutes of boring traffic. i actually went out of my house at exactly 7 a.m. and my office hours starts at 8 a.m., the one hour allowance was for the sometimes-uncontrollable-traffic! but today, i saved 45 minutes of that one hour... and it also means im 45 minutes earlier in my office, which gives me some time to blog! what a way to start my day!!!

"yesterday ended last night"
what about yesterday?? we had our pre-valentines party with my "singles" friends at our local church, CCF, there were quite a number of invitees...quite a number of beautiful people too... Dok ALlan and Miss Blissy's love story was one of a kind.. it inspired me and im sure the others as well. Dok Allan's 3 M's in his life were spectacular.. these are, Master, Mission, and Mate, may hierarchy yun ah.... di pwede magskip sa hierarchy.. sa palagay ko im still working out and would be doubling my time doon sa second hierarchy... Mission para makapunta na ako doon sa Mate... im 25 last year, turning 26 this year, okey lang din naman yung sabi ni Dok Allan na maging BTR na lang ako o Bachelor Till Rapture. scary thought... hehehe! oh well i guess that's it...

"today matters"
there's a lot of PC's lined up to be fixed today, not to mention my 17-page case analysis in my MBA which is due on friday, and my Quanti exam on thursday... oh well, i'l just deal with what i need to do for this day! Give me enough strength for the day Lord!